Thank You, My Brother…

I am compelled (some might even say irresistibly drawn) to express my gratitude to a brother in Christ, a fellow laborer among His people.

First of all, my brother, I thank you for your admission of your weakness and frailty.  For repentance from sin and purpose to be renewed in your heart and mind, I am thankful.  I will be watching and praying that you do not fall again into that temptation, that sin which so easily entangles us.  I want to help hold you accountable–not so I can lord anything over you or be ready to once again condemn you, but to encourage you to godliness, holiness, and faithfulness.

Second, I thank you for standing for truth and shunning doctrinal error.  Your uncompromising words regarding the popular novel “The Shack” have been an encouragement to me and are a condemnation to the position my convention’s publication/resource/bookstore entity has taken regarding that book.  I have even been able to use your video presentation on this issue as a challenge and encouragement to my brothers and sisters in my local church family.  Likewise, I appreciate your boldness in talking with others, in a big way, about the reality of God’s word concerning our adversary, the Devil.  There are others out there parading around ‘like Christians,’ men like Carlton Pearson, who would deny the authority of Scripture, the reality of sin, the existence of the Devil, and the need to call people to repentance.  Thank you for expressing courage in standing for the truth.

Third, I thank you for recently preaching the Gospel in a church which I fear rarely hears the truth so plainly taught.  The exclusivity of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection as our one and only hope for salvation must be shouted from the rooftop, shared in the streets, and proclaimed from the pulpits of our churches.  That commission is my heart’s calling and driving desire for my ministry as I seek to teach, equip, and lead God’s people to have that same heart, desire, and ministry.  Keep up the good work! Contend earnestly for our faith! Carry out our Lord’s great commission.

Fourth, I thank you for actively being involved in planting churches.  I am working to grow our church to be a church planting church as well. I pray that one day our church will have had the privilege of planting or helping plant many churches throughout our area and maybe even around the world.

Well, my brother in Christ, we do not see eye-to-eye on everything. We may never see eye-to-eye on everything.  Even my natural brother and I do not always agree on everything, yet he is still and will always be my brother.  So it is with my relationship to you.  At points we are going to have disagreements about how we should live our lives as Christians or about how we should understand our lives together within our churches.  I want you to know that I want to discuss and debate our differences.  I want to have the freedom to call your understanding into question, as I pray I will always be open to having my convictions questioned and challenged.  The Bible tells us that “as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”  You and I both need each other as part of God’s sharpening process.  To be 100% honest, at times our differences may cause us to go separate ways on certain aspects of ministry within our churches and the ability to cooperate in all things.  Please believe me when I say that this will not cause your value as a brother to be diminished in my eyes.  I will still be praying that God will bless your life and your ministry as you faithfully follow Him.

Once again, I thank you my brother, Mark Driscoll, for your willingness to follow Christ, to honor Him, to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  To Him be glory and honor and power through His churches now until the day of His return and for all eternity!

Sola Gratia!