Generation to Generation

1 O My people, listen to My instructions.

 Open your ears to what I am saying, 2  for I will speak to you in a parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past— 3  stories we have heard and known, stories our ancestors handed down to us. 4 We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about His power and His mighty wonders. 5 For He issued His laws to Jacob; He gave His instructions to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, 6 so the next generation might know them— even the children not yet born— and they in turn will teach their own children. 7 So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting His glorious miracles and obeying His commands.

Psalm 78:1 - 7

The 37th General Assembly of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church has come and gone, but the impact of this GA will stay with me forever (at least, that is my prayer).  The theme of this years GA was “Generation to Generation.”  The passage from Psalm 78 (above) issues us a challenge.  That challenge is to teaching our children the: Lessons, Stories, Truths, Wonders, and Deeds SO THAT they will in turn teach their children. That is truly Generation to Generation. The question is: How are we doing?  How are we doing individually?  How are we doing as a church?

At GA we heard from several different Generations of pastors in sermons.  Each one bringing a different and fresh perspective to presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ in today’s culture.  For example, one of our new church planters, who happens to be a Millennial, preached one morning for worship.  He has planted a new church in San Francisco.  The church is named: The Table.  His invitation to San Fran is to come to “The Table.” Their Mission Statement is: “Belonging to Believe.”  This is a town, as many of you know, where anything goes.  The pastor hits the streets to develop relationships (belonging) SO THAT Jesus can begin to infiltrate their lives.  The message never changes, but we may have to change how we reach the lost of this world.  An example, when someone comes to faith at The Table, they are not interested at all in membership.  But if you use the word “Partner With” then they are all over that.  They don’t like words like “Elders” or “Deacons”, but like the word “Leadership.”  “Belonging to Believe” is working in San Francisco!!!

God is so intentional in His command to teach our children, to teach Generation to Generation and this is a must for us folks.  Until He returns, His message for us is to go and tell, go and teach SO THAT this new Generation will “set its hope anew on God, not forgetting His glorious miracles and obeying His commands.”  (Ps. 78:7)

It is God who calls!  God who saves!  This is an Absolute!!!  But it was never more apparent in the messages of this GA that HE intends to use us to share His message of the Gospel and what He has done for us!  How important is this?  Well, how well we do with our children will impact how well they do with their children.  Yes, God’s church will never cease to exist, but we are to never stop proclaiming His praise as long as we live, Generation to Generation!

Psalm 22 is considered a Messianic text telling us of Jesus Christ and His grace and mercy to come.  The last two verses read:

30 Our children will also serve Him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. 31 His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything He has done.  Psalm 22: 30 - 31

If God saw the importance of including these words in the Psalm about His Son, the Suffering Servant, then how important is it for us to proclaim His message of the Gospel with all we meet.  Generation to Generation!  Let us find a way to keep it rolling!

Blessings, 

Pastor Marty - Pastor, HOPE Church - Raleigh

Worship - Grow - Serve

"What's In A Name?"

I stopped by the bank where I have an account this week to make change. So I walked up the the teller and say, “I would like to change for these $20 bills for $10s.  I have an account here.  Do you need to see my bank card?”  I was taken back at her response.  She said, “Do you know your name?”  I said, “Well yes, I think I do!”  I really think she meant to say, “Can I have your name?” but she never realized her mistake.  Those of you who know me should realize that my mind began to race with that question, “Do you know your name?”

Yes, I know my name or at least my given name.  I was adopted when I was 2 days old.  I was born to a 13 year old unwed mother in January of 1958.  The only name I’ve ever had was the name given to me by my adoptive parents.  I’ve never known anything else.  I’ve always been Marty Egene Duffell.  Well, that’s not exactly true.  Yes, my name has never changed since I was two days old, but the State of North Carolina changed my middle name on me when I got my drivers license.  They said my middle name was Eugene.  I said, “NOPE!”  It’s Egene.  It took me carrying my birth certificate to the County Courthouse to prove it before they would change it.  

But the more I thought of the teller’s question, the more I thought about “I do know my name.”  I should have told her I’m a child of God.  God told Jeremiah as He called him to be His prophet, “I knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb.”  The Psalmist says that God formed us and wove us in our mother’s womb.  The Apostle John tells us that because of what Jesus has done for us and our belief in Him, we are “called children of God.”  How cool is that?

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”  

Jeremiah 1:5

‘For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.’  

Psalm 139:13

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.  For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.  Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.  And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” 

1 John 3:1 - 3

Yes, I know the teller asked if I had a name.  And yes, I know she meant, Marty Duffell.  But still, that is only my given name.  I am His, His son, adopted into His family.  I am a child of God.  My name is written in the Book of Life.  My name will be called by Him one day to step up and be accounted for.  I’m ready Lord!  Until then you can call me “Pastor Marty”, “Marty”, or “Hey you.”  But this teller, whose name I don’t even know, caused me to be reminded whose I am by name.

How about you?  Thought about “whose” you are lately?  Have you realized that as a believer you are HIS child?  Have you ever thought about that?  He made you, formed you, and He knows you by name!  Does that make any difference?  I think so!

You probably won’t have someone ask you if you have a name.  But someone may dare to ask you whose you are.  And when that question comes, I pray everyone reading this will be able to say, “A Child of God.”

Blessings, 

Pastor Marty Duffell

Pastor - HOPE EPC Raleigh

Worship - Grow - Serve

"Let Your Light Shine!"

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” 

Matthew 5:16

As many of you know, one of our HOPE family has been in the hospital for a week waiting for heart surgery.  I sat in the ER waiting room last Tuesday afternoon with he and his family waiting to learn what the next step was in the process of replacing a valve in his heart.  This saga had started on Friday night, with all day Saturday testing, only to find out he had a bad heart valve that needed replacing.

Fast forward eight days later, it is now surgery day!  

What? you may say!  Eight days (really 11 days) in the hospital waiting for heart surgery, why so long?  Well, that is a good question.  His family and I have looked at each other over these eight days and wondered the same thing.  As far as the hospital was concerned, “This is when the doctor can schedule it.”  But after spending some time with him this morning, before they came to take him down to the O.R., I came to a different conclusion.  It really all stems from the verse above.

I told him right before they took him down that I know why he spent a week plus in that room.  It was for relationships.  He was there for the interactions between him and the nurses, nurse assistant, even workers in the hospital.  I witnessed nurse after nurse and assistants come in his room this morning telling him how much they had enjoy being his nurse and that they were praying for him.  One nurse in particular said, “This will forever be your room in my mind.  There are certain rooms here that I name by patients by the impact they left on me.  This room has never been named before, but now it has a name.”  She went on to say, “I prayed for you last night before I went to bed.”  Folks, that is impact.

God knows what He is doing.  These nurses and hospital workers needed a dose of Mr. Bruce Mack and they got it.  And listen, not for his glory, but for God’s glory.  It was truly amazing to see them come in and hug their patient good bye, praying for success in surgery.

God gives all of us who believe an opportunity to let our light shine before men and women, that they may see the Christ in us and that we are about glorifying our Father who is in heaven.  Those opportunities happen all the time.  The question is, do we see them and if so, do we do anything about it?

Let me give you a couple of examples from my own life.  A while back we were in a local restaurant eating and 7 of our 9 kids were with us.  We hold hands around the table when we pray and that does not change even when we are out eating.  So we held hands and one of the kids prayed.  We continued to talk and eat when this couple came up and said, “We just wanted to tell you how your family has impacted us today.  You holding hands and praying, seeing you interact with one another has been amazing.  Your kids are so well behaved.”  I thanked them and thought, yes we are blessed, but thankful we could glorify HIM in some way by our actions.

Another happened last week.  Terry, Emma, and I took Mary (our 15 year old daughter) to work at Chick-fil-a.  As we parked and got out of the truck, I met Mary at the back of the truck, hugged her, gave her a kiss on the cheek and told her I love her.  As she was walking away, I said, you act the way you know you should today.  Kind of normal stuff for me.  But as we were walking into the restaurant a women in the drive through stopped us and said out her window, “I told your daughter she should be thankful she had a dad like you who shows how much he loves you in public.”  May HE be glorified by my actions. 

Folks, it is so important to let your light shine.  No, not that you may be lifted up, but HE may be glorified.  God wants others to be able to see HIM in you, in your actions, in your works, and in your speech.  Stop a minute and think, how has my light been shining this week?  Has anyone been able to see the Christ that lives in me?  If your answer is No then look to make a change!  If the answer is Yes then stop and give God the praise for presenting those opportunities to glorify HIM.

I was blessed today to see that at work in Bruce Mack.  Of course he is only one example.  I see God at work in and through many of my friends, family, and my wonderful church families.  God is truly good.  Let us all let the light of Christ shine through us.  Amen!

Blessings, 

Pastor Marty Duffell

Pastor - HOPE EPC Raleigh

Worship - Grow - Serve