Marriage Books

Thanks to all of you who participated in the marriage books survey.  There were actually 21 different books named.  But I promised only the top five.  And since it’s five, and since I miss live sports, I’m doing this like an All-American basketball team.  So without further ado…

The first Sovereign Grace Marriage Books All-American First Team, in order of votes:

1.  Love That Lasts – Gary and Betsy Ricucci

2.  What Did You Expect? – Paul Tripp

3.  Sex, Romance and The Glory of God – C.J. Mahaney

4.  The Meaning of Marriage – Tim and Kathy Keller

5.  When Sinners Say I Do – Dave Harvey

In keeping with our All-American theme, there were several books that deserve honorable mention:

This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence – John Piper

Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel – Ray Ortlund

God, Marriage and Family: Rebuilding the Biblical Foundation – Andreas Kostenberger

Tying the Knot – Rob Green (this is a pre-marital counseling book) 

And Newcomer of the Year:

With These Words – Rob Flood (this is just out but I’m hearing great things about it)

And, the Coach of the Year, for being the first one to get the top five titles in: Mike Seaver of Risen Hope Church, Summerville, S.C.

Reopening Your Church Doors

I’ve never been one that sensed that time was either flying by or dragging along.  But I must admit that it seems like forever since we have had to begin practicing social distancing and shelter in place. And, of course, the resulting replacing Sunday gatherings with live streams and other means, conducting small groups through Zoom and dispensing pastoral care and counsel by phone or Face Time.  But for almost all of us, it’s only been five weeks.  Five weeks where we've gone from crisis mode - scrambling to put new practices into place while addressing the current crisis; to new normal – settling into new routines of local church life.

None of us on the leadership team can reflect on these five weeks without expressing deep appreciation and commendation for the way you, our pastors, have responded.  And I’m sure every pastor can shout a hearty “amen” when we say we couldn’t be prouder of how our members have rallied to support (both spiritually and materially) and encourage us and each other.  This hasn’t been surprising given the people God has been so kind as to give us, but it is certainly gratifying.  We are blessed men to serve the churches we do!!!

But this new normal won’t last forever, so the next big question facing our country and our churches is – When can we reopen?  When can we begin to lift some of the shelter in place orders?  When can we begin to ease restrictions on group gatherings?  When can we get people back to work without jeopardizing health and lives?  President Trump is convening another task force to address these questions, and many Governors are forming coalitions to consider state and regional options.  This means we will have to make a lot of decisions about when and how to resume church life as we have always known it.

The issues are complex, and answers will differ depending on one's setting.  But let me suggest three things for your consideration…

1.  Faithful for the present

It’s just human nature to respond heroically when a crisis first arises but to grow weary and impatient as it continues.  When can I get back to work??!!  When can the kids get back to school??!!  How long do I have to run around in a mask and gloves??!!  If I'm completely honest, staying in is driving me a little stir crazy!!  And I desperately miss my friends and church family.  I'm grateful for live-stream and Zoom, but… when, oh when, can we get back to Sunday morning gatherings, small groups, and times of fellowship and fun with those I love??!!   Not to mention the natural tendency of many to begin bristling against government restrictions – hey, what about the 1st amendment, the government can’t tell us whether we can meet or not, we must obey God rather than man!!!

While all of these are understandable reactions (some more than others), we must be careful to resist such temptations and to help our churches do the same.  Paul’s exhortation in Galatians 6:9 is apt – “let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we don’t give up.”  This season will end, but in the meantime, let's not miss all the ways that God is at work in our churches in ways that we, at first, probably didn’t anticipate.  It’s been remarkable to hear of people’s appreciation or their pastors’ care, creativity, and communication – they seem more appreciative of our shepherding care than ever.  People are actually communicating with each other more than usual and are loving the experience.  Many are finding that their times of meeting with the Lord are easier and richer as their lives have slowed down. Unbelieving family and friends are tuning into live streams when they previously hadn’t considered coming to a church meeting.  And we have all been finding new ways to serve our neighbors and communities in their time of need.

Jeff Purswell said it so well in a recent Leadership Team Zoom call – "Faithfulness now will mean fruitfulness later," especially in the area of evangelism. So let us continue to faithfully serve our churches and faithfully love our neighbors and unbelieving acquaintances.  We've been surprised by some of the ways God has been at work, and I'm sure we will be surprised and delighted by some of the fruitfulness we will experience in the future.

2.  Anticipate for the future

We don’t know when restrictions will ease.  I’ve heard estimates ranging from May to September.   But whenever the time we don’t want to be caught scrambling around at the last minute to figure out how to reengage as local churches.  The time to anticipate and prepare for that time is NOW.  Every sports league is getting contingencies in place for returning to action.  We should be doing no less.

Depending on the size of your Sunday gathering, small groups, and other ministries like men, women, youth, Bible studies, etc. we probably won't be able to return to our previous schedules all at once.  So we should be asking questions like…

• If we are allowed to meet in groups of 50, what meetings will we immediately reinstitute?  What about if/when the number jumps to 250?  What about when all restrictions are lifted? And if they are different, whose standards do we adhere to – local, state, or federal? 

• Will we invite more people to participate on-site for Sunday live streams?  If so, how many, and who do we have to attend, and why?

• If possible, could we go to multiple Sunday services so that all can gather in place?  If so, how long should these meetings be – back to normal or shorter?

• When we do return, how do we set up our meeting place to maintain maximum social distancing during Sunday meetings?

• If we meet in a rented facility, what kinds of restrictions might our “landlord” place on our gatherings?  Some may want to consider looking for a back-up place, especially if they are meeting in a school that will remain shuttered longer than some other options.

• What precautions do we need to take for all gatherings, including Sunday?  Some of the same precautions we were going to take before the restrictions should probably be kept in place at least for a while – e.g., greeting with smiles and kind words instead of handshakes and hugs; suspending beverage services; suspending or finding the safest ways to celebrating the Lord’s supper; not passing offering baskets but instead providing a place to drop off checks or cash; limiting how many doors you use for public access; limiting who can check children in for CM.  

• How will we clean and disinfect the spaces we use, including homes?

• What special precautions do we need to take for our most vulnerable members – older folks (being 70 I refuse to think of myself as elderly) and those with medical issues.  Do we ask such people to wait to return?  If so, do we continue to live stream just for them? How would we be able to live stream a larger meeting?  Can we create special sections for them to maintain distancing?  Can we provide masks or other safety equipment? Can we dedicate bathrooms for their sole use?  

• Also, what precautions do we take for front line medical workers who are genuine heroes yet may be most vulnerable to passing on contagion to others?

• Children’s Ministry presents a whole category of questions, since maintaining social distancing is virtually impossible.  We need to consider when to resume children’s ministry and how to do so in a way that is as safe as possible.

• Most everyone will be able to resume small group meetings earlier than Sundays, but even then, we can't assume that every member will be comfortable attending.  Groups should make sure that all members are staying connected and cared for during the process of reengaging. 

We would also be wise to ask questions like…

• What did we learn during this crisis that may help us to more effectively serve in the future?  Two cautions are in order here:  thinking that our response needs to be some major overhaul of how we “do church” – a major crisis doesn’t necessarily demand major changes; thinking that we have to answer this question immediately after the crisis ends – it often takes distance to rightly discern what the Lord was up to and what that means for us (and that’s not assuming that we can infallibly discern what that was).

• How can we best follow up with those neighbors and friends that we were able to invite to live streams or serve in practical ways?   What kinds of evangelistic opportunities could be available as people’s lives return to normal?

• Even when people can get back out and get back to work, there will be needs that were created that will still require attention.  How can we find ways to continue to serve both your members and your communities? 

We've said this before, but it's worth mentioning again – there is no one-size-fits-all answer to these questions.  No one knows your local church like you do and so no one is able to better prepare for your particular future than you are.

3.  Communicate

As you prepare contingencies, make sure you are preparing the church to reengage.  And do that through frequent communication.  Let people know what you are thinking about these kinds of things and why.  You may not have all the answers, you probably won’t, but people need to know you are doing your best to ask the right questions.  They are getting the same news you are and are asking the same questions. At times like this, it's almost impossible to overcommunicate. Clear communication also rallies our churches to intelligent prayer.

In such dramatic circumstances, we also need to be sensitive to people with differing opinions on government restrictions and local church cooperation with authorities.  No matter what decisions we make, we should be aware that not all are going to agree.  Some will want to be more aggressive and some more cautious.  We want to be sensitive to people's wide-ranging concerns while building faith and unity for everyone.

You and your members have been in this together from the very beginning.  Let’s make sure we stay in together till the very end.

Take Words With You: Scripture Promises & Prayers

This newly updated 5th Edition of Take Words with You contains over 2500 Scripture promises and prayers. For the first time, a simple “Method of Prayer” is introduced that makes the manual both functional and faith-building. This resource promises to be strategic for anyone seeking to grow in their prayer life and see more of their prayers answered.

Tim Kerr has been a pastor of Sovereign Grace Church Toronto since its beginning in the summer of 2004.

22 Life Lessons on Prayer

Prayer has the potential to be something that is both hard and easy. It is easy in the sense that you don’t have to be of high intelligence or possess any special abilities to engage in prayer. It is open to the “little” and the “least”. It is the language of the dependent and the desperate. And that includes all of us, if we are looking at our lives honestly.

Tim Kerr has been a pastor of Sovereign Grace Church Toronto since its beginning in the summer of 2004.

Sovereign Grace Churches Day of Prayer for Frontline Workers

Two weeks ago, our small denomination dedicated a day of prayer for healthcare professionals who are serving on the frontlines in caring for the sick during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because there are other men and women working daily on the frontline to serve us, even at their own risk, we wanted to dedicate this Friday, April 17 as a Day of Prayer for Frontline Workers.  We want to pray for men and women who transport food, stock grocery shelves, and work at checkout counters that make it possible for us to purchase food. Men and women who provide public transportation, and men and women who work in police and fire departments around the world providing essential emergency services. This is not an exhaustive list, so when you pray, add anyone you know who is serving on the frontlines. As 1 Thessalonians 5:17 exhorts us, let us “pray without ceasing” for them. Here are a few ways you can pray:

• Ask God to protect these frontline workers from being infected with the COVID-19 virus.

• Ask God to heal those frontline workers who do contract the COVID-19 virus.

• Ask God to give them strength and endurance for the long hours they need to work.

• Ask God to comfort them when they need to spend time separated from their families or need to self-quarantine because of the risk of exposure.

• Ask God to give them wisdom for any difficult situations they may face.

• Ask God to use Christian frontline workers as a voice of gospel hope for the hopeless.

Mark Prater is the Executive Director of Sovereign Grace Churches and has served as an elder at Covenant Fellowship Church since 2002. 

What Is God Working in Us Through this Season?

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Benjamin Kreps:

Welcome back to the Mark Prater podcast, where our aim is to connect our global family of churches with our Executive Director. Hey Mark, you talked a couple of weeks ago about what you saw God revealing in Sovereign Grace pastors and some of the encouraging things you saw there. I wanted to ask you today, just turn it a little bit differently, and ask you what you think God might be working in us, growing us and changing us when it comes to this season of navigating through the pandemic.

Mark Prater:

It's a timely question because God is using this pandemic to work in all of us, the pastors and members of Sovereign Grace Churches. And you know, the first response is, I don't know all that God is doing, but my faith has been stirred recently as I've observed what God is doing in us as a family of churches. It really is captured in Romans 5:3-4, “We rejoice in our sufferings knowing that our suffering produces endurance.” So there's an endurance that we are growing in as a denomination. “And endurance produces character” and there's a growing character, Christ's character, that I see in our pastors and the members of our churches. “And character produces hope.” And during this time we have the hope of the gospel and that hope is being deepened. And I just think this work in us is preparing us for how God is about to use us.

Benjamin Kreps:

I think so too. What are your thoughts about what it is that God might be preparing us for going forward?

Mark Prater:

I think God's going to use this pandemic to bring about a wonderful advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like you and like many of our pastors, and probably many of our members, we’re praying for revival. Ray Ortland encourages us that way so well. And I think we're going to participate in that, especially when we're able to gather together again as churches. I just really believe unbelievers and the unchurched are going to come out of this pandemic coming into our churches and we want to be prepared to give them hope that has been deepened in our lives.  

By the way, John Piper just wrote a book. Many guys will probably see this by the time his podcast arrives in their inbox: Coronavirus and Christ. The president of Desiring God reached out to C.J. yesterday and said, we want to give that book to all the members and pastors of Sovereign Grace Churches. The e-book is available for free, but we'll send you the hard copy as well. So, our pastors will probably have received an email by the time they get this podcast and you tell Erin how many you need and we're going to send those out.

Benjamin Kreps:

That's wonderful. I haven't read the book yet but I have seen some excerpts and I’m hearing good things about it. You had mentioned there was a quote in the book that you enjoyed as you were thinking about preparing for the future and what God's working in us in this season. Do you want to share that quote with us? 

Mark Prater:

I can't wait to share this quote because it has stirred my faith for what God is about to do through our family of churches. This is what Piper says, “We may think the Coronavirus outbreak is a setback for world missions. I doubt it.” It sounds like Piper, doesn't it? “God's ways often include apparent setbacks that result in great advances.” And I just think we're about to participate in a great advancement of the gospel.

Benjamin Kreps:

May it be so. I think that there is an opportunity here for us to sort of recalibrate, you know, as we think about (and think through maybe more deeply than we ever have) our ecclesiology and missiology and how we want to function as a church moving forward. And I think that could be a wonderful blessing for us to be forced to pause and reflect on these things in preparation for what's ahead. Anything else you want to add?

Mark Prater:

Well, as we reflect, let's do what Romans exhorts us to do. Let's rejoice. Let’s encourage one another in the growth that God is doing in us so that our joy overflows as God uses us to advance the gospel. Let's rejoice.

Benjamin Kreps:

Amen. Speaking to a friend in Sovereign Grace, another pastor, I loved what he said when it came to that category of hope that you described that God is doing where he's been exhorting his church. We're not just getting excited and hoping for being together again on a Sunday. This is an opportunity for our hope to deepen in the great day when actually we'll be gathered with all the believers throughout history, with Christ. And so, trust that God's doing that in us as well.

Mark Prater:

May that be.

Benjamin Kreps:

Thanks, Mark. And thank you, everybody, for watching the podcast and we'll be back right here very soon. See you then.

Mark Prater is the Executive Director of Sovereign Grace Churches and has served as an elder at Covenant Fellowship Church since 2002. 

Financial Update #5: COVID-19 Financial Relief

Dear SGC Pastors,

Please be aware of the following updated information relating to COVID-19 Financial Relief that I will discuss in our next zoom meeting:

Best Resources Online

I regularly track these sites for the latest information: ECFA, NonprofitCPA, AICPA, Wagenmaker & Oberly blog, and Vanderbloemen.  Here are some recent helpful posts on these sites:

• Wagenmaker & Oberly provide an excellent overview of issues most affecting churches and non-profits in the CARES Act in their April 7 blog post.

• Mike Batts, CPA, has an updated great summary of all the provisions in the CARES Act that pertain to churches and non-profits.

• ECFA has a good summary of most common questions churches are asking about the CARES Act.

• Nonprofit Special Alert from Batts on required Emergency Paid Sick Leave and Family and Medical Leave effective April 1, 2020 (discussed below).

Paycheck Protection Program Update

The Treasury Department released an FAQ on PPP Loans that should give clarity to your banks in processing applications.  The most relevant info that could affect some churches is:

• The $100,000 salary limitation does not include benefits.

• Gross Payroll will be used for calculation of the loan and loan forgiveness.

• The time period for the calculation can be either calendar year 2019 or the previous 12 months before application (or seasonal application).

• There is still no clear guidance on housing allowance.  If your bank allows you to include, then great.  But be prepared for that amount to ultimately not be forgiven.

• Beginning April 10, independent contractors and self-employed individuals can begin applying for PPP loans. So, make every effort to apply this week if you are able to.  Also, as you are helping your church members, make sure the self-employed are aware of this relief that is available for them.  If you choose to not pursue the PPP, remember to consider the other relief available through the CARES Act, like the Employee Retention Credit for Employers, or the FFCRA payroll credit.

COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Application

Some smaller churches are considering this loan in lieu of the PPP loan because it is simpler to apply for (direct with SBA online) and provides a $10K advance that does not have to be repaid.  However, there is still conflicting information on whether churches either qualify or are subject to restrictions on how the money is used. 

The application online still includes this certification that is required to be signed (below).  However, the SBA has issued this FAQ on application to faith-based organizations.  Note that his FAQ applies to both the PPP AND EIDL.

I hereby certify UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY UNDER THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES that any proceeds of the Economic Injury Disaster Loan or grant will only be used to provide secular social services to the general public, and that I have the authority to make this certification, and that all of the foregoing is true and correct.

We will discuss how to address these conflicts.  But again, this is a loan process that would be valuable to make church members aware of whose business is at risk.  Note Question 9 on the Wagenmaker & Oberly blog post I linked to above.

Families First Coronavirus Response Act effective April 1, 2020.

Because of all the attention given to the PPP loan applications, little has been covered on how this law affects churches that is effective April 1, 2020 (now!).  For churches with non-pastoral staff, it is IMPERATIVE that you understand this law and being tracking sick leave and paid family leave properly.  The best review of this law I have found is currently from Batts (mentioned above).

This new law requires that all small employers (including churches) provide:

• Emergency Paid Sick Leave (EPSL).  Required payment of two weeks to all full and part-time employees relating to COVID-19.

• Emergency Family and Medical Leave (EFML).  Required 2/3 payment of an additional 10 weeks of leave to all full and part-time employees relating to COVID-19.

FFCRA also provides a credit for this paid leave. However, if you use this credit, it reduces the amount of loan forgiveness if you applied for a PPP Loan.  It appears that even if you received a PPP loan and had it forgiven on June 30, 2020, that you would still be required to provide EPSL and EFML through December 31, 2020.

• What is important today, while we still try to better understand this law, is to make sure you are tracking paid time off that may be related to COVID-19 beginning April 1.

• If a nonprofit or church must close its doors or if they no longer have work to perform due to reduced programming, this law may not apply.  In this case, new federal unemployment benefits may be available to churches.

Tommy Hill serves as the Director of Finance for Sovereign Grace Churches. He is also the Administrator for Cornerstone Church of Knoxville where he lives with his wife Elizabeth and their children.

What Now That We Can't Be With People?

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Benjamin Kreps:

Hey everyone. Welcome back to the Mark Prater podcast, where—our aim is to connect our global family of churches to our Executive Director.

Mark, here we are three weeks into this pandemic and the social distancing and shelter-in-place orders that are pretty much all over the place. And so, as you referenced a little bit last time on the podcast, there's this reality in which pastors are not able to be with folks in the church. Even if there's someone in the hospital, in many cases we can't go visit them. It's disorienting.

There are questions about how to pursue faithfulness when you can't be with people. I know guys are trying all sorts of things. What are your thoughts about pastoring folks in this season when we are told we shouldn't be with people, when that's sort of the whole reason we're doing this job?

Mark Prater:

As I mentioned last time, the fact that guys are feeling pained and burdened actually confirms that they're called as a shepherd to pastor the flock that God has given them. I hope that fact alone encourages them.

Right now most of our pastors are going to feel inadequate, regardless of what they do, because they don't really feel adequate until they can sit and be with their people. Those feelings of inadequacy are more in our pastor's minds than in our members' minds. The fact that you're attempting to find ways to care for your people and interact with your church communicates more care than you might realize.

In fact, you were telling me just earlier that you had a member say something like that to you. Isn't that right?

Benjamin Kreps:

Yeah. I mean, I've seen a whole host of Sovereign Grace pastors creating podcasts and devotional videos. You can definitely see it as the pastor's heart to bless and serve their folks during this season.

We've done a little bit of that. I have my own podcast, Gospel Culture Podcast and I've done some video. And even just those little points can feel inadequate, but you're just trying to serve your folks and encourage them.

We're getting people responding and expressing that they feel cared for: You're thinking about us, you want to help us. They feel that care, even coming through what feels rather inadequate (a video recording or something like that).

Mark Prater:

When pastors feel that inadequacy (most of us are going to), we have to remember that the grace of God that we preach to our church is actually the grace of God we need for ourselves. I want guys to be aware of the grace of God and to experience the grace of God in the midst of inadequate feelings that they might be having.

Benjamin Kreps:

I would guess some of our guys in smaller churches are watching all the activity and the streamlined media presentations and responses in the community, and they're just trying to figure out how to stream on their iPhone on Facebook live on Sunday. We certainly want our guys to feel God's pleasure even in efforts that feel inadequate as we seek to be faithful. What are some practical ideas that you've seen or you've been thinking about when it comes to pastoring people from our computers and over the phone and that sort of thing?

Mark Prater:

You know, it's learning how to do pastoral ministry in a different way. I don't think I've got any brand new creative ideas, but you can FaceTime with a person in your church who may be hospitalized. And just the fact that they can see your face can be very comforting. Another idea is to get your iPhone and you record a video personally for them, letting them know that you're praying for them, and share whatever thoughts you may have. And it can be short; it can be two minutes long tops, and you can text it to them.

Benjamin Kreps:

By the way, all of the anti-Apple bros in Sovereign Grace: You can use other kinds of phones than iPhones, right Mark?

Mark Prater:

Exactly. Yeah, exactly.

I mean the podcast you're doing—a guy can do a podcast. Whatever devotionals you're creating and getting out to your church are good. And then there’s your ability to continue to do pastoral counseling over the phone or via Zoom. It may feel inadequate to you, but it doesn't to your people. 

Benjamin Kreps:

Absolutely. Coming up on Friday you've encouraged us to pray together for healthcare workers. And you can consider doing things like reaching out to all of the healthcare workers in your church and making a personal connection and asking how can we pray for you specifically? How are you doing? That sort of thing.

Mark Prater:

 Exactly. I know that at Ricky Alcantar's church, Cross of Grace Church in El Paso, Texas, during their livestream service last Sunday they prayed for all of the healthcare workers in the church. Joe Alcantar was telling me it was very meaningful to them.

Benjamin Kreps:

Yeah, that's wonderful. Any other thoughts for us before we end?

Mark Prater:

Well, again, I just think our guys are doing a great job. They are finding ways to pastor people when they can't be with them.

What I'm seeing actually is sort of this pent up I can't wait until we come back together type of emotion that's building up in our guys. And if I could, I would just love to be in all of our churches that first Sunday that we gather. I think the place is going to explode. I'm really grateful for that. I can't wait for our guys to be with our people and enjoy that.

Benjamin Kreps:

Amen. One thing God could be doing in us as pastors in this season is giving us a moment to pause, even though it's difficult—to rest, to study, to fellowship with the Lord as the anticipation builds to be with our church. Coming out of this season, in the next season there'll be this enthusiasm, passion, and zeal that is going to push the mission of Jesus forward.

Mark Prater:

Amen. May that happen.

Benjamin Kreps:

Thank you, Mark. And thank you everybody for watching. We'll talk to you soon. 

Mark Prater is the Executive Director of Sovereign Grace Churches and has served as an elder at Covenant Fellowship Church since 2002. 

Streaming the Lord’s Supper?

It seems each week spent in seclusion raises new questions for pastors as they recalibrate their pastoral care to the demands of this season. It was inevitable, especially as churches went online, that the question of the Lord’s Supper would emerge. Can we livestream the Lord’s Supper?

It’s easy to sympathize with that impulse. Pastors are looking for ways to maintain continuity in the midst of so much upheaval, especially with things so central, and so precious, to the worship of God’s people. But however well-intentioned those desires are, we must always allow God’s Word to direct how we relate to him and to each other; especially in a crisis, a pastor must always have his hand on his Bible.

In another post I argued that, while much pastoral work can get done through a Sunday live stream—and we continue to marvel at the effects this mechanism has had on our congregation—it is not the same as our Sunday gathering. That distinction is even more important when it comes to the Lord’s Supper. While I’m grateful that we are able to serve our congregation in numerous ways through our live stream, we would not even consider observing the Lord’s Supper in this context; I believe to do so appropriately would be impossible.

Signaling Our Unity 

The Lord’s Supper is by its very nature a corporate event. From the very beginning of the church’s history, the Supper was observed when the church was gathered for worship (Acts 2:42; 20:7; note the repetition of the word synerchomai—“gather together,” widely recognized by commentators as something of a technical term for the gathering of the church for worship—in 1 Cor 11:17, 18, 20, 33, and 34). As precious as the Lord’s Supper is to the heart of a believer, it was not given as an individualistic means of grace, but as an ordinance of the church which requires the corporate worship of the church.

The Lord’s Supper is not, then, merely a silent and solitary observance where a Christian privately ponders Christ’s death. Rather, it’s a meal—the family meal of the new covenant people of God where we commune together with our Savior. As with a normal meal, we gather physically and share together (not merely simultaneously) common elements—tactile elements, passed hand to hand—remembering Jesus’ life given for us and communing with him and each other. As we do, our observance of the Supper not only proclaims Christ’s death, but it also vividly depicts those who have been joined to him and bears profound witness to our unity in Christ’s body. Every time the gathered church celebrates the Lord’s Supper, we are reminded of, and give expression to, our identity as a family, rescued and adopted by our heavenly Father. This is simply impossible when people are scattered, linked only by a common video feed.

Paul’s instructions to the Corinthian church in 1 Cor 11 soberly illustrate the importance of our observance of the Lord’s Supper honoring its nature. When Paul diagnosed the neglect of poorer members of the church by wealthier members in 1 Cor 11, he perceived far more than a relational slight. This neglect created “divisions” (v. 18) that belied their unity in the one body of Christ. Their observance of the Supper was to reflect and reinforce this unity, not damage or deny it. In Paul’s eyes, this behavior did not merely undermine the sacrament—it invalidated it completely: “When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat!” (1 Cor 11:20).

Now, it may seem a stretch to compare this situation to a well-meaning, on-line observance of communion. There is, however, an important principle that applies to both: the Lord’s Supper communicates something about the nature of the church—many members joined together in one body (1 Cor 10:17). To honor this—to embody this—we gather together and “all partake of the one bread,” giving vivid testimony to our common participation in the drama of Christ’s saving work. With the Lord’s Supper, the manner of our observation must be consistent with its character and reinforce its meaning.

Marking Out the Church

In testifying of those who have been joined to Christ, the Lord’s Supper also serves the very important function of visibly distinguishing the church from the world around us. Those who partake of the Supper participate, by the Holy Spirit and through faith, in Christ’s body and blood (1 Cor 10:16)—we embrace afresh and enjoy the benefits of Christ’s death and resurrection on our behalf. Never is the line between the believer and the world more starkly drawn than at the Lord’s table. 

In marking out who is a member of Christ’s church and who is not, the Lord’s Supper has a “structuring” function among God’s people. In his excellent book The Church, Edmund Clowney speaks of this aspect of the sacraments:

These outward signs mark out a visible fellowship; they structure Christ’s church as a community with membership. Baptism requires a decision about admission to the community.  The Supper, a sign of continuing fellowship, implies the exclusion of those who have turned away from the Lord. . . . the sacraments testify that the church must have organized form as well as organic life. (The Church, 272).

This implies a critical role for the pastor. If the Lord’s Supper is for those continuing in the fellowship of the body of Christ, we are to do all we can to ensure that only Christians are participating—a physical impossibility in a live-streamed moment.

Hungering and Thirsting for Now

It’s easy to understand the desire to bring the Lord’s Supper into this season of separation. Just as we long to be together in our churches, we long to share the Lord’s Supper with all the blessings it bestows. Although God in his wisdom has separated us from his table for now, we can be assured that he has not separated us from his love (Rom 8:38-39), nor from the grace we desperately need to be faithful in this moment (2 Cor 9:8). In the meantime, let’s view this season of waiting as a unique opportunity to stir our longings and awaken our appetites for the moment when we will again feast together at the Lord’s table.

Jeff Purswell is the Jeff is the Director of Theology and Training for Sovereign Grace Churches and the dean of the Sovereign Grace Pastor's College. He also serves as an elder at Sovereign Grace Church in Louisville, KY.

Financial Update #4: (Urgent) COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program

Please note the following timely information to help you prepare your PPP Application.

• SBA Form 2483 Application updated today

• Interim Final Rules for PPP from the SBA that affect the application process.

• Please note the bottom of page 27 and top of page 28 where further assurances are given to religious organizations on the application to current law.

• There is still confusion over whether housing allowance is included in the calculation.  It likely will not be included.  My counsel is to compute the loan amount however your bank interprets.  Worst case, you would just not be forgiven for the portion that is for housing allowance

As I discussed in our zoom call yesterday, the MOST IMPORTANT step is to contact your bank as soon as possible to see what documentation they require and how they want you to calculate payroll to determine the loan amount.  Each bank will have their own standards for how to interpret the calculation and you will want to follow their interpretations.  If you decide to pursue this loan, please do so as quickly as possible.  There is a good chance that the funding from this program could quickly run out.

Tommy Hill serves as the Director of Finance for Sovereign Grace Churches. He is also the Administrator for Cornerstone Church of Knoxville where he lives with his wife Elizabeth and their children.