Sep
20
2009
Lord, Show Us Your Glory
This morning I preached from Matthew 5:1-12. I then left and went to the hospital to see my dad (his eyes were open–the first time I’ve seen his eyes in two weeks). Now I am at home awaiting the outcome of the congregational meeting taking place as I write this. (If you don’t know what meeting I’m talking about, click here). I am not afraid.
Ephesians 3:20-21 sums it up:
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
I have one General and he has given me one mission: to spread the glory, the preeminence, the majesty, and the legacy of Christ and Christ alone. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me!
25 Comments
Our congregation in Lake Worth, FL, prayed for you this morning, Tullian. God’s will be done.
You will without a doubt come thru this challenge a stronger and wiser man. Our family is with you and look forward to your next sermon, keep the faith, Tully.
Your words and spirit are focused and of good courage, Tullian.
Prayers for your father as well. Hope all is peaceful there.
Let us know about the outcome as soon as possible. Also, please keep us posted on your father as well.
Grace in Jesus,
Matt
My church, The Harbour, in Pompano prayed for the vote today while the congregation stretched out its hands towards Coral Ridge. It was very moving to see. RT Kendall was one of our guest speakers and he talked about his longtime friendship with Dr. Kennedy and his love for Coral Ridge.
The body of Christ is standing with you, Tullian.
I have faith that you will be vindicated. Isa. 50:7-8
to the glory of God in the gospel of Jesus, I am thankful to God and proud of you.
Just a note of encouragement…our church in South Charleston, WV prayed for you and Coral Ridge today. May God continue to be praised.
Tullian, Praise and prayers to God for you and your family. “The eyes are the window to the soul.” May
your father and your Father’s eyes aways be upon you to encourage and lift you up. God is good and He is always right.
Waiting with you in trust and hope, Cindy
I prayed for you this morning as well as your dad. We have to trust God. The late evangelist, Vance Havner once said, “God will give you all you need, to do what He wants, as long as He wants you to.” I have lived and ministered by that thought. May you be reminded that you are His servant and He will use you until He has completed His work in and through you.
May God bless and may the outcome of the meeting be His will.
Jerry Bryant
I’ve prayed for you today! God is sovereign!
Praise God for answered prayers! I have been ardently praying for you, your father, your family and your ministry. To God be the Glory for the things He has done.
Best wishes. All churches are God’s church. He desides, and may the Glory always be to Him. I am a Presbyterian, but do not attend Coral Ridge Church. I will pray for you Tullian and for your father’s recovery.
Just heard the great news! God is about to use this in an extraordinary way!
What a testimony to a watching congregation and world of the “flavor of tea bag” that has come from you, Pastor, as you have been placed in the hot water. What a powerful message this morning. Although I knew what meeting you referred to, I clicked to read your article in the Sun-Sentinel. If a reader has not read it, please go back and read. I believe God will use this article and the publicity surrounding Coral Ridge to bring people to Christ. It is only God that can turn what was meant for evil around for good. I was thrilled to vote for my Pastor, and to see such an overwhelming approval testifying that it is indeed God who has brought this about. To God be the glory! Be assured of our continued prayers for unity of our one new church, God’s clear direction, fierce protection, and also your father and family.
Great news about your father! Our reformed church on Trinidad prayed for you this morning. God will indeed use this for His glory. What a great article in the newspaper as well!
Praise God! His will has been done! I hope we can put all of this behind us and move forward as God wants this church to do. Pastor, you and your family are certainly showing us how God works in those who trust Him. Your sermon last week, while your father was in surgery, was unbelievable and again this week, with the stress of the upcoming vote, your message was definitely from God. Our prayers have been answered as evidenced by your father’s progress and evidenced by today’s vote. To God be the Glory! And thank you, God, for bringing this man and his family to CRPC.
I clicked to read the article. I must admit I’m not surprised, I had a feeling whomever they brought in as the new pastor would have a very difficult time. I’ve seen it locally when a pastor was very well known and loved. The new pastor is competing with an illusion… as well as another man’s entire lifetime of achievement.
Dr. Kennedy was a wonderful man and I was already proud of the stand he took against the flow of society. However, I’ve read your blog for years now and I know your message is what this nation needs now.
My son is a college student at a nearby world renowned University. We live close enough he can live at home. My six foot tall son cried on my shoulder Sunday night because he has lost his faith in Christ due to the way the older generation in our church act as well as how many of his close friends have started drinking and doing drugs. These are all homeschooled Christian kids. You are a voice for the new generation… Dr. Kennedy was a voice to his. I will keep praying for you and your family.
I felt God’s presence so strongly during your sermon this morning. Your words were a showcase for His glory, and my heart was encouraged. Watching you handle this tough situation is an inspiration to me. I have Jesus…I have everything I need!
Praising God for His amazing Grace! I knew from the beginning that He was and will be using you in a powerful way to further His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven…
We are sooo grateful your dad opened his eyes, particularly today in order to encourage your heart! Praying for his complete recovery and many years of love shared with his family.
Rejoicing in the Sovereignty of God,
Rick and Sandra
What a Relief to know that we still have Pastor Tullian Tchividjian as Our Pastor of CRPC.
God indeed will use this Bumpy Ride on this Roadtrip to Heaven for His Greater Glory.
Just hope all of us will Learn from this Adventure in Challenges.
Hopefully, we will learn to get along with one another.
Growing in Christ may be one of the benefits, painful as it may be at times.
Asking the Lord to help us, praying and believing that He is in Control.
Romans 8:28 comes to mind, and gives me hope for CRPC.
It sure was a Scary Ride, at times so Sad being Lost on this Side Road.
but, God’s Grace Prevailed, His Light giving us Directions.
Hopefully, we will get our Bearings again and be on the Road to Recovery.
May we Bless one another and Forgive each other and Move Forward together, on this Road to Heaven.
Hope that we can Reflect upon this time and see the Hand of God in these matters.
Directing us to Christ Jesus, keeping our eyes upon Him.
We all make Mistakes, and some of them are Blunders, that causes much Pain, especially to ourselves.
And, at times, our Blunders hurt others.
When rocks are thrown at an individual, such as our Pastor,
some of those rocks hit innocent bystanders, the flock.
Because their aim wasn’t so good, they fell short of the intended target at times.
One may never know all of the damage that was done,
but, Christ does.
That is why God tells us to let Him Fight the Battles for us.
Because, we do not know everything and we may hurt the innocent.
When Accusations are being Thrown about like rocks, some of them hit innocent bystanders.
Whether or not those who flung those rocks knew that their rocks would hurt some of the flock
as they tried so desperately to save their “church.”
It HURT and Saddened many.
Just praying that those who still have rocks in their hands will drop them.
Let God handle the “concerns” they have.
Just praying we will find that Road that will allow us to Regain Peace, and
to Give Honor and Praise to Our Savior.
Just praying we will find it in our hearts to love one another
as Christ loves his Church, His Bride.
We just need to Trust the Lord.
And, just Enjoy the Ride
for an Adventure of a Lifetime,
For Eternal Life with Christ Jesus.
Tullian,
I’m so thankful for the outcome of the vote today! Praise God! I hope and pray this will be the beginning of healing in the church. I know your dad, and have been praying for him also. I can’t even imagine what you’re going through right now. But I too believe that this pain will make you stronger and deeper as a person, and as a pastor. We are so looking forward to joining you all in worship at CRPC next week! I know we’re going to hear great passion and compassion from the pulpit! Looking forward to great things ahead for the family of Coral Ridge! Press on, brother Tullian! The best is yet to come!!!!!
Thanks be to God for His reaffirmation of your calling. Likewise we praise and thank Him for the ongoing healing of your Dad, Pastor. You will cherish him in a new way as he recovers, returning to a new life for him and the family with him.
How ironic the verse you were given, Ephesians 3: 20-21, was one that Dr. Kennedy used often for our benediction. It is such a powerful passage from the Word. It has brought me comfort during many trials in my life. We, members of CRPC, so need that Word now as we move forward in love, seeking reconcilation within our church. One third of the people are unhappy and while I do not agree with them, I do believe we must not ignore their concerns. We need to be sensitive to the needs of all members of the body of Christ at CRPC. I know that the healing to come will be more than we can ask or think.
I praise God for you Tullian and your obiedience to Him. God’s bringing you to Coral Ridge has breathed new life into the souls of those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. What we are going through will only make us stronger as we continue to lead our church, community and world in proclaiming the Good News that Jesus is Lord and He loves us all regardless.
God is on the move!! These are exciting days in the life and times of Coral Ridge. I remembered the story of Moses before the Red Sea parted. there were some who could not see that God had brought Moses to that place in time!! And then the glory of the Lord was revealed, and the sea parted!! Awesome!! We have so mightily seen the hand of God in all that has happened through this merger. He is sovereign!! He is doing “a new thing” and it is marvelous in our eyes!! We pray for the unity of this church. We pray that individuals will have eyes to see that it is God alone who has brought this all together, and we must submit to the authority of the session and the pastor. They are our leaders who God has appointed (Romans 13). Colossians 3:12 – Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the LORD has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. and above all these put on love, which binds everything togerher in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful!!! YES, WE ARE VERY, VERY, VERY THANKFUL! Praise you Jesus!!
Pastor Tullian ~
Thank you for your extraordinary sermon ~ 9/20
Being in the new member class, understandably restricted me from handing in a ballot yesterday. So, I voted in my heart! Your steadfastness, humbleness, and trust in our Lord though this conflict has truly inspired me. I look forward to many years of Sundays at Coral Ridge. Prayers follow for your Dad’s continuing recovery & for you, Kim and your children.
Pastor
This news is so encouraging, I am excited in what God is doing.
The article is so well written. I thank our God for His faithfullness toward His people.
In Christ
Paul
Tullian
As I was reading several blogs today I came across your “situation” of the past few months. I had no idea that you were going through this along with your dad’s health hanging in the balance. My husband is a pastor and this very thing happened to us many years ago. A church in a former denomination wanted to keep their church as their social meeting place for the week. They didn’t want to move beyond sipping the milk of the Word to the dining on the meat of His precious Word. A vote of confidence was taken, we stayed for 6 more months, then God led us elsewhere. God was and is good, but was a very difficult and trying time for our young family. We now minister in a God-fearing, loving God’s Word, church where His Word and the cross are at the center of all of our lives. Not perfect, but a great church. Praying for courage and boldness as you continue ministering the gospel of Jesus Christ.