Knowledge of the Holy

What is God? Perhaps there is no more pertinent question in our time. It could be argued that no more needful doctrine demands to be explained and exegeted than the clear, coherent, biblical, and uncompromising Doctrine of God. Knowing who (or as the catechism states "what") God is in a time of smorgasbord theology and eclectic philosophy is perhaps the most challenging and yet the most needful pursuit of our day. There can be no doubt that fundamental to any talk about God must begin with who God is. It is to this end that the good folks New Life Fellowship Church presented their Annual Bible Conference with this year's theme being: Knowledge of the Holy: Understanding the Attributes of God. I have had the pleasure of being a part of this conference for the past few years, and I prayerfully and joyfully anticipate being a part of the conference for many years to come. However, the greatest pleasure I received this past year was not in my participation, but was rather two-fold:
One, while I thoroughly enjoyed traveling to the Chicago area and ministering among the conferencees and the members of New Life Fellowship Church, the greater joy was the encouragement I received from sitting under the preached word. And man, did Sherard Burns preach (any surprises there? :-). Louis Love kicked off the evening with a brief, but insightful, commendation of the study of God and His attributes. If there was any doubt as to whether or not a study of the Attributes of God is beneficial to the Christian church, Louis laid them to rest. And following Louis, Sherard rose to preach on the Immutability of God and nailed the coffin shut. Whether it was immutability, righteousness, or wisdom, Burns demonstrated the biblical and theological weight of God's attributes and reminded us that our lives and our minds are only significant in that they are set upon the one true God - who He is and what He requires. "Logic on fire" is what D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones called it. It is what we need more of from Reformed preachers.

Secondly, I was once again encouraged by the way in which those at New Life Bible Conference receive the Word preached. They do so with an active participation and a glad heart. I do not ever preach at a more receptive place. It is clear that the majority of these people are given a diet of faithful preaching and are discerners and examiners of the word. Here in lies one of the major contributions the Reformed Black community can make to the predominantly Black church in general. We must be people of the Book! We must recognize and even insist upon preaching that is grounded in the Word of God. And while we may fancy he who is able to turn a phrase, or to enlightened with a whimsical even humorous illustration or two, we must ultimately insist that our preachers be studied, not so much in the finer points of effective audience arousal, but in the finer points of theology and the Bible. This is the hallmark of a Christian Church - Bible-believing, Bible-proclaiming, Bible-living Christians. This is what the New Life Bible Conference is seeking to produce. Praise God for it and them.

What a wonderful time we had at the Conference. Those who were there will surely offer similar testimonies. I could say, "You should've been there." But that would be too clicheish. So, I'll just say, "Don't take my word for it, make plans to be there next year." Then you will be telling other people, "You should've been there."