Three Sermons, Two Weddings, One Historic Confession

While continuing to teach pastors at EABST, I've had the great privilege of preaching this month at Emmanuel Baptist Church. We made it all the way through the book of 2 Peter in the last three Sundays. The Lord has been teaching us about combatting false teaching by making our calling and election sure and by growing in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus. Having the opportunity to preach about the new creation from 2 Peter 3 on Resurrection Sunday was a special delight.
In other news, Emmanuel Baptist Church voted this last week to officially adopt the New Hampshire Baptist Confession (slightly revised) as its statement of faith. We see this as an exciting step toward equipping the members to proclaim and protect the gospel by giving them a tool that summarizes what we believe the Bible teaches about itself, God, man, sin, salvation, and other critical matters. Please pray for us as we seek to be vigilant for the truth in a world captured by the father of lies.
However, the truth of God is not merely meant to be known or even just to be defended. It's meant to be lived out. And one of the greatest opportunities to live out gospel truth is in the context of marriage. (See Eph 5:22–33.) That's why we're elated by the two weddings EBC has had this month. Jenny and I worked with both couples during their engagement to help them prepare to take these big steps together. Walking with couples through pre-marital counseling has greatly strengthened our own marriage as well.
Please keep praying for us as we seek to hold fast to the gospel, to live it out, and to make it known.

2019 Pittsley Post 1

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On Single-mindedness

Recently we had the pleasure of hosting John Musyimi in our chapel at EABST. The school exists to equip men for pastoral ministry, and John's challenge from 2 Timothy 2 was spot on! He reminded us that the Christian life, and especially the life of a Christian pastor, is a soldier's life. The point was that we must leave behind self-pity and distractions and whole-heartedly serve as soldiers in order "to please his commanding officer" (2 Tim 2:3–4).
We are nearing the midway point in our semester at EABST. Christian Family has proved to be a very insightful course for me, and I trust helpful for the students as well. It's enlightening to consider how society is pressing our families into its mold, and how we are called to be transformed on account of God's mercy by the renewing of our minds.
Please continue to pray for our students. Pray that they will give their ministry opportunities and local churches their due priority while juggling school and home responsibilities.
Please pray for us teachers. We long for these men and women to be equipped for a lifetime of service to Christ's church, but that takes the Holy Spirit's work through our feeble efforts.
Please also pray for our preparations for our Stateside assignment beginning in June. Things are beginning to come together, but there are many details yet to resolve.

Meeting Friends

Three weeks ago a dear friend and counselor from the States visited us briefly. Rob's visits are always a treat, and we're thankful for the thoughtful advice and encouragement that always come with his visits. Jenny and I took the opportunity to discuss some of last year's efforts and look ahead to this year's big goals. Pray that the Lord would help us fulfill our desires for good in 2019 (2 Thess 1:11).

Last week, we have had the privilege of meeting with some coworkers who work in Tanzania. One family stopped by on their way back to Tanzania after a Stateside assignment; and at the same time two ladies who work with the children's home there happened to be passing through on a research trip. We always enjoy our time together comparing notes and recounting our various travel adventures. It's often deeply profitable for me to hear what my colleagues there have been reading and how it has been helping them in their ministry context. This was an especially big gathering, and we had a blast.

Please continue to keep us in prayer:

• I'm teaching at EABST on the Christian family and on the church's mission—two critical classes for the sturdy progress of the gospel in East Africa. Pray for diligence, insight, and growth for the students.
• We're counseling several engaged couples to prepare them for marriage. Pray for open, profitable, healthy conversations that God uses for Christlikeness in our marriage and in those we counsel.
• We're preparing for a Stateside assignment in the second half of this year. Pray for wisdom and skill in filling the calendar with current and potential supporting churches. (If you're interested in a visit please contact us!)