I received a great little book in the mail today that we may have to begin using with inquirers and new members of HLPC. The book was written by Dale Ralph Davis and is entitled The House that Jesus Built (published by Christian Focus). It speaks plainly and succinctly about what it means to be a part of a church, particularly one that is Reformed and Presbyterian. Read this excerpt that is especially good that I believe describes HLPC:
What can you expect to find in a church? You will probably find…
1. Persons who will disappoint you and sometimes infuriate you. No rosy or even peachy perfection here. It’s like being on a quest for the perfect cup of coffee. Not many are on that quest, but some are looking for the perfect church and always coming up disappointed. You must remember that the church is a hospital for sinners. The church is precisely where sinners need to be, but it can make life pretty trying at times.
2. People who still struggle against sin and are enduring severe trials. Any number of our people have been through a lot of heavy weather- and the winds are still blowing. That means we may not always be smiling, upbeat people with that “victorious” air about us (though we trust there is deep gospel joy in us).
3. A church that seeks to worship God carefully and thoughtfully. We try to place a high priority on public worship. Hence we try to plan it carefully. We don’t want people simply attending church- we want them adoring God; we don’t want them merely coming to a service- we want them entering God’s presence. Sometimes worship may seem a bit formal to some, but formal is not the same as dead. If it seems dead, it’s probably because you’re not worshiping. In any case, we seek to lead people into thinking, joyful, solemn worship that is worthy of God.
4. A diligent effort to provide preaching and teaching that both informs the mind and stirs the feelings. This is to a large degree the task of the teaching elder. Note that the pastor’s proper title is “teaching elder,” for teaching is his primary task. A good bit of pastoring is to be done by all believers as they care for one another.
That is what you can expect- perhaps. Sometimes we’ll fail to care for each other as we ought. Sometimes we’ll ignore people, so that they feel they don’t matter. You think that this is not a great sales pitch. You’re right. It’s even worse. We are not even salesmen at all. We are an imperfect body of believers convinced that Jesus loves us in spite of ourselves and seeking to become more faithful to Him by becoming more faithful to His people. And you are welcome to become a part of us.
