A Conference for Shepherds

On Tuesday morning March 1 Justin and Brook, Bryan and Carla, Van Edwards, and Beth and I took flight to Los Angeles, California. We attended the Shepherds’ Conference at the Grace Community Church. Upon arriving late in the afternoon we found ourselves in heavy traffic. It took us two hours to go twenty miles to our evening meal at the home of Bill and Donna Shannon. We were greeted with warm hospitality and a delicious taco salad. Early the next morning after a dawn’s-early light-run we drove to Grace Church and registered for the five day conference along with 3200 other pastors. It was non-stop from there. Our days were filled with general sessions, seminars, and frequent visits to the book store. This was not a short-term missions’ trip. It was a pastor’s briar patch (remember Brer Rabbit?). Good Bible preaching, God-exalting music, meals with friends, free books, and book stores. Preachers were born and bred for this kind of pleasure. But Van is an example that you don’t have to be ordained to enter into the love of the truth and desire to be a faithful shepherd.

John MacArthur spoke on the Book of Jude (“The Long War on the Truth”). We were reminded of the danger of spiritual terrorists who are engaged in a “relentless siege on the truth.” Subversion of the gospel message, self-fulfillment theology, and the development of the “seeker-friendly church” movement serve as a test of the doctrinal discernment of Christians. Style takes precedence over substance. Personal experience and feelings are trumping Bible exposition. Instead of contending for the faith, the church is compromising with error. Pastor MacArthur called upon shepherds to protect their flocks from untruth. The words of Jonathan Edwards ring in our ears, “In like manner should ministers travail for the conversion and salvation of their hearers. They should imitate the faithfulness of Christ in his ministry, in speaking whatsoever God has commanded him, and declaring the whole counsel of God.”

In the general session of Thursday morning R. C. Sproul delivered the first of his two powerful messages on justification by faith alone. The vital Christian truth has been a life-long passion of Dr. Sproul. In no uncertain terms the difference between the Roman Catholic view of justification by faith was contrasted with that of the Reformers. Perhaps a brief test at this point is what we need at Berachah. Is there a difference between believing the sinner is saved by faith or by faith alone? Are we made righteous at conversion or are we declared righteous? Is imputation essential in God’s work of justification of the sinner? Is there a difference between a profession of faith and a possession of faith? We must allow such questions to drive us to the Scriptures to understand, in Jude’s words, “our common salvation.”

The three to four hundred pastors’ wives in attendance were given the added delight of participating in a noon tea catered by Command Performance, the official caterers of the Reagan Library. Patricia MacArthur spoke. Beth, Brook, and Carla sat with a lady from the Ukraine. They were encouraged to hear of the changes taking place in that country under their new president. Many of you prayed for the December 29, 2004 elections and can thank God that the new administration is seeking the Christian ethic in public and private life.

I must not forget the seminars. Joe Francis, a teacher at the Master’s College and associated with the Institute for Creation Research, and Stephen Boyd, professor of Old Testament, gave an excellent examination of the claims of theistic evolution. And in case you didn’t know it, there are very few Christian colleges committed to an early earth creation interpretation of Genesis. Many Christian colleges teach that God used evolution to do His creation work. I was able to think back over my own experience with Christian fundamentalism from the 1940s to the present day. Phil Johnson, editor of many of John MacArthur’s books and long-time staff member at Grace Church, lead a seminar session entitled “Dead Right: the failure of fundamentalism.” It is possible to be right in a wrong way. The failure to distinguish between primary and secondary doctrines, the lack of accomplished theologians, and a ruthless response to fellow Christians with whom there were disagreements have all contributed to the death of the fundamentalist movement.

It was a memorable week filled with God-exalting worship, Bible-rich teaching, and warm Christian fellowship. Thank you Berachah church family for making it possible for your fellow servants and under-shepherds of God’s flock to get our spiritual batteries recharged.

Dr. Howard E. Dial
Berachah Bible Church