Sunday we welcome Paul Jorden, semi-retired pastor from Family in Christ, in Westminster, CO. I say semi-retired because Paul is an active pastor, it’s who he is, engaged in the Gospel and the life of the church continually. So glad to have him with us this week to bring the message from 2nd Timothy 2:14-3:9, Keep your eyes on the prize! Since we are in the letter of Paul to Timothy, I will introduce Paul in keeping with the Spirit of his letters to Timothy.
23 years ago, Deone and I flew out to Colorado as our seminary days were ending, to scope out the Frederick, Firestone, Dacono area of the I-25 corridor, a rapidly growing area of housing. Why? To see about planting a new church in that area with support from the other front range Christian Reformed Churches. This is where I first met Paul, who was one of a few people spearheading this vision. This gives you a window into Paul’s heart for people and the Gospel. Deone and I ended up taking a call to New Life Church in Grand Junction, CO, but do wonder from time to time, what would have happened had we come to plant a church on the front range.
Back to Paul and Timothy… Paul (J), in many ways over the past 23 years, has been a kind of Paul (the Apostle) to me, a kind of Timothy. Encouraging… teaching… guiding… a resource of wisdom and counsel, an instructor in the Gospel and in the life of God’s church. Why mention any of this? Because this is God’s design for the church, to grow, to multiply, to witness, to pass on to the next generation the Gospel good news. For pastors and the church, all followers of Jesus, this model of discipleship is critical to the life, health, and growth of God’s church. After all, “Go and make disciples…” isn’t an afterthought, it’s the central thought, the core activity of God’s church… So thank you Paul, for your presence in my life over the years. Welcome to Crestview, and the Lord bless you as you bring God’s Word to us,
In Jesus name,
Pastor Mark