Surprised Foreigners Know About It Nov 15 ⋅ by Gavin Lymberopoulos After a foreign preacher presented the gospel to a group of people in western China, a local Chinese pastor asked if it might be better to train a Chinese person to preach to his countrymen. The Chinese pastor went so far as to express his desire for “believers in China to think of the gospel as uniquely their own and to be surprised when they learn that foreigners also know about it.” [1] The pastor’s intention was not to diminish the role of cross-cultural preaching, but to give the even more difficult task of developing indigenous leaders who know and proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord. This emphasis is taken directly from passages of scripture such as Titus 1:5, where Paul says that he left Titus in Crete to “appoint elders in every town.” It is unlikely that Paul wanted more foreigner Christians to come in and lead the local churches. Instead, Titus was to find and establish local leaders. After traveling to Turkey and China this year, I was e...

After Ethnicity Nov 6 ⋅ by Liam Goligher What has really been happening these last few weeks? I believe that we have been engaged in an exercise in corporate sanctification. Why corporate? Because most of the New Testament epistles address the body of Christ, the church, as a whole. In fact, the Lord has been addressing corporate sin in the body of Christ that goes deeper and broader than the headline issue on the table.

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Electing Nominees Nov 2 ⋅ by Though only days away from our governmental midterm elections, we are also approaching the annual election of elders, deacons, and deaconesses to their various posts in our church. 

As a Presbyterian church, our leaders are elected from a pool of nominees to represent and serve the members of the church.  All Christians are to be engaged in service to the world and each o...

Leadership in Christ’s Church Nov 1 ⋅ by Liam Goligher What does leadership look like in Christ’s Church? To begin to answer that question we need to remind ourselves that leadership works at different levels:

Christ is the king and head of the Church and his laws expressed in Scripture rule his assembly. The apostles provide the divine revelation on which the Church’s order and ordinances are constructed. Elders sittin...

The Friendship Factor Oct 31 ⋅ by Douglas E. Baker This world is full of sorrow because it is full of sin. It is a dark place. It is a lonely place. It is a disappointing place. The brightest sunbeam in it is a friend. Friendship halves our troubles and doubles our joys.  —J.C. Ryle

As I watched people pass the casket to look upon the lifeless body of a young man who died of a drug overdose, I realized the community of...

Commissional Oct 30 ⋅ by Liam Goligher If you’re new to Tenth, you may have wondered about our rather unique way of organizing our corporate life around a series of commissions. There are four principal commissions—Outreach, Mercy, Kingdom Discipleship, and The Trustees. A commission of Session, unlike a committee, can make decisions as if it were Session.

Among the benefits of the commissions is the inclusi...

Every Kindred, Every Tribe Oct 25 ⋅ by J. P. “Let every kindred, every tribe On this terrestrial ball, To him all majesty ascribe, And crown him Lord of all.”

Each year, on the first Sunday of November, I stood in the family pew and joyously sang the fifth verse of “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.” As international flags were paraded through the sanctuary and hung from the balcony, I imagine...

Immigrants and Refugees Oct 19 ⋅ by Mim Tilton As a new committee under the Mercy Commission, the Immigrant & Refugee (I&R) Committee is planning ongoing care and support for our refugee family, the Asukulus, over the next five years. The children are: Mercredi (male, 18); Shikasana (male, 15); Nyemia (female, 12); Alpha (male, 10); and Vision (male, 7).

After fleeing the violent, war-torn Democratic Republic of the Con...

New Mercies Oct 17 ⋅ by Debbie Langford God is doing a new thing at Tenth. The ministries that have found their home in the newly formed Mercy Commission are finding fresh synergy as God broadens our understanding of the word “mercy.” Through the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus described compassion shown to another whose life journey had placed him in unexpected circumstances. Even the Pharisees could identify this k...