Dear Cornerstone Family,
I’m away teaching the summer lectureship series at First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, SC, and preaching for my dear friend and mentor, Dr. Derek Thomas. Some of you likely recognize Dr. Thomas’s name. He’s a teaching fellow with Ligonier ministries, a regular conference speaker, and a widely published author. In fact, several of his books are on our church bookshelf this morning!
I’ve had the privilege of knowing Dr. Thomas for nearly two decades. He was my Systematic Theology professor at Reformed Theological Seminary. I also served on the ministerial staff with him at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, MS, and, for several years, I was his assistant editor at reformation21, the online ezine of The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. Though I’m saddened to not be with you, I am grateful to serve Dr. Thomas and FPC Columbia.
Now, I’m sometimes asked, “Whose preaching do you like to listen to the most?” When I’m asked that, I usually hear that question this way: “Whose preaching do you spiritually benefit from the most?” There are several names that immediately come to mind including John Piper, Tim Keller, and Sinclair Ferguson. But truth be told, of all the preachers of our generation, none have I benefited from more than Dr. Derek Thomas.
Isn’t it true that there are some preachers who the Lord uses in a special way in our lives? Take a minute to survey the variety of preachers the Lord has brought into your life. Isn’t it true that there’s one or two preachers that the Lord has used in your life in a particularly meaningful way? God has used Dr. Thomas in my life in that way. I often have the distinct spiritual sense that I am meeting with the Lord when I hear him preach. Now, that is true of course in a real (objective) sense every time the Word is opened whether we recognize it or not, for God promises to meet with us through the Word. But what I mean in this case is something felt—something experienced. I mean my heart is addressed in a real, vital, and personal way by the Lord through the ministry of his preaching.
In saying that, I want to encourage you today as you listen to the Word. Remember, God is speaking to you. God is addressing you. You are not just doing worship. This is not simply a command performance. You are meeting with the living God. Listen closely to what he has to say to you today. Even now as you sit in the pew and await worship, prayerfully prepare your heart to meet with the Lord. For He has called you here today to meet with you.
Your servant,
