Reflections on a Visit from Down Under

For the past three months we have had a pastor from Sydney, Australia living among us and seeking to experience something of what Sovereign Grace Ministries means as expressed in a local church. Many of you have met Kevin and Debbie Reid and their three kids, and we have thoroughly enjoyed having them in our church family. They arrive back in Sydney today. Kevin sent me this blog to express his thoughts and appreciation to God and the folks at CFC for their time here in the States. Please read this and experience God’s pleasure for the impact you’ve had on a pastor and new friend from the Land Down Under.

What could an Aussie learn spending 11 weeks at Covenant Fellowship? Too much for one blog entry. Yet what I’ve learned could be summarised in a statement by CJ Mahaney at Together for the Gospel: A growing awareness of God’s Sovereign Grace should lead us to humility, gratitude and joy. My time at Covenant Fellowship has, I hope, helped me grow in each of these.

1. Humility. I had heard that Americans were arrogant. Yet at Covenant Fellowship I was convicted of my own pride as I saw so many pursuing gospel-driven humility. As I saw pastors and others confess sin to each other, my own heart was opened up to see my own sin more clearly. As I saw people invite feedback and observations from others, I saw my need to more actively seek observations from other Christians. I saw pastors choosing to serve in roles that best served the team or the church rather than themselves. I saw people serving in a variety of ways. I experienced prophecy given in humility – willing to be tested, yet seeking to encourage. All of these have encouraged me to more actively pursue the humility of our Saviour.

2. Joy. I had heard that Americans took themselves too seriously, that Aussie humour wouldn’t go too well over here. Whoever said that has never been to a Covenant Fellowship pastoral team meeting! They laughed at themselves, they laughed with me as I laughed at their strange American expressions and habits, and they laughed (affectionately) at some of my strange Aussie ones. Of course there were weighty decisions that had to be made yet even in these; there was a sense of gospel-driven joy. I saw office staff serving with joy, I saw smiling car park attendants on mornings that seemed amazingly cold to this Aussie family! We saw people singing to God with evident joy in their heart, motivated by the cross.

3. Gratitude. At Covenant Fellowship and the wider Sovereign Grace family, I kept meeting people whose lives overflowed with thankfulness for the cross. I was moved by two ‘older’ Sovereign Grace pastors who told me that after ‘many’ years of ministry they are now more grateful than ever for the cross of Christ. My thankfulness to God grew as my understanding of my adoption through Christ grew through the preaching of the word. The goodness and kindness of God are a constant theme at Covenant Fellowship, and my thankfulness to God grew as I saw God’s character more clearly. This trip was made possible largely through the generosity of the Bard's and the Doyle's who hosted us and the church who risked their Oldsmobile with a family used to driving on the other side of the road! Your generosity pointed us to the even greater generosity of our heavenly Father, and our thankfulness to Him has grown.

I thank my heavenly Father for the way Covenant Fellowship modeled gospel living to me, as you pursued humility, gratitude and joy.