Together for the Gospel 2020

Back in October of 2019 when registration opened for this conference, my friends and I were quick to purchase our tickets for this conference and were eager to gather with 15,000 other people in the ministry of the Lord. We were eager to gather to learn, pray, and sing in one body. When I attended this conference for the first time back in 2018 it was certainly one of the best learning experiences of my Christian life. But alas, the Lord had other plans for our gathering. In fact the title of the conference itself became somewhat ironic in that we are unable to be "together." At least in person.

Two weeks ago this rendition of the conference was held, like many other current events, online through the means of "live stream." The "live" in live stream certainly held little meaning as most of the sessions were prerecorded and streamed throughout the duration of the conference at designated time slots. Certainly organizers had little time to completely change the format of the conference, and I was simply grateful that the conference could even be experienced in any form. Throughout the conference, there were some key moments and lessons that I took away and I would like to share those with you.

Shepherd the Flock of God: Eight Questions for Pastors of God's People

David Platt was the second speaker for the conference and he preached from 1 Peter 5:1-4 which contains Peter's famous address to the elders of God's flock. A fitting theme for Peter to record considering his personal experience with the risen Christ, who commissioned him at the sea of Galilee to feed his sheep (John 21:17). Platt did a fine job of expositing the text and bringing to life the challenges found within the verses that Peter wrote. I found his method of turning Peter's admonitions and challenges for elders into 8 simple questions to be tremendously helpful, as well as deeply thought provoking. The text itself is one that I am sure is familiar to any pastor of any church, considering its content of sound biblical advice for those that take on the pastoral office. Here are the eight questions that Platt posed in line with the text:

1. Do you love your ministry more than you love Jesus? 2. Are you content to care for the congregation God has entrusted to you? 3. Is pastoring a job for you to perform or a passion for you to fulfill? 4. Are you pridefully concerned about what others think about you or humbly consumed by what God has called you to? 5. Are you driven by what you get from ministry or what you give in ministry? 6. Is your leadership based on intimidation of others? 7. Is your life worthy of imitation by others? 8. Does the way you pastor make no sense on this earth and total sense in eternity?

Platt's humility was apparent as he addressed each question not from the position of having exemplified or perfected this area of ministry in his own, but rather from his experience of failure in addressing the concerns of these questions. For me personally, it was a refreshing moment of inner reflection and questioning of ministry approach. I found his questions to be sound words of advice, much like Peter's own words are, to the modern pastor who continues to struggle in the various areas that are brought up. It gave me time to think about how little time I spend on praying for my own development and growth as a pastor.

Equipping the Saints

Back in 2018 at T4G18, I had a personal moment of epiphany when Ligon Duncan preached a sermon titled "The Whole in our Holiness." You can find the sermon on YouTube. It was during this sermon where I experienced something that I never had before; I shed a tear as I listened to him speak on the truth of the Gospel and the work of Christ that makes us whole. A tear certainly does not qualify one sermon superior to another, but it was a memorable moment for someone who rarely sheds any tears over anything. I was deeply moved, not by his skills or presentation, but by the conviction of his words that came from God. In light of this, I was excited to hear him speak again at T4G20, and perhaps a small grain of greater expectation fueled by personal bias as a Presbyterian. His sermon this year, was not a tear jerker, but it was nonetheless a lesson much needed for me in my current season of ministry. Dr. Duncan preached from Ephesians 4:1-16 in which he outlines his main point that I summarized as such; elders (pastors) are given to the saints (believers) by God as a means to equip the saints and as a gift by His grace. I took away these main points:

- The people of God need pastors and teachers.

- The one skill that pastors should have is teaching and preaching.

- As a pastor, know the Bible better and strive to know it well.

- Pastors work for the everlasting well-being of others.

- Pastor should pursue the maturation of the saints.

I was encouraged to be reminded of the "job description" so to speak, of the pastoral office. Dr. Duncan helped to organize the purpose of the pastor, the skill of the pastor and the privilege of the pastor. A personal takeaway for me was the consideration of "why" I do certain things in my own ministry. Do I have an eternal perspective, do I have the patience to wait for growth and do I care more about my reputation or the maturity of my flock? These were all questions that swelled in my mind as I reflected on Dr. Duncan's words.

Encouraging the Pastor

The second last session and sermon was preached by Pastor Ed Moore from New York. He preached from 2 Timothy 4:1-5 with three points to his exposition; fulfill, you're, ministry. These are in fact the last three words fo verse 5 of the main passage. I had never previously heard of or heard anything by Pastor Moore but I found his balance of charisma, conviction, thoughtfulness, biblical insight and humour was refreshing in a conference that tends to lean heavily towards the serious. To put it in simple terms, he spoke on a practical level yet with decisive biblical backing, into the presupposed discouragements that face pastors undoubtedly. It kind of felt like an older brother with experience was just sharing some good godly advice to me over a coffee. Here are some points I took away:

- Every pastor does and will get discouraged but never lose sight of Christ crucified.

- Our ministry is not our own but rather the ministry and flock of God; we are simply stewards that God has entrusted with his flock.

- Our members are not our trophy that showcase our competence (amen!).

It was a simple message, with a simple theme and a simple delivery. But it was timely and much needed for where I am right now. Thank you Pastor Moore for your gentle delivery of lovely reminder and rebuke.

Overall, I was encouraged by the discussions and topics that the conference covered. There were some areas I wish were more in depth and tackled with more precision, but the audience is wide and varies, so not all things can be catered to. No conference goes without criticism, lacking and questionable choices but I appreciate the work of these faithful men and their dedication to equipping pastors of the present and future. I may not agree with everything that is said or shared, but thus is the nature of a conference that invites pastors from a spectrum of backgrounds. The work is tremendous and I hope that we can look beyond small differences to focus on larger similarities. I look forward to the next T4G Conference in 2022.