This month we will have our Mission Conference and celebrate our reformed heritage on Reformation Day. Next month we have Thanksgiving and the beginning of the Christmas Season. These things call for us to remember our past and to know what is going on in God's kingdom right now. However, these also serve to prepare us for greater service in the future. It is to that end that I call you along with Paul, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to “press on toward the goal to win the prize that is before us in Christ Jesus.” One thing I can tell you, “pressing on” is not an easy task. As one old Scottish preacher used to say, “'tis a sore fight all the way.” Pressing on is all about engaging in spiritual warfare, joining the battle that rages all around us for the souls of men.
That is where the Mission Conference and Reformation Day come more clearly into view. Martin Luther and other reformers risked their lives for the church to be reformed. They desired to see the church return to the preaching of the Gospel. They wanted every man to be able to read the Scriptures in his own language. They proclaimed the truth that salvation is in Jesus Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone. The Lord has changed the world through them. The Reformation is acknowledged by both Christian and secular historians alike to be the most influential event of human history in the last 1,000 years. So I encourage you to avail yourselves of the opportunity to become more informed about our reformed heritage as we observe Reformation Day. Then you will be better equipped to step out in faith into the future of the church with the battle cry, “Semper Reformata” (always reforming). The reformation is not over, nor will it be over until we see our Lord face to face. Join with me in reforming the church here in Frederick.
The Mission Conference too is a great opportunity for us to be encouraged to “press on” for we have been commissioned to do just that, to spread the gospel message to all people, everywhere. Please come and learn what is going on with the missionaries that our church supports with prayer and financial gifts. It is a time to be encouraged and a time to be challenged. If you do not yet understand that you too are a missionary, you need to come and participate in the mission conference. Let us press on together for Jesus that He might be glorified in Faith Reformed Presbyterian church. I look forward to seeing you at church for the Mission Conference; it will be a growth time for us all.
May God's richest blessings rest on you and the whole church family,
John
