A man whose work demanded constant reading began to have difficulty with his eyes. So he consulted a physician, and after an examination, the doctor said, “Your eyes are just tired; you need to rest them.” “But,” he replied, “that’s impossible in my type of work.” After a few moments, the doctor asked, “Do you have windows at your workplace?” “Oh, yes,” he answered. “From the front windows, I can see the noble peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and from the rear windows, I can look out at the glorious Allegheny foothills.” The physician replied, “That is exactly what you need. When your eyes feel tired, go look at your mountains for 10 minutes—20 would be better, and the far look will rest your eyes!”

I don’t know what 2020 holds for you, your church, or our family of churches. Regardless of what sovereignty brings our way, it is the “far look” that we will all need to pierce through the mundane, the challenges, the sorrows, the tiredness we will feel and even the joys to see the one thing that will bring rest to our souls and help sustain us in the coming year. What do we need to see? The beauty of the glory of Christ.

To see His glory, we must remember that the only reason we have the eyes of faith to see the glory of Christ is because God has chosen to share His glory with us through the person and work of Jesus Christ in the gospel, who imparts His righteousness to us. It’s why Jesus prays to the Father, “The glory that you have given me I have given them, that they may be one even as we are one.”  (John 17:22)

As you step into 2020, remember the most important things are not what others say about you, or the challenges you face, or temporal joys you experience, or trials you walk through. The essential truth of 2020 is that nothing will remove the robe of righteousness Christ has adorned you with through his death on the cross. And it’s at the cross that we see the beauty of the glory of Christ most clearly. Michael Reeves, in his book Delighting in the Trinity, says it so well, “Astonishingly, the moment when Jesus finally reaches the deepest point of his humiliation, at the cross, is the moment when he is glorified and most clearly seen for who he is. On the cross we see the glorification of the glory of God, the deepest revelation of the very heart of God-and it is all about laying down his own life to give life, to bear fruit. The reformer John Calvin wrote that ‘in the cross of Christ, as in a magnificent theatre, the inestimable goodness of God is displayed before the whole world. In all the creatures, indeed, both high and low, the glory of God shines, but nowhere has it shone more brightly than in the cross.’” [1]

May the coming year be filled with many “far looks” at Calvary, where we see the glory of God shine most brightly. When you find yourself discouraged, when your soul is weary, take time to make the “far look” and gaze upon the beauty of the glory of Christ seen most vividly at the cross. Let us continue to be a people, and a family of churches who treasure, preach, and share Christ. Let us marvel at the glory of Christ, not only to strengthen our souls, but to invite others to take the “far look” with us, and with eyes of faith, see that which only satisfies; the glory of Christ.

[1] Michael Reeves, Delighting in the Trinity, (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2012), 127.

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Mark Prater is the Executive Director for Sovereign Grace and serves as an elder at Covenant Fellowship Church. He and his wife, Jill, have three married daughters and a growing number of grandchildren.

Mark Prater delivered our 2019 State of the Union address to the Council of Elders on November 4th, 2019. Mark serves as the Executive Director of Sovereign Grace Churches.

This annual message is intended to both encourage and inspire our pastors. Speaking from Isaiah 60:1-5, he encouraged everyone to “lift up your eyes and see…”

See the beauty of the glory of Christ.

See the transforming power of the gospel.

See the beauty of reaching the nations.

See the beauty of God’s provision.

See the hope of future generations.

See the beauty of our unity in Christ.

Dear Friends,

On September 22, Maryland’s highest appellate court denied the plaintiffs’ request for the court to review the lower appellate court’s dismissal of the civil lawsuit that was brought against Sovereign Grace in October 2012. The dismissal of this case is a significant moment for everyone involved, and may be the subject of much conversation in and beyond our churches. On behalf of Sovereign Grace’s leadership, there are some thoughts I want to contribute to that discussion.

But before I do, I want to thank you for the patience and support you have shown to your local churches and to Sovereign Grace during the last two years. In the midst of an aggressive lawsuit you have faithfully served and prayed to keep your local churches strong and by extension you have strengthened many others. So thank you for your “labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 1:3).

What Matters Now

I realize that the court’s dismissal of the suit does not answer the question, “What now?” Let me share with you how I’m responding to that question.

First, there is my response as a Christian. Sexual abuse is a heinous sin which causes harm to all victims of abuse and their families. Therefore it is right that we grieve with them, do all we can to care for them, and pray that God would grant them the comfort and hope found in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Second, there is my response as Executive Director for Sovereign Grace. The specific allegations made against Sovereign Grace in this suit were those of conspiracy claiming that we covered up abuse. Let me be clear that we deny—in the strongest terms possible—that any Sovereign Grace leaders conspired to cover up abuse as alleged in this lawsuit. There were allegations made in the civil suit against current pastors of Sovereign Grace churches, namely John Loftness, Gary Ricucci, and C.J. Mahaney. I want to be clear regarding these men: We believe these allegations are not true. I along with the entire Leadership Team continue to fully commend the character of these men and their ministry to the body of Christ. In addition, the elders in their local churches continue to commend their character and ongoing service as pastors.

While a response to allegations is necessary, our priorities would be out of sorts if we were only concerned with vindicating ourselves in the public arena. Yes, we have been the target of misinformed critique in both the secular and Christian media, and more will likely come. I pray that God gives us all grace to respond wisely and biblically. But regardless of the public discourse, we are strongly committed to ensuring a safe environment for the children in our churches.

Moving Forward

I’m personally grateful that Sovereign Grace churches have taken the protection of children and care for victims seriously for many years. All church leaders today should have a heightened awareness of the steps they can take to create safe environments including the reporting of abuse and cooperating with civil authorities to prosecute any abuser. We continue to evaluate how we can grow in these areas.

While it is the responsibility of each local Sovereign Grace church to provide child protection policies and effective care, we want to do whatever we can centrally to serve our churches, particularly in the area of training. To that end, Sovereign Grace has arranged to provide child sexual abuse awareness training for our pastors and leaders at our Pastors Conference later this month. This training will be led by an attorney from MinistrySafe, an organization dedicated to the prevention of child sexual abuse in ministry contexts. We have also retained the services of Love & Norris, a law firm associated with MinistrySafe. They are evaluating child protection policies in some of our local churches, and providing recommendations for improvement. Lastly, we are providing MinistrySafe membership for all of our churches, with their 5-part safety system. This gives our local churches access to the best training and safety measures available.

Sovereign Grace Churches exist because of Jesus Christ and our passion is to make Him known. Our collective efforts to provide safety for our children is not a redefinition of our gospel mission, but a part of demonstrating Christ’s love to our children and keeping our witness before a watching world.

Our Shared Effort

Over the past 14 months I have traveled to 31 of our churches and spoken with many members and leaders. There isn’t a group of people in the world with whom I would rather labor in advancing the gospel than you. Please join me in continuing to make our churches places where children are loved, protected, and given every opportunity to hear and respond to the good news of Jesus Christ.

Thank you for your partnership in proclaiming and advancing the gospel in your communities and around the world. May our collective labors for the gospel bring great glory to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

With appreciation for our gospel partnership,

Mark Prater
Executive Director

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Mark Prater is the Executive Director for Sovereign Grace and serves as an elder at  Covenant Fellowship Church. He and his wife, Jill, have three married daughters and a growing number of grandchildren.