Martin Luther’s Analogy of Marriage and Faith in Christ: 

“The third incomparable benefit of faith is that it unites the soul with Christ as a bride is united with her bridegroom. By this mystery, as the Apostle teaches, Christ and the soul become one flesh [Eph. 5:31–32]. And if they are one flesh and there is between them a true marriage—indeed the most perfect of all marriages, since human marriages are but poor examples of this one true marriage—it follows that everything they have they hold in common, the good as well as the evil.

Accordingly, the believing soul can boast of and glory in whatever Christ has as though it were its own, and whatever the soul has, Christ claims as his own. Let us compare these and we shall see inestimable benefits. Christ is full of grace, life, and salvation. The soul is full of sins, death, and damnation. Now let faith come between them and sins, death, and damnation will be Christ’s, while grace, life, and salvation will be the soul’s; for if Christ is a bridegroom, he must take upon himself the things which are his bride’s and bestow upon her the things that are his. If he gives her his body and very self, how shall he not give her all that is his? And if he takes the body of the bride, how shall he not take all that is hers?

Here we have a most pleasing vision not only of communion but of a blessed struggle and victory and salvation and redemption. Christ is God and man in one person. He has neither sinned nor died, and is not condemned, and he cannot sin, die, or be condemned; his righteousness, life, and salvation are unconquerable, eternal, omnipotent.

By the wedding ring of faith, he shares in the sins, death, and pains of hell, which are his bride’s. As a matter of fact, he makes them his own and acts as if they were his own and as if he himself had sinned; he suffered, died, and descended into hell that he might overcome them all.

Now, since it was such a one who did all this, and death and hell could not swallow him up, these were necessarily swallowed up by him in a mighty duel; for his righteousness is greater than the sins of all men, his life stronger than death, his salvation more invincible than hell. Thus, the believing soul by means of the pledge of its faith is free in Christ, its bridegroom, free from all sins, secure against death and hell, and is endowed with the eternal righteousness, life, and salvation of Christ, its bridegroom.

So he takes to himself a glorious bride, “without spot or wrinkle, cleansing her by the washing of water with the word” [Cf. Eph. 5:26–27] of life, that is, by faith in the Word of life, righteousness, and salvation. In this way he marries her in faith, steadfast love, and in mercies, righteousness, and justice, as Hos. 2 [:19–20] says.

Who then can fully appreciate what this royal marriage means? Who can understand the riches of the glory of this grace? Here, this rich and divine bridegroom Christ marries this poor, wicked harlot, redeems her from all her evil, and adorns her with all his goodness.

Her sins cannot now destroy her, since they are laid upon Christ and swallowed up by him. And she has that righteousness in Christ, her husband, of which she may boast as of her own and which she can confidently display alongside her sins in the face of death and hell and say, ‘If I have sinned, yet my Christ, in whom I believe, has not sinned, and all his is mine and all mine is his,’ as the bride in the Song of Solomon [2:16] says, ‘My beloved is mine and I am his.’”

Martin Luther, The Freedom of a Christian

The meeting was opened in prayer, praising God for His blessing and mercy to us and asking for wisdom as we seek to serve the church body at OBC.

Our ministry guest was Becky Linden, who leads the Women’s Ministry. It was encouraging to hear about everything that goes on behind the scenes within the ministry, not to mention all of the leaders involved who help run the different events throughout the year.

Michael Herrington led our study of Lord’s Day 6 of the Heidelberg Catechism, focusing on why Jesus must be truly human and truly righteous.

Pastor Mike Grimes provided a financial update for OBC. Church giving was slightly below budget, but expenses were also lower, so the financial position remains good. 

We also discussed various facility updates, including early landscaping work in preparation for the Strive Project. The meeting was adjourned with prayer at 9:00 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 28, at 7:00 p.m.

Next, Andrew Meyer led us through a reading of the London Baptist Confession of 1689 on the topic of faith. The first paragraph reminds us that faith itself is a gift of God’s marvelous grace, the Holy Spirit working in our hearts to enable us to believe unto our salvation.

The second paragraph instructs that faith enables Christians to believe in the truth of God’s word, to entrust themselves to the truth believed and principally to focus directly on Christ—accepting, receiving, and resting upon him alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life, by virtue of the covenant of grace. The final paragraph is an encouraging reminder that faith may sometimes be weak, and sometimes strong, but ultimately prevails because it rests upon the founder and perfecter of faith – Jesus Christ.

Next, Mike Grimes presented that attendance was at or around our average, followed by Dan Perina giving an update on the June financials. Income for June was $88,623 against a budget of $97,132. We continue to manage expenses and are confident God will provide for His church.

There is exciting news on the Strive project. Fences will go up around the construction areas the week of July 27. The first phase, demolition, will begin the first week of August. We thank God for all who have given in support of the project and look forward to seeing the upcoming improvements.

Additionally, we approved to support a portion of Daniel Wood’s seminary tuition at Reformed Theological Seminary. We are very encouraged to see how Daniel is progressing at seminary. Recently he was given a teaching assistant position for Dr. Guy Waters, a New Testament professor.

Lastly, the terms of service for several of our deacons will conclude at the end of September. They will be asked to prayerfully consider whether to serve another term. Please pray with them for wisdom and the Lord’s direction in their decision. We are thankful for the gifts the Holy Spirit has given these men, and for the service they have provided to the body at OBC.

Upon consideration of a philosophy of ministry, it would do well to remember the apostle Paul’s description of his ministry in 1 Corinthians 4:1. He writes, “this is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” In light of Paul’s apostolic authority and position as foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:20), pastors and elders in the church need to be reminded that they are not positioned above the ministry as kings, but rather they serve as ministers and stewards of the apostolic doctrine and the church, both of which belong to Christ as the King and Head of the church. Consequently, a philosophy of ministry begins with the recognition that the ministry belongs to Christ, and the church’s officers and her members serve as stewards of the ministry of the gospel.

A stewardship of the ministry of the gospel grounded upon Inter-trinitarian love – specifically the love of the Father for the Son and the glory of the Father in the Son

Christ, the ground of the Church, is revealed in Scripture to be the covenant minister decreed before the foundation of the world; his administration extends to the end of the world, the New Creation. Let’s look through the lenses of Scripture to glimpse with the eyes of faith the Eternal One transcendent above the universe – the very Creator and Architect of the heavens and earth, the invisible and visible.

God is One God eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Spirit. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Spirit is God. The Father, Son, and Spirit are God. This trinitarian formula is grounded upon the Great Commission of Matthew 28: “In the Name of the Father, Son, and Spirit.” One Name, three glorious persons.

The Father, Son, and Spirit are full of eternal love, each person mutually indwelling one another in the union of the Godhead (John 14:11). It is in God’s nature, who is Love, for God is love, to overflow with love. The Father purposed to exhibit the love of the Son; therefore, God decreed to create a world from the Father through the Son by the Spirit to display His love in creation for the glory of the Son. But creation was not the ultimate gift of the Father’s love for the Son. The ultimate gift for the Son would be the creation of a Bride, the elect of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1) whereby the glory of the Son would be declared from generation to generation through His Church (Ephesians 3:20-21).

It is the Son’s pleasure to glorify the Father through His loving-grace lavished upon His Bride, the Church (Ephesians 1:1-14). The glorious Trinity would display God’s majestic love through grace, saving grace in the person and work of Jesus. God’s grace to sinners and rebels who opposed God’s glory and His holy Law would particularly demonstrate the eternal height of God’s love through Jesus’ descension to the eternal low of God’s just wrath.

The Son, very God, came in the flesh through the virgin birth, very man, to live the perfect, righteous life in accordance to God’s Law, pay the penalty for sin, rise from the dead, and ascend as King-Priest to redeem and purchase His Bride, once children of wrath. God is pleased to declare His church righteous through personal faith in Him, forgiven, adopted into the family, and inheritors of the Son’s heavenly glory. The Church is birthed in the New Creation work of the Spirit through the new birth, for she is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), and is sanctified through this life for the New Creation at the Second Coming of Christ, the consummation of the Marriage of Christ and His Bride, the Church.

A stewardship of the ministry of the gospel founded upon the covenant of redemption between Father and Son

To say that the Church belongs to Christ and the Church is a servant of the gospel, it is required that as a steward of Christ, ministers submit to the testimony of the Scriptures regarding Christ’s authority over the church. Upon examination of Scripture, the authority of Christ is bound up in a covenant and decree of redemption transacted before the beginning of the world (2 Timothy 1:8-10; Titus 1:1-3).

In this federal pact, the Father covenanted to the Son a kingdom made up of a spiritual posterity based upon the work of redemption, a work that obligated the Son to become a servant and thereby fulfill the Law’s requirements in both precept and penalty for elect sinners (Isaiah 49:1-10; Isaiah 53; Psalm 22). The payment for the Son’s servanthood obedience, even unto death, concerned the Father’s vindication of the Son’s completion of the covenant accompanied by the reward of resurrection life and ascension to the Father’s right hand.

In His ascension as resurrected King the Father bestowed the Son with all authority in heaven and on earth and the endowment of the Spirit of salvation to be poured out upon His posterity, His family, His Bride, the Church. Christ in turn poured out the gift of His Spirit to His elect children that they might be joined by faith to their King and His family.

By His Spirit and Word Christ executes His authority and power to rule spiritually in the midst of His enemies (Psalm 110:2) through the church (Ephesians 3:7-13; 20-21) until His coming wherein He would judge the world in righteousness and establish the new heavens and new earth. This covenant between Father and Son serves as the basis of authority by which Christ executes his will in and through his church and it is to this covenant a steward of the gospel must look to grasp the immense weight, the eternal purpose and plan for the ministry, and the means by which the ministry of the gospel, the proclamation of redemption, is to be executed in and through the church.

The covenant of redemption is the foundation of the ministry of the gospel while communion of the church with God for the glory of God in three persons, Father, Son, and Spirit is its eternal purpose.

A stewardship of the ministry of the gospel administered through the covenant of grace between the Son and church

Jesus made known to his disciples that just as the Father had covenanted to him a kingdom, so he had covenanted to them a kingdom (Luke 22:29). Many theologians throughout the history of the church have called this covenant a Covenant of Grace. Throughout the Old Testament, the prophets spoke of a covenant of mercy (hesed), lovingkindness, or grace in which God would abundantly supply His covenantal blessings by His own hand.

He would regenerate and renew the heart, He would save His people from their sins and forgive them, and He would establish His covenantal king and kingdom. The apostle Paul described this covenant of grace in terms of his stewardship as a servant of the gospel committed to the “revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages” (Romans 16:25-27). The apostle described his stewardship this way: “Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me” (Ephesians 3:7). Consequently, this covenant of grace must instruct the pastoral and elder stewardship in the ministry of the gospel.

First, the Covenant of Grace establishes the ministry of the church in the ministry of the gospel. In other words, the ministry of the gospel must be committed first and foremost to the ministry of the gospel. Redundant? Circular? Indeed, for the authority for the ministry is rooted in the gospel, the covenant of grace announced on behalf of the Lord of the covenant, namely, Jesus Christ.

Like the testimony of the Law, rested in the Ark of the Covenant in the Tabernacle and Temple, so it is this Covenant of Grace, the gospel, that rests in the hand of Christ the Lord, seated in the Heavenly Temple.

What does this mean to the philosophy of the ministry of the Church? The conclusions are radical. First, the Covenant of Grace establishes the church itself by securing a spiritual family and body by the work of Christ. By Spirit-wrought faith, poured out upon Christ’s elect by Christ, from His throne in heaven, Jesus gathers sinners into His church through the gracious announcement of the gospel.

The gracious announcement of the gospel is vital, for it is the ordained means for saving sinners and uniting them by the Spirit to Christ and His church. Thus, the Covenant of Grace creates the church, a church of equal-standing in Christ through the preaching of the gospel. This gospel then must stand at the center of the ministry of the gospel.

In part 3, we will look at a few of the features of gospel ministry that are involved in the church’s gospel stewardship. Indeed, what a glorious ministry of grace, for as we have seen, this stewardship reaches back into the will of God before the foundation of the world and forward into God’s eternal plan for the glory of the Lordship of Christ over the New Creation all flowing out of the goodness and love of one God in three persons, Father, Son, and Spirit for His glory and praise and the highest joy and blessing of His Church!

The psalms are filled with deep, dark, personal valleys of despair and suffering. The psalmists write (inspired by the Spirit) in such a way that their darkest sins, doubts, failures, weaknesses, questions, and anxieties are brought to light before the Lord. We see their anger and joy, despair and hope, and suffering and comfort. The full spectrum of human emotions and thoughts are offered to God in prayer and brought underneath the light and instruction of God’s Word.

Sinclair Ferguson, in his book Deserted by God, insightfully wades through a careful selection of these Psalms, examining the suffering saints’ spiritual journals. Ferguson observes the inspired approach each psalm takes in laying out burdens before the Lord. His readers will find great encouragement as they join Ferguson in the study of the psalmists’ themes echoed in their own hearts and minds.

Ferguson writes, “This book is for such Christians. It will not remove all of their difficulties; but my prayer is that it will be a helping hand on the way and will provide encouragement like a voice saying, ‘I know where we are going; put your next step here and you will be able to make progress, even though it seems dark all around” (page 1). He continues, “The English poet William Cowper learned through his own deep depressions that the ‘bright designs’ of God are often forged in deep and unfathomable mines of never-failing skill.’ The Psalms similarly show us how the people of God have grappled with their questions, doubts, and desertions, and how God lifted them up and brought them into new light and joy” (page 2).

I will leave you with Ferguson’s meditation on Psalm 22. Herein, he encourages the suffering saint with God’s love for sinners. Ferguson observes that for God to apply any promise or benefit to sinners, His Law demanded the great exchange: Christ suffered in the place of the sinner that the sinner might be graced with Jesus’ own blessings.  

Sinclair Ferguson asks whether or not we truly understand what is being asked of Jesus on our behalf as sinners:

• “In asking for ‘mercy’ … you are asking that God will give it to you, but withdraw it from Jesus.
• In asking to experience God’s ‘steadfast love,’ you are asking that Jesus will feel it has been removed.
• In asking to taste God’s ‘abundant mercy,’ you are asking him to refuse it to Jesus as he dies on the cross.
• In asking God to ‘blot out your transgressions,’ you are asking that they will be obliterated by the blood of Jesus.
• In asking to be washed, you are asking that the filth of your sin will overwhelm Jesus like a flood.
• In asking to know the joy of salvation, you are asking that Jesus will be a Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief.
• In asking to be saved from blood-guiltiness, you are asking that in your place Jesus will be treated as though guilty.
• In asking that your lips will be opened in praise, you are asking that Jesus will be silenced, as a sheep before her shearers is silent.
• In asking that the sacrifice of a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart be acceptable, you are asking that Jesus’ heart and spirit will be broken.
• In asking that God will hide his face from your sins, you are asking that he will hide his face from Jesus.
• In asking that you will not be cast out of God’s presence, you are asking that Jesus will be cast out into outer darkness instead.

But dare we ask God to do this for us? To obligate himself to love us in such a manner as this? We do not need to ask him. He has already done it. In Christ, he has already done everything that is necessary for our salvation. Now all we need is Christ.”

We are so thankful for the various ministries that go on daily, most recently Vacation Bible School, which culminated on the Lord’s Day with all the children singing to the congregation. Summer will be a time for many of our care groups that meet in homes to fellowship around a meal, enjoying the summer days.   

Mike Grimes read the London Baptist Confession of 1689, Article 13 – Of Sanctification. The Bible is so clear when it speaks to those who are regenerated and united to Christ, having a new heart and new spirit created in them through the virtue of Christ’s death and resurrection. It is a renovative work that truly sanctifies a person personally.

The Bible states that the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed, and that lusts are continually weakened and mortified. Scripture also makes clear that the Christian’s sanctification is throughout the whole man, yet imperfect in this life, and still there abides some remnants of corruption in every part. Finally, the confession concludes with the amazing reality that although the remaining corruption is for a time, the regenerate part does overcome. Through the continual supply of strength from the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, the saints grow in grace, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, pressing after a heavenly life. 

Dan Perina discussed the Giving & Attendance Report from May. The monthly general offering totals were good, but there is still a slight shortfall between our actuals and our budget for the current year. Please pray for the continued sacrificial giving of our body and that the Lord will meet our needs as we continue to minister the gospel of Christ in this current year that is soon to end in August.

The Lord has been so faithful through the years regarding our finances, so we, as elders, are praising the Lord for our giving as we continue into the summer months, knowing that our Lord knows our needs and that He will meet them. Attendance remains strong with several new members being added soon. Please continue to pray for many to hear the great proclamation of the gospel, especially through Pastor Pat’s messages and our faithful follow-up. May God add many to His church body in these coming days.

Pastor Pat discussed the Strive Project Update. It was very positive. There is a meeting scheduled for June 23, where all those responsible for the design and construction will discuss the final details before the project begins. All the elders are very encouraged by the congregation's faithfulness in their giving and support of the building improvements.     

Finally, Mike Grimes presented the final draft of the 2026-2027 budget. He reviewed fiscal year 2026, including budgeted income and expenses, as well as fiscal year 2027 projected income and expenses. The elders voted on the 2027 budget, which was set at $1,014,158. Please pray as the Lord continues to guide and lead us through the upcoming year.

The meeting closed at 10:16 p.m. The next regularly scheduled elder meeting is planned for July 15, 2026.

Over the next few months, we will take some time to consider together the marks of a healthy church. We will do this by laying out a philosophy of church ministry to underscore what or who the church is as the bride of Christ. A church's mission will only be on target to the degree that her philosophy of ministry is consistent with her nature and character as the bride of Jesus.

After stating what the church is, we will reflect on her mission, that is, her gospel stewardship as the bride of Christ. The church-bride has been wed to her husband to boast in her Divine-groom and it is the proclamation of the Law and the Gospel, the great work of her husband, that particularly displays His power and virtues.

The nature of the Church is the bride of Christ

The Church, by its very nature, is the bride of the eternal Son, who is the second person of the Trinity come in the flesh to be her Husband, King, Priest, and Prophet. Consequently, a philosophy of ministry for the bride of Christ must keep an eye on her King-Husband to understand her goals and responsibilities for ministry (Ephesians 5:23, 32).

As Christ is the man from heaven (1 Corinthians 15:48), so his bride has been created from the man of heaven to "bear the image of the man of heaven" (15:49). Thus, the church's perspective is heavenward. Her mind is set on things above, where Christ is seated, for she is positioned with Christ in the heavenlies (Colossians 3:1).

Consequently, the mission of Christ's bride is not to build earthly cities to transform society into heaven, but rather to proclaim the heavenly city, Mount Zion, as citizens of a heavenly kingdom. The old creation is destined to pass away while the new creation, rooted in Christ in the heavenlies and in the regenerative hearts of his elect through the new birth, will last forever (2 Corinthians 5:17; Hebrews 1:10-12).

The stewardship of the church is the ministry of the gospel, which belongs to Christ

Upon consideration of a philosophy of ministry that marks a healthy church, it would do well to remember the apostle Paul’s description of his ministry in 1 Corinthians 4:1. He writes, “... this is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” In light of Paul’s apostolic authority and position serving as an apostolic foundation for the church (Ephesians 2:20), elders, deacons, and members in the church need to be reminded that they are not positioned above the ministry as kings, but rather they serve as stewards of the apostolic doctrine and ministry of the church.

The church, her doctrine, and her ministry belong to Christ as the King and Head. Consequently, a philosophy of ministry begins with the recognition that the ministry belongs to Christ and the church with its members and officers serve as stewards of the ministry of the gospel.

The instruments of the church can be summed up in the Law and Gospel

The old reformed catechisms, like John Calvin’s Geneva Catechism and Zacharias Ursinas’ Heidelberg Commentary and Catechism, taught that the Law and Gospel is the doctrine of the church that separates the church from the world. The Law and Gospel can be seen most clearly in Romans and Galatians.

The Law reveals the righteousness of God summed up in loving God and neighbor. According to Romans 7, the Law reveals sin and points toward Christ who has fulfilled the righteousness of the Law (Romans 8:1-4; 10:1-13). The Gospel provides the solution in Christ who paid the penalty of the Law and fulfilled the righteous requirement of the Law. As Romans 3:21-22 says, the righteousness of God cannot come to sinners through the work of the Law but through faith in Jesus Christ.

The pattern of the book of Romans is Guilt, Grace, and Gratitude. Romans 1-3:20 employs the Law to condemn to reveal guilt. Romans 3:11-11:36 reveals the sovereign grace of God in Jesus for guilt, offering saving grace to both Jew and Gentile. Romans 12-16 underscores the sovereign grace of God that produces a sacrificial life of gratitude and praise. Law and Gospel are the tools, the weapons, and spiritual DNA of the church. The means of grace offered through the Word proclaimed, songs of praise, prayer, and service highlight the Law and Gospel through the pattern of Guilt, Grace, and Gratitude.

The hymn, Rock of Ages, summarizes well these two instruments of Law and Gospel:

Law:

“Not the labor of my hands can fulfill Thy law’s demands

Could my zeal no respite know, could my tears forever flow.

All could never sin erase, Thou must save, and save by grace.

Gospel:

Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling

Naked, come to Thee for dress, Helpless, look to Thee for grace;

Foul, I to the fountain fly, wash me Savior, or I die.

As we look at a philosophy of ministry that characterizes a healthy church, we have seen so far the nature of the church as the bride of Christ and the stewardship of the church, which is the proclamation of the Law and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Next month, we will turn to consider a philosophy of ministry that is founded upon the glory of the Triune God, particularly the Father’s love for His Son, the Son’s mission to display the love of God in the gospel, and the Spirit’s mission to glorify Christ to the glory of God the Father for the exaltation of the Godhead, one God in three persons.  

Vimal George reviewed previous minutes and provided an OBC financial update. Vimal and Keith provided an update on the new Strive project. It was encouraging to hear what the leaders at OBC had committed to the project.

Vimal then led us through the Lord’s Day 5 of the Heidelberg Catechism. This section focused on God’s righteous requirement, judgment, and who could fulfill that righteous requirement. 

The deacons then discussed facility updates and improvements with the Church workday, providing an opportunity to serve and maintain the facility. They also discussed other needs within the body and opportunities to serve.

Our next meeting is Tuesday, June 23. Michael Herrington closed us in prayer at 9:00 p.m.

God’s holiness is a deep and difficult subject to grasp, and R. C. Sproul’s classic book, The Holiness of God, is a great help in our understanding it. Sproul writes in an engaging and accessible style, using personal anecdotes and vivid dramatizations of biblical texts to guide readers through this weighty topic.

In the opening chapters, Sproul reminds us that God is the Creator of all things. As creator and Lord, he is inescapable, and “not only does he penetrate every aspect of our lives, but he penetrates it in his majestic holiness. Therefore, we must understand what holiness is.”

Many people today view God as easy to approach, but Sproul points to Isaiah’s encounter with God in Isaiah 6, as well as the disciples’ encounters with Jesus in Mark 4 and Luke 5, to show that the more typical response to God’s holiness is fear. Isaiah cries, “Woe is me! I am undone,” while Peter pleads, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man.” Sproul even describes this as the “trauma of holiness,” when sinful people are confronted with the absolute otherness and perfection of God.

This terrifying realization isn't unique to biblical figures. Sproul recounts how God’s holiness and his perfect demands drove Martin Luther to the brink of despair. Trained as a lawyer, Luther acutely understood God's law; he could not reconcile how a holy God could allow a sinner into heaven without compromising His own divine excellence.

At times, we recoil at God’s judgment against those who fail to treat Him as holy. Sproul examines God’s judgment on Nadab and Abihu for offering strange (or unauthorized) fire, as well as Uzzah for touching the ark, and he carefully defends the righteousness, justice, and holiness of God in these accounts. Sproul demonstrates that these moments are not acts of cruelty, but necessary vindications of His holy standard.

Yet it is against the backdrop of God’s absolute perfection and inscrutable judgments that the beauty of His mercy and grace shines most brightly. From the cleansing of Isaiah’s lips with the burning coal to the justification that is received through faith, the gospel becomes all the more precious. By the time we reach these themes in the book, we breathe a sigh of relief from under the weight of God’s holiness and praise the God who provides refuge from Himself in Himself.

Sproul also helps readers understand what God’s holiness means for us personally. First Peter 1:17 reminds us that even though we now know God intimately as Father, we are still called to “be holy, for I am holy.”

What does that look like in everyday life? As Sproul explains this calling, he is careful not to leave readers crushed under an unhealthy sense of guilt or fear. Instead, he offers one of the clearest explanations of the gospel in the book, emphasizing both the forgiveness of our sins and the gift of Christ’s righteousness. These truths fuel gratitude and motivate us to pursue lives that are holy and pleasing to God.

I would highly encourage you to read this book. Though the weight of God’s holiness can feel overwhelming at first, that very weightiness also grounds us. It humbles us, it steadies us and ultimately leads us to worship the God whose name is holy (Psalm 103:1).

Dallas Focht read Article 12 of the London Baptist Confession of 1689, titled "Of Adoption." This chapter of the LBC is an amazing reminder of God’s grace extended to us as we are welcomed into the family of God through the work of Christ.  

The financial report was positive, reporting that the giving was $79,000, which was over the budget of $78,000 for the month of April. We are thankful for all who support the ministries at OBC through their faithful giving.  

The Strive Project update was given by Pastor Pat, and he reported that the current total amount pledged was around $357,000. The amount pledged thus far is fascinating, and we thank everyone for praying and giving what the Lord has led them to give. He also reported that the contract with the construction company was signed.

The elders discussed and approved new members who have applied for membership at OBC. The next new member induction takes place on Sunday, May 31.    

Todd Swift closed the meeting in prayer.

The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 16, at 7:00 pm.

On behalf of the elders,

Dan Perina