Shepherd’s Conference 2009 – Rick Holland, Session #5

Rick Holland, Executive Pastor at Grace Community Church spoke this morning using 2 Co2:11 as his text. He began by describing Paul as a very brave man for preaching the gospel without concern for his own welfare and frequently suffering the consequences for it. "Paul's Calvinism never got in the way of his care for his people." was one of his opening quotes. He also pointed out that Paul, in this passage does not address his churches behavior….but their focus which should always be on Christ.

Holland went on to delineate three applications derived from Paul's theological approach to shepherding his church;

1. A fearful ecclesiology – (2 Cor 11:3). Paul's ecclesiology is established on the foundation he set in 2 Cor 11:2, Holland taught. Of further interest was the notion that Paul's eschatology had an immediate impact on his ecclesiology. He was always focused on preparing his people for the return of Christ.
   
2. A functional Bibliology – (2 Cor 11:3). Dr. Holland demonstrated that Paul believed the Scriptures fully, taking them literally (confident that a serpent actually spoke to Eve). Rick used this to establish that Paul embraced the whole truth of the Bible. His world view was framed by Scripture not his experience, nor his relationships nor any other teaching other than that that came directly from the Bible. Holland pointed to Gen 3 to assert that Satan does indeed speak. Expounding on Gen 3 further, he listed the methods Satan uses to influence us:

• He disguises himself
• His servants disguise themselves. They, and he appear as 'servants of righteousness' or 'angels if light'.They look like the good guys, not the caricatures and evil beings we have come to depict them as.
• He deceives, primarily by using half-truths (John 8:44).
• He distracts us by taking the focus off of Jesus Christ and putting it elsewhere, most frequently on ourselves.
• He distorts God's word

3. A jealous Christology – (2 Cor 11:3). Jesus is the integrating centrality of all faith. He becomes the foundation for everything we do and the reason why we do it, Holland taught. This is why our ministries should always focus on Christ (1 Cor 2:1, 2 Cor 4;5-6, 2 Cor 13:5, Gal 2;20, Col 4:19, 1 Pet 2:9, Heb 12, 2 Pet 1:2, 1 john 5:20). Holland added that communion should bring us back into focus on Jesus Christ as we remember the sacrifice He made for us.

"It all boils down to this, John 17:3." He finished with. But he further cautioned, using Acts 20, that deceptive teaching will rise up from within the church, not without. In a poignant ending, he cautioned to be on guard against that type of teaching rising up from within us, as individuals as well.