All posts Reissuing a call to prayer for the PCUSA
5/31/2012 9:40:37 AM
In June of 2010 I wrote to you the following:
“As we approach the 219th General Assembly (GA) of the Presbyterian Church (USA) we hold out great hope and lift ardent prayers that after all is said and done there will be reason to praise, applaud and celebrate. What would an assembly look like that would produce such headlines?
It would be characterized by a sense of reverence; God-honoring, Bible-proclaiming, Jesus-exalting, Spirit-empowered worship; and a mutual submission of all present to the radically supernatural calling of Christ to be conformed not to the patterns of this world but to be transformed by the Word.
It would be an assembly marked by honest spiritual discernment. It would be less issue oriented and more about discerning together what God is doing in the world and how we can collectively participate in and advance His Kingdom agenda.
It would be less focused on factionalism and more focused on the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace experienced by those who are authentically in Christ, abiding in Him and producing faithful fruit for Him.
It would feature less exaltation of our own stories and more proclamation of His story. It would feature far more testimonies about the power of the Gospel, real stories about genuine conversion from sin to holiness. The hissing and eye-rolling and head-shaking that now greets those who try to lift up Scripture in committee or on the floor of plenary would be replaced with smiles, affirmative nods and a chorus of “amens.”
It would be an assembly that did not add further confusion to the confessional standard, but genuinely honored the confessions already in place. It would be an assembly that did not seek to strip our denomination of her dignity, but put itself on its face before the Lord acknowledging a deep division we cannot heal without His intervening grace…”
I shared that my celebratory headlines were ready. Alas, they were never printed. We are all familiar with the fallout of the passage of amendment 10A. Most are now aware that the 2012 GA is going to consider a redefinition of marriage. I, for one, am holding out hope that this GA will be found faithful. I hereby re-issue the call to pray for the commissioners of the GA. Let us lift our voices in one accord for the pouring out of God’s Spirit with power, to lead the commissioners into all truth, to convict of sin and unmask error, to be a branch of the vine worthy of the One who alone is Head of the Church, Jesus Christ, the Lord. Amen.
Please pray also for The Layman team that will be covering the GA. We will be posting stories every day and each morning you can watch a video wrap of the prior day’s news at www.layman.org.