Dear Fam,

Congratulations to Brandon Lauranzon. Brandon has passed all his ordination trials (theological papers, written exams, 4-5 hours of oral exams before a committee, and public examination before the presbytery) and will be ordained as a minister of the gospel at SRPC on March 18!

• Congratulations to Edge Pacana—teacher of the year at Yankeetown Middle School!

• Below is an addendum to Adam’s excellent sermon on the difference between religion and the gospel. Here is the link to the video we included in that service.

• Great parenting advice from the excerpt below taken from an article by Michael Chandler on the disease of false praise.

• Ash Wednesday worship is February 22 at 6:30 p.m. Josh Bales will be back to lead us!

• There is a tremendous hunger for the gospel. Below is a portion of a very encouraging email the pastors received last week from a podcast listener in Jacksonville.

• SRPC has a gazillion golfers. If you’re one of them, why not sign up for the SRCS golf tourney on February 11. All proceeds go toward the school athletic program.

• Did you know that the SRCS senior class is headed to Tuscaloosa, Alabama on a mission trip to do a week of tornado relief work? They’ll be a part of a Habitat build project. Very often, a senior class is known for senioritis, apathy, skipping classes, senior pranks, and a self-indulgent senior trip. What a beautiful picture of the oldest students in the school leaving a legacy of servant leadership instead!

• Worship this weekend includes the Lord’s Supper, a Skype interview with our missionary in Japan—Dan Iverson and preaching on Romans 3:9-20. It should be a “super” weekend all the way around!

Love,

Ray

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Religion and the Gospel by Tim Keller…
RELIGION: I obey-therefore I’m accepted
THE GOSPEL: I’m accepted-therefore I obey.

RELIGION: Motivation is based on fear and insecurity
THE GOSPEL: Motivation is based on grateful joy.

RELIGION: I obey God in order to get things from God
THE GOSPEL: I obey God to get to God-to delight and resemble Him.

RELIGION: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I am angry at God or myself, since I believe, like Job’s friends that anyone who is good deserves a comfortable life
THE GOSPEL: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I struggle but I know all my punishment fell on Jesus and that while he may allow this for my training, he will exercise his Fatherly love within my trial.

RELIGION: When I am criticized I am furious or devastated because it is critical that I think of myself as a ‘good person’. Threats to that self-image must be destroyed at all costs
THE GOSPEL: When I am criticized I struggle, but it is not critical for me to think of myself as a ‘good person.’ My identity is not built on my record or my performance but on God’s love for me in Christ. I can take criticism.

RELIGION: My prayer life consists largely of petition and it only heats up when I am in a time of need. My main purpose in prayer is control of the environmentTHE GOSPEL: My prayer life consists of generous stretches of praise and adoration. My main purpose is fellowship with Him.

RELIGION: My self-view swings between two poles. If and when I am living up to my standards, I feel confident, but then I am prone to be proud and unsympathetic to failing people. If and when I am not living up to standards, I feel insecure and inadequate. I’m not confident. I feel like a failureTHE GOSPEL: My self-view is not based on a view of myself as a moral achiever. In Christ I am “simul iustus et peccator”—simultaneously sinful and yet accepted in Christ. I am so bad he had to die for me and I am so loved he was glad to die for me. This leads me to deeper and deeper humility and confidence at the same time. Neither swaggering nor sniveling.

RELIGION: My identity and self-worth are based mainly on how hard I work. Or how moral I am, and so I must look down on those I perceive as lazy or immoral. I disdain and feel superior to 'the other'THE GOSPEL: My identity and self-worth are centered on the one who died for His enemies, who was excluded from the city for me. I am saved by sheer grace. So I can’t look down on those who believe or practice something different from me. Only by grace I am what I am. I’ve no inner need to win arguments.

RELIGION: Since I look to my own pedigree or performance for my spiritual acceptability, my heart manufactures idols. It may be my talents, my moral record, my personal discipline, my social status, etc. I absolutely have to have them so they serve as my main hope, meaning, happiness, security, and significance, whatever I may say I believe about GodTHE GOSPEL: I have many good things in my life—family, work, spiritual disciplines, etc. But none of these good things are ultimate things to me. None of them are things I absolutely have to have, so there is a limit to how much anxiety, bitterness, and despondency they can inflict on me when they are threatened and lost.

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On parenting….
For decades, the prevailing wisdom in education was that high self-esteem would lead to high achievement. The theory led to an avalanche of daily affirmations, awards ceremonies and attendance certificates — but few, if any, academic gains.

Now, an increasing number of teachers are weaning themselves from what some call empty praise. “We used to think we could hand children self-esteem on a platter,” Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck said. “That has backfired.”

Michelle A. Rhee, the former D.C. schools chancellor, often recounts a story about how her daughters’ many soccer trophies are warping their sense of their athletic abilities. Her daughters “suck at soccer,” she said in a radio interview.

“We’ve become so obsessed with making kids feel good about themselves that we’ve lost sight of building the skills they need to actually be good at things,” Rhee said.

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Gospel hunger…
Last year I lived in India serving with International Justice Mission as an unpaid intern and each week after church I listened to SRPC sermons. I am going back for another year beginning in February and I thank God for His grace imparted to me via technology!

I am writing to thank the three pastors for preaching such freeing, bold, grace-filled sermons each week that my dry bones can barely keep in all of the sweet goodness. I am confident that when I hit 'play' on a Seven Rivers Podcast that I will be sitting under the Gospel preached. Although this seems like a simple (and obvious) element to any sermon, it is rare. I know that I can listen to your church's podcast and be guaranteed TRUTH.

Your willingness to be used, to be bold and gracious, offering such freedom while communicating with clarity and humility is a TRUE gift. Thanks for using your gifts!! Thanks for your diligence in the fight to spread Truth which sustains the Church. May the Spirit continue to fill each of your cups, teaching you and granting you wisdom in order that you may guide and lead the flock.

With all of my gratitude and thankfulness to our Lord.