SOVEREIGN GRACE PASTORS CONFERENCE

Each year, Sovereign Grace Churches hosts a Pastors Conference. This is a time pastors across the nation (and the world) come together to be encouraged in and equipped for pastoral ministry. The conference is filled with passionate prayer, heartfelt singing, rich teaching, encouraging updates, and vibrant fellowship with gospel-partners from around the world. Though we come from many different contexts, it’s a refreshing time to stand shoulder to shoulder with pastors who are joyfully laboring for the same gospel in their hometowns.

Last month, our pastoral team was able to attend this conference with our wives. Being able to attend this conference together built our vision as a team. And it allowed our wives to get an invaluable glimpse of the wonderful partnership we experience in Sovereign Grace.

It built our friendship and our faith. And for that, we are grateful to Trinity Grace Church for sending us.

One of the primary ways the Pastors Conference sought to build us was through the preaching of God’s Word. Though the messages were preached with pastors in mind, there were a number of sessions that we felt were encouraging for every Christian. So, we wanted to highlight a few messages that we thought may encourage you as they encouraged us.

OUR PROWLING ADVERSARY

Today, we want to point you in the direction of a plenary message by C.J. Mahaney on spiritual warfare entitled “Our Prowling Adversary.” The message is drawn from 1 Peter 5:8-9:

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

In his introduction, C.J. quotes C.S. Lewis’ classic work “The Screwtape Letters”:

“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.”

For anyone desiring to understand the Bible's teaching on spiritual warfare, this is an incredibly helpful message to keep us from falling into the ditches of dismissal and excessive interest.

Below, you’ll find the video of the message. Or, you can visit this page for the audio.