Wow! I found myself in awe of what God has done in bringing this all together as we gathered this morning with the speakers and leadership team for the 2017 SBC Pastors’ Conference. The theme of the conference is “Above Every Name.” The goal of the conference is to lift up the name of Jesus above every name as we sing His praises and hear His Word proclaimed.
That started this morning as Todd Benkert led us in worship. We sang several songs focused on the name of Jesus. The song we sang right before the message was one I hadn’t sang in quite a while. It’s words are over 100 years old, but it’s a song that really captures what this conference is all about. As we sang “Glory to His Name,” it was not only my lips that were singing, but my heart as well.
Down at the cross where my Savior died,
Down where for cleansing from sin I cried,
There to my heart was the blood applied;
Glory to His Name!Glory to His Name,
Glory to His Name:
There to my heart was the blood applied;
Glory to His Name!I am so wondrously saved from sin,
Jesus so sweetly abides within,
There at the cross where He took me in;
Glory to His Name!Oh, precious fountain that saves from sin,
I am so glad I have entered in;
There Jesus saves me and keeps me clean;
Glory to His Name!Come to this fountain so rich and sweet,
Cast thy poor soul at the Savior’s feet;
Plunge in today, and be made complete;
Glory to His Name!
After we sang we heard Dave Miller preach a message from 1 Corinthians 2. What a powerful reminder it was for the speakers as they prepare to walk us through Philippians, but it was a much needed reminder for me as well. Here’s 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 in the new Christian Standard Bible:
When I came to you, brothers and sisters, announcing the mystery of God to you, I did not come with brilliance of speech or wisdom. 2 I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.4 My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not be based on human wisdom but on God’s power.
Paul did not come to the act of preaching and teaching with persuasive words of wisdom but with total dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit. His goal was not to impress the Corinthians or build a cult of personality. Instead, his goal was that their faith might not be based on human wisdom but on God’s power.
That is what we desire to see happen through this conference. That’s what we should all desire to see happen in our churches. I’m trusting God to use this year’s pastors’ conference to impact pastors and church leaders who will then go home and impact their churches and communities with the name that is Above Every Name. Would you join me in praying toward that end?
Note: The conference will be live streamed on the pastors’ conference website. The conference begins at 6pm local time. If you’re planning to tune in from another place in the country, make sure to adjust for time zone differences.
