Welcome to MPC Connected! With our church family separated, we will be communicating with you throughout the week in a more intentional way, including emails from Max and Jeff, opportunities to serve others, and more. Enjoy!
Dear Church Family,
When I think of my growth as a Christian, there have been distinct "phases" throughout my life, usually centered around specific authors and/or books.
Certainly, the biggest explosion of growth I have ever experienced began with a challenge to read through the entire Bible. I started with the New Testament (so as not to get bogged down in Leviticus or Numbers and quit), and by the time I had finished the Gospel of Matthew, my heart and the course of my life had been drastically changed by the Lord.
The second period of growth occurred shortly thereafter as the Lord used two authors known best by their initials, C.S. Lewis and R.C. Sproul. That year I would listen to R.C. Sproul to and from work each day, finishing pretty much the entire Ligonier catalog over time, while simultaneously working my way through most of Lewis' theological works (memorably finishing Mere Christianity twice in one day while sitting in a booth at the Annapolis Yacht Club with nothing else to do but occasionally get distracted by the girls who walked down the street. Lewis is interesting and all, but...).
During one of those drives to work, Sproul mentioned a book by Martin Luther entitled The Bondage of the Will, the reading of which started my next phase of growth. Luther's works, along with Calvin's Institutes, became, over the course of the following year, my next obsession, both books becoming massively dog-eared. I'm pretty sure I recommended The Bondage of the Will to my friends so many times they got sick of hearing it. Luther remains my favorite theologian to read. I agree with Calvin more, but no theologian is as entertaining as Luther.
My two favorite modern theologians are Carl Trueman and Sinclair Ferguson, both of whom always manage to stretch my thinking in one way or another, although there are so many more I could name who have been influential.
How about you? Can you remember phases in your life in which the Lord grew you in your faith or knowledge of him? Are there certain authors he has used during those times? Perhaps he is growing you now, in this unique time.
As you continue to "social distance", here are a few things you might enjoy:
1) If you've never read or heard Sinclair Ferguson, here's a short video to get you started. It will give you a taste of his brilliant and thoughtful mind:
2) My favorite preacher that pretty much no one has ever heard of is Gordon Hugenberger, who used to be the pastor of Park Street Church in Boston. Here, he gives a talk on the Gospel of John, something especially relevant to our church:
3) The Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology (PCRT) was a staple when I was in my twenties. I attended whenever I could, belting out classic hymns in historic Tenth Presbyterian Church, and listening for hours to lectures by the likes of James Boice, R.C. Sproul, Michael Horton, and D.A. Carson. This year's PCRT is being live-streamed this weekend and is being made free-for-all. I hope you can tap in for a moment or two. It looks like a good lineup, as usual: 2020 Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology
I pray you have a wonderful week, and I look forward to "seeing" you all again this Sunday.
In Christ,
Max
Though we are separated during this unique season, we want you to know we are available. We will be doing our best to stay in touch in many ways, but if you need prayer or just need someone to talk to, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. You can always send a prayer request to Donna (mpcadminteam@gmail.com). You can also email or call Max or Jeff or any of our elders. Max's email is mbenfer@meadowcroftchurch.org and his phone # is 484-886-7726. Jeff's email is jeff@meadowcroftchurch.org and his phone number is 540-818-6215.