Mark Scholten

More than Conquerers

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Movie on 12-1-22 at 11.07 AM

I received a note from a friend from seminary this week.  “There is no hope for us now.”  I responded, “The Word and Promises of Christ never fail. Therefore hope never dies. Courage brother, the best it yet to come.” He replied, “Amen! ‘Though the wrong seems oft so strong, HE is the ruler yet!.  “Sing it brother! Then believe and rest in it. I am trying to myself.

I have another friend from seminary who was recently diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer.  She has a Caring Bridge site and she writes frequently and honestly in it.  Here is a sample, “Having a rare form of nasty cancer, knowing what’s coming in some ways and living also with the mysterious unknown future….or not…has radically changed how I think.”

“While being terrified of that unknown, I keep coming back to what really matters in life. Love. Love is what matters. Not being “right.” I’ve had to drop my own weapons that I had toward a few people that have hurt and harmed me. I’ve needed to see people better in light of their sufferings….my paraphrase of a Bonhoeffer quote….and forgive generously.”

“At the end of my life (whenever that is), when it’s all said and done, what do I want to be most known/remembered about me? I want for people to be able to look at my life and say “Hey that Jesus guy seems pretty great. I’d like to know more about him.””

It is such and encouragement to me to see my brothers and sisters fighting depression and despair in a fallen world with faith. Knowing Christ, and resting in the gospel at the most difficult times it possible.  

No matter what life throws at us, we can overcome through the love of God in Christ.

Are you tempted to despair? Are you tottering on depression? Romans 8:37, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerers through him who loved us.”  Men, women, to arms!! Victory is assured.

Conflict? In the Church?

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Jesus died so that his children might live in peace, and multiply that gospel peace throughout the world.  There should not be conflict in the church nor among the people of God.  We are redeemed, given grace upon grace.  We recognize sin, we repent from it, and forgive it in others when they ask.  We should all be in one accord for the same Spirit fills us all.  We are to lay down our lives for one another, consider others better than ourselves, and honor our brothers and sisters. The congregation is a sanctuary, a place of peace and refuge from a fallen world and sinful conflict.  

We should not have conflict in the church. But we often do. We should not have conflict in our families, but we often do.  Likewise, we often have conflict in the church.  Why?  We still sin. James 4:1, “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?”

Paul and Barnabas had a great conflict over John Mark (Acts 15:36-41). On the first missionary journey, John Mark had turned back in Pamphilia  We don’t know why he did so.  Was he troubled by the Gentile mission? Was he afraid? Was he homesick?  We only know that he turned back from the mission.  He had not gone with them to the work. Acts 13:13, “And John left them and returned to Jerusalem.” 

John Mark was Barnabas’s cousin. Mary, his mother, owned a large home in Jerusalem.  It was the home of the prayer meeting when Peter escaped prison and came to the door. John Mark was most likely the author of the Gospel of Mark. He was the occasion of the conflict.

Barnabas was the son of encouragement. He was the first to welcome Paul in Jerusalem (Acts 9:26-27) and he was quick to receive and restore John Mark. He had a conflict with Paul!

Paul and Barnabas had a sharp disagreement about taking John Mark with them on the second missionary journey.  They had a “paroxysmos” about his qualifications for ministry.  So they separated. And in their unfortunate divide, they doubled the missionary force!  God still used separation to forward his work.

Later, there was reconciliation. Paul had good words for both Barnabas and Mark (1 Corinthians 9:6; 2 Corinthians 8-18-19 (likely speaking of Barnabas); Colossians 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:11, “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry).

In a sinful world, we will have conflict. In a sinful church, we will have conflict. God rules and overrules our conflicts for good, provides for the future ministry of the church and opens the possibility for future reconciliation. (Paul and John Mark were apparently reconciled).

Walk with God through church conflicts. Learn from them and grow. “Though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.” Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry in your conflicts. Don’t take things personally – it is not about you. If you are wrong, confess it – seek forgiveness. Pray, take a stand where you must knowing that you still might be wrong. Strive to honor Christ, even in separation and conflict.

Finding your Heart’s Home

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My heart is wandering in lonely exile earnestly searching for a way home. We all hunger for quiet rest in this “waste howling wilderness.” After we were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, we were refugees, aimlessly searching for a place of peace – aching for shalom. We read in Deuteronomy 32:9-10 “For the Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.” The Lord who searches for us is the rest of his people, the home of the heart, and the sanctuary for the refugee. God finding his people is the end of the exile of our hearts. He welcomes us home beside the green pastures and the quiet waters.

Happiness, or heart satisfaction, is like a wet bar of soap. The tighter you squeeze the soap the more it slips through your fingers. Rest of heart and true joy are not found by searching for them directly nor by making them your solitary focus. They are by-products of finding something, actually someone, else. More accurately, that Someone finding you!

We, of all God’s creatures, were made in the image and likeness of God. God is our natural environment – our home – the place where we thrive and find rest! Communion with God is our shalom. We were created to know and love God; to enjoy his presence, wisdom, blessing, and favor. Our hearts belong to him by virtue of creation. But our hearts will not find their rest in him except by virtue of redemption. Paul speaking in Athens said, “they (all mankind) should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’” (Acts 17:27-28). We were made to know God and dwell with him. He is our home, our peace, and our rest.

In our search for heart rest and soul satisfaction, many aim horizontally and ask created things to bring them contentment. ‘My spouse will make me happy.’  ‘My kids will fulfill my dreams.’  ‘Success will give my heart rest.’ We expect earthly things to do what only God can do; namely, to give true satisfaction of heart. Relationships, good times, fame, riches, even family, and personal accomplishments can only give a temporary sense of peace. These blessings are only a few of the pleasures God gives. True rest is found not in the gifts alone, but in the giver.

Yet, all of creation’s good gifts point to the giver as the true source of rest and peace. “God is the peace that you are looking for…  If you seek God, rest in his presence and grace, and put your heart in his most capable hands, he will satisfy your heart as nothing else can” (Paul David Tripp). 

In every dessert line blessed with Scotch-a-Roos, my personal favorite, I am sorely tempted to take the whole plate instead of grabbing only one treat!  In our search for soul satisfaction and peace of heart we are not to be content merely with the gifts that God can give and to seek our shalom among earthly things, we are to take the whole plate! We are to aim for God and have all these other things thrown in.  Isn’t that what Jesus told us? “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)  ‘There is a place of quiet rest near to the heart of God.’ Won’t you join him there? Won’t you enter into that rest?

Session Summary July 2022

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All Session members with the exception of Bryan McReynolds, were present along with guests Millie Moore, Carla Wooten, Phil Motes, and Randy Waters.    We prayed specifically for seven of our church families.  We also shared and prayed for concerns known to each of us as shepherding elders.  We heard reports from the pastor about families that have recently attended and been contacted by him and others.   The Veritas Christian school has agreed to again use our facilities on Thursday during the school year.  The Trellis team reported that our June financials closed with a $8,700 deficit, leaving us $11,900 below budget for the year.  Continue to pray for wisdom as the Session deals with this issue.    About 20 people are regularly attending the bi-weekly Wednesday evening “Your Questions, God’s Answers” dinner and study, and the Sunday evening prayer service and fellowship time.  These efforts have been well received and all are encouraged to participate.  We will begin a new family-oriented Sunday school class in the fall with John Etheridge as teacher, a great opportunity for those that prefer this style of learning.  We were encouraged by Paul and Robina Wolff’s recent visit and report about their mission work that we have supported for decades.   Remember to sign up to adopt one of our missionaries, a huge blessing.  The church growth team effort to reach out to new residents in our local neighborhood has produced hundreds of contacts that are being sent follow up materials.  The fellowship team has planned a church wide luncheon for July 31.  Come to meet and enjoy time with your brothers and sisters in the Lord and hear an update about future church plans.  The ladies recent “Meet and Eat” luncheon was well attended and enjoyed by all.  The matter we have before Savannah River Presbytery was not resolved at their July meeting, so it is still pending and continues to need our prayers.  There are many activities and plans in process to minister well to the members of Westminster and our community.  Please pray for God’s blessings, and consider how you might use your own spiritual gifts to help.  

Following the Call of God

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When the King speaks, when He commands, His people obey. Or, do they? When God called me into the ministry I immediately answered, “Here I am, send somebody else!”  Instead of following God’s call and trusting his grace I revisited the empty excuses of Moses. “I am nobody, I can’t do this. I am not eloquent, please send someone else; perhaps my brother, Aaron.”  Neither I nor Moses really heard God say, “I will be with you,” and “Who made the mouth?”  Moses and I were looking inward, at our lack of gifts, wisdom, experience, etc.  We were not looking to God, nor trusting his call, his provision, his ability.  God will not issue an order and then promptly turn his back on his obedient people.  With the command God gives the power, ability, and assistance to complete the task.

I am not alone, I think, in questioning God’s call to service.  Jonah ran in the opposite direction, Peter denied that he even knew the Lord Jesus, Gideon and Joshua needed assurance before they followed the voice of God.  Why do we hesitate to follow the wisdom of the almighty all wise God?  Often, we look to the current supplies on our shelves and calculate the impossibility of the task.  Said in another way, we fail to believe in the wisdom and might of the God who calls us. We look to our present ability instead of depending on God’s promised provision. We act as if it all depended on us and drive ourselves to despair. We think that we are ill equipped and feel very alone.  Cast your eyes on the full shelves of the King of the Universe! “What he says is always best and what he requires is always good.” Paul Tripp

We need to fix our minds on the One who has called us to serve.  He is almighty. He has a plan and a purpose that cannot fail.  He is doing something amazing and no one and no thing can hinder his masterpiece.  When he calls us to any type of service, he is inviting us to his victory parade.  He is giving us meaning, purpose, and even guaranteeing success (when viewed from His perspective).  It is most dangerous to rely on our own wisdom, and most safe to rely on His.  God calls us in order to mature us into childlike faith. Learn to walk in simple confidence in God.  We don’t need to know the whole story to write the first line. When you hear the call of God, take that first step of joyful faith.  

When God calls to serve, just do it. Don’t hesitate, don’t question, don’t begin to marshal seemingly legitimate excuses.  God knows all things, and in His wisdom He has called you! Now, this call of God can be something very simple – say a prayer for a friend, call to encourage a sister in Christ, give to a family in need, teach a class, or join a small group.  It is not the size of the calling that trips us up.  As a rule, those who obey in smaller things are given larger tasks. The key to joyful rest and submission is child-like faith. Just do it. Have the confidence that you and God can do anything. Labor in the assurance that you are not alone. Obey with evident joy because the Master has called your name and delights in your service.

Session Summary June 2022

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All Session members were present along with guests Sharon Kuhn and Carla Wooten. We prayed specifically for eight of our church families.  We heard reports from the pastor about families that have recently attended and been contacted by him and others. The Walk Through the Bible program was recent held and attended by 44 people. The Trellis team reported that our May financials closed with a $11,300 surplus, helping to catch up from earlier deficits and leaving us $3,200 overall below budget for the year.  Continue to pray for wisdom as the Session deals with this issue. About 20 people are regularly attending the Wednesday evening “Your Questions, God’s Answers dinner and study. Cards will be going out to people moving to our church neighborhood over the next four months and will introduce them to our church. Vacation Bible school in cooperation with Lakemont PCA will be held in our facilities next week. The Worship team has introduced the weekly Westminster Whispers and Winds email for church wide announcements and encouragement. We are urged to review this information each week. June 26th we are hosting a families with children luncheon after morning worship.  The ladies are encouraged to attend the upcoming “Meet and Eat” on July 15th, and a church wide dinner is being planned for July 31. Sharon Kuhn has just returned from a mission’s trip to Kenya. Sign up to adopt a missionary that we support. Pastor Mark and Dan will be attending General Assembly in Birmingham next week. The matter we have before Savannah River Presbytery is still pending and continuous to need our prayers. There are many activities and plans in process to minister well to the members of Westminster and our community. Please pray for God’s blessing, and if you have a talent or area of interest please talk to the elders or pastor or ministry team leaders for how you might also help.  We also could use more help with children’s church activities. Please see Karrie Harmer.  

Possibilities of the Empty Nest

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After the kids are grown and gone, you are more than halfway through this thing that we call life. How are you doing? How would you grade your life to this point? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What have you done right?  What have you done wrong? What were your missed opportunities?

Why go through that potentially painful exercise in self-examination?

So that you can see clearly the rest of the way.  If you can learn from the past for a better future.

You have invested in many of the right things; marriage, kids, a career, a church, a ministry. You have paid the bills and made your way through life with some acceptable degree of success.

You have made some mistakes too. You see it now. Age has brought you a measure of wisdom, but you cannot change the past. But you are wiser for the mistakes that you have made.  I used to tell my kids, that if they would simply learn from their mistakes, they would all be geniuses by now!  How much more is that true of empty nesters?

So, What is next for you in marriage and in life? What is marriage like after the empty nest?

Some marriages are so focussed on the kids; things like keeping them alive, reducing the damage that they can do as teenagers, and protecting them as best you can from the big mistakes in life.  You have guided them into adulthood. It consumed much of your family time, all of your vacations, and 110% of your money. What now?

Now that you have the time, the money, and the freedom what will you do with it?  How will your invest your time?  What should marriage be like after the empty nest? It should be fantastic!! I can prove it in one word.  Grandkids!! All of the fun of kids, without diapers, discipline, and sleepless nights.

But seriously, what will you invest in now that you have the time and the opportunity? How do we finish well?  How do we best live after the empty nest? How can we have our latter days blessed?

What is your vision for life? What is your goal? We have one but many of us do not know what it is. What we actually do in life reveals what our vision for life is. What do we think that life is all about? Well, how do we actually live life? What do we spend our time on? So, what is your practical vision for life?  What do you actually do?

I have sometimes said that you can discern someone’s vision for life by looking at the way they spend their money. That is what they value. But, the one thing in life that is more valuable than money is time. Your vision for life is revealed and proclaimed by what you spend your time on.

Let me give some practical advice for investing your time after the empty nest.

Pursue your spouse. All people are made in the image of God; that means that they are all potentially, infinitely fascinating. Including your spouse!! Deepen your marriage. You now have an unrestricted opportunity to discover your spouse.  Make it a priority. Talk, fellowship, and share with each other.  Serve them in love, and that love will return to you 10 fold.  Take up a hobby together. Do life together.

Pursue your God. If the image of God in your spouse is fascinating, and it is; what will knowing the God behind the image be like?  Go deeper into your knowledge of God, your experience of God, and your enjoyment of God. You have more time to pursue God, pursue Him. Spend time with God, the ancient of days. Benefit from his wisdom.

Daily apply the gospel to yourself. Remind yourself daily who you are in Christ.

Invest in your kids and grandkids. Your children still need you. Your support and encouragement can be a tremendous blessing to their families and their marriage. Invest in your kids, still. Pour yourself, your love, and wisdom into your grandchildren.

Set your house in order. Write a will; answer the end-of-life questions; put it in writing. Plan your funeral. Get rid of the junk you have accumulated as you traveled through life. Don’t make your kids do it.

Invest in a church, a church fellowship, and a ministry. You have time, experience, and gifts. Use them. Be yourself in the presence of God and his people. Receive the love of God freely offered to you in the gospel. Hang around those people whose lives have been changed, sweetened, and redeemed by the grace of God. There is nothing better in life and no greater preparation for heaven.

Every stage of life has its joys and opportunities.  The empty nest can be, and perhaps should be, the best time of your life.

Communion Meditation

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The Lord’s Supper is a foretaste of the wedding feast of the Lamb.  It is an invitation to the heavenly banquet. To participate in the sacrament is to receive the blessings of the eternal kingdom of Christ.

Every blessing of the Covenant are received, embraced, and enjoyed, by faith.  Faith is essential.  If you have faith, even weak faith, faith as small as a mustard seed, come to the table.

If you have no faith, if you do not believe, or if you are living in defiance of God’s commands; coming to this table will only bring judgment.  Don’t come.

What are these blessings that are received by faith at the table?

First, it is pardon for sin, all of them. 

Second, it is sanctification for sinner-saints.

Here, in this means of grace, the Holy Spirit sanctifies our nature, 

subdues our sins, and implants in our heart gospel grace. 

Here we have access to the favor of God.

Third, it is communion with God.

What is that sweet communion with God; what does it entail?

According to Samuel Davies, in the Supper, there are “reviving communications of divine love, to sweeten the affections of life; and the constant assistance of divine grace to bear us up under every burden, and to enable us to persevere in the midst of many temptations.”

Fourth, it is rededication. At the Lord’s Supper, we receive Christ as Savior and accept the gospel. Here, we commit ourselves to Christ; here we renew our vows of the covenant and and recommit to the covenant community.

When we receive the Supper, we are brought into the presence of our Great King and we celebrate the reality that we, who were outsiders, have now been brought into the family of God.

As you come, remember Jesus. Remember his willing sacrifice. Remember the spotless lamb of God whose blood cleanses you.

Communion Meditation (Help from Joel Spencer)

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The Gospel is necessary because of the reality of our estrangement from God. Why are we estranged from God? Why is there a relational chasm between us and our Creator? 

God is pure. We are sinners. It is that simple. 

God is holy, righteous, and good and he cannot tolerate our corruption, rebellion, sin, and death. 

Life, forgiveness, and acceptance is freely offered to us through the reconciling work of Jesus Christ. He represented fallen man and satisfied God’s holy anger and met the claims of his justice. Praise the Lord! 

God has provided His own Advocate for us. God has reconciled us to Himself! This is why Jesus is the Gospel, and why Christians are in love with Him.  Believers have the freedom that comes from knowing that God no longer holds our sin against us. 

If this believe this, this table is for you. Come, and welcome to Jesus Christ. If you do not believe this, you should. But this table is designed for the comfort and encouragement of believers. If you do not believe, this table holds no charms for you. Repent and believe the gospel. Trust in Jesus Christ for your salvation. And tell the church. Then, you will be welcome to this table of grace.

The Benediction: Don’t Leave Church Without It

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Why do we do it? Why does the pastor raise his hands? What should the congregation do during the benediction?

“Where the benediction is an ancient practice in Christian worship and found at the end of every Pauline epistle, many Christ are unclear on its meaning and treat it as little more than a pious way of ending a worship service… The benediction is God’s Word to us, both in Scripture and during the weekly public assembly.  Each week, God pronounces his benediction upon us, telling us that his promise, and not our experience, gets the final word to all who are in Christ.” URNCA  It is as if Jesus were saying to us, ‘‘I have been dead, and in dying made a curse for you; now that curse I have fully removed, and my Father hath acquitted me and you for it; and now I can be bold to bless you, and pronounce all your sins forgiven, and your persons justified.’’ Thomas Goodwin

“The church today should be encouraged to have a richer understanding of receiving Christ’s benediction, which testifies both to the presence of God among the congregation and to the completeness of the atoning work of the Savior.” Kelly Kapic

What does the word mean? Bene = Good; Dicere = to speak. It amounts to blessing; the good word, or speech. Benediction. The real content that is given during the benediction is grace. Paul mentions grace is each of his benedictions. 

The benediction is not a prayer, or a request being made to God; it is a pronouncement from God to us. It is a bestowal of his presence, grace and blessing.  It is not a mere reminder, but an actual giving of grace.

Some words or pronouncements achieve what they declare.  For instance, “Not guilty.” That conveys a status.  Or, “By the power vested in me, I introduce Greg and Sally, Husband and wife.” Or, “you are hired, or fired.”  In the benediction, we are blessed. That status is conveyed to us.  A spiritual transaction takes place.  We are filled with God’s promise, presence and blessing.

The source of the blessing is Jesus Christ.  It is an application of the person and work of Christ to the lives of his children.  The benefits of God’s plan and Christ’s work are applied to us by the Holy Spirit. This may be why the Spirit is not mentioned in the NT benedictions – the Holy Spirit is the person conveying the blessing from the Father and the Son.

Why does the pastor lift his hands?

Jesus did. In Luke 24:50-51, Jesus was lifting his hands in blessing his people as he ascended.  OT priests would also life their hands to convey a blessing (Lev 9:2).  In the early NT church, the presiding officer would literally lay his hands no the heads of the worshippers as the service ended to convey a blessing. Today, the pastor lifts his hands to bless, and the people raise their hands and eyes to receive the blessing.  It is not a prayer, but a blessing – keep your eyes open!

It is the minister, the one set aside to stand in the place of God, that pronounces the benediction. Elders or ministerial candidates can pray the blessing.  Yet, in families, the husband, as the prophet, priest, and king of his home, can pronounce a blessing on his family.

Interestingly, in Philippians 4:23, “be with your spirit,” your is plural and spirit is singular. This points to our unity in the Spirit.  We are one people.  It also harks back to Phil 1:27, “I will now that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel.”

So, don’t leave the worship service without receiving God’s parting blessing.  He sends us out into the world and into the week with his presence, promise, and grace.