C.J. reminded us that God bestows gifts to whom he wills, and calls us to be faithful, for such faithfulnis used of God to change the hearts and lives of our people.

Thursday was the last day of Together for the Gospel. Sometimes, conferences end with a whimper –people leave early, and the last sessions suffer from a lack of enthusiasm. This was NOT the case with
T4G.

Lig Duncan opened the morning leading us in a passionate encounter with the piety and doctrine of the church fathers, encouraging us with edifying readings, passionately delivered. He spoke of his own encouragement from the church fathers when he received the news that his father had died, suddenly, in the middle of the night, and he had to go teach a seminary course in the shadow of that grievous news. Lig’s passionate reading of the fathers shows how much we miss if we omit them from our careful consideration.

Dallas, TX, pastor Matt Chandler, who has been struggling with serious cancer of the brain, and has undergone both radical surgery and post-operative treatment, spoke of the faithfulness of God in the journey of suffering. It was a most affecting story. The 7000 in attendance petitioned God for his complete healing, led in prayer by John Piper.

C. J. Mahaney closed out the conference encouraging the men who were there to ordinary faithfulness in the carrying out of their ministry. We had heard extraordinary men, and the temptation is to be envious, or despairing. C.J. reminded us that God bestows gifts to whom he wills, and calls us to be faithful, for such faithfulness is used of God to change the hearts and lives of our people. He urged impatient pastors to be patient with their flocks, and to bear with the failings of the weak. C.J.’s unique style is doxological humor –quite hard to describe if one has not heard it –his humor is never light or irreverent, but rather opens up the heart so that the surgeon’s scalpel plunges deep –both liberating and painful.

Two of the unique things about T4G are the public conversations among the luminaries, and the massive amount of free books distributed –this year, over 140,000 free books of all description, including the ESV Study Bible. What a blessing to pastors to either read themselves or pass along to others.

Thank-you, “gospel men,” for putting on such a grand, encouraging and convicting conference.

Kenneth Pierce is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and currently serves as Senior Pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi