Overview of Conference 2000

By Brian Hershberger, pastor of the Trinity Chapel, Tavares, Florida

Saturday

Watching my little girl run with her new friends towards the playground at Conference brought back a wave of fond memories. Twenty years ago, I was running across the campus of Belleville Mennonite School, making new friends and going on new adventures. In many ways, Conference is very different for me now. One is that I spend a lot less time on the playground and a lot more time in the tent. Some things remain the same though, like the blessed awareness that Conference brings of feeling connected with the body of Christ. As a child, it was a great feeling to know that I had friends from all over the country. As an adult, it's great to know that not only are they my friends, but also mentors, co-laborers and teammates, all encouraging each other and working together to build the Kingdom of God.

If I could distill the messages preached at Conference this year into a singular challenge, it would be this: God, in His sovereignty, has brought us together in this special union of churches and has blessed us beyond measure. How will we respond?

I am not going to attempt to give a point-by-point outline of all the sermons. In fact those who preached the sermons may feel that I have not conveyed their original intent at all. My intent is to share with you the challenge that I received from each message in regards to my response to the acts and blessings of a sovereign God.

In the Moderator's address, John Ivan Byler encouraged us to respond by staying true to the Word of God. He showed from the Word how the Lordship of Christ calls us to lives of confession, worship and obedience.

Wesley Duewel, president emeritus of OMS International, encouraged us to respond by taking our place as rulers with Christ through intercession. He explained that the Sovereign of the Universe is a loving Father who has adopted us as children. Not only are we His children, but He has made us co-heirs with Christ. In addition to that, we have been given the privilege of intimacy with Christ as His bride, and have been given the authority to rule with Him. He explained from the Word that Christ is now reigning as High Priest through intercession, so our response to all that God has done for us should be to join Jesus in this ministry of intercession. Intercession is the unfinished work of Christ.

Saturday afternoon brought with it a smorgasbord of workshops to choose from. I attended one led by Leon Zimmerman entitled, "Free will vs. Predetermination in Human Experience." The topic led to lively discussion as we grappled with the question of what aspects of our lives are predetermined, and what comes as a result of our choices. In the end, Leon summed up our discussion by stating that we don't fully understand how God's sovereignty and human choice work together, but we do know that they both exist in an intricate relationship We must realize that it is a mystery we won't fully understand until we get to heaven. Leon suggested that we not get entangled in the controversy of free will vs. predestination, but rather that we view this subject as God's provision and man's responsibility.

In the conference sermon Saturday evening, James Miller used the biblical account of the early church at Jerusalem and Antioch to give us signposts as to what an obedient church's response should be to a sovereign God. God has positioned CMC in this culture at this particular time in history. How will we respond? Will we drift with the culture that we are a part of? Jim suggested that we set our course by the Word of God as the apostle James did at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15:15-18. Will we polarize over issues and opinions, as the church is so apt to do? Again Jim suggested that we follow the example of the early church by embracing both the Jerusalem element of the church (representing heritage and brotherhood), and the Antioch element (representing the sharing of the gospel and assimilation of new people). The early church was able to accomplish this unity in spite of diversity by remaining open with each other, with pure hearts and humility as seen at the meeting of the Jerusalem Council.

Sunday

On Sunday we turned our hearts and our attention to missions. Luis Bush, director of the AD 2000 and Beyond movement, set an example of sacrificial service by agreeing to come with less than a week's notice and be the keynote speaker after Richard Showalter, the scheduled speaker, had unexpected heart problems which led to bypass surgery. Not only did Luis speak with a passion for missions in general and for seeing the glory of God fill this earth, but it was also obvious that in the short time he had to prepare, he learned a lot about us and really sought the heart of God for His message to CMC. Luis continued the theme of our response to a sovereign God as he spoke of all the blessings God has poured out on the Mennonite church in general, and the Kishacoquillas Valley in particular. "To whom much is given, much is required. What is God asking of us?" Preaching from the book of Habakkuk, he stated that first of all we must be positioned in a way to receive the vision of God for the world. We must also understand the obstacles that keep us from carrying out that vision. Are our comfort zones an obstacle? Do we as a church have too many inner struggles? Luis also shared some external barriers that must be overcome in order for God's glory to fill the earth, such as the 10/40 window that we've heard much about, the ages 4-14 window, which is a generation at risk, and the 35/45 window, which is the gateway to the Muslim world. We also must be willing to stand, watch, and wait for God to give us a divine perspective on what is happening around us. Then we can run with His vision and realize the blessing of the Glory of the Lord filling the earth.

CMC 2000 gave me an opportunity to remember with fondness years gone by, but more importantly, it confronted me with the challenge of responding today to a sovereign God who has blessed me beyond measure and has called me to fulfill my mission in His sovereign plan.

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