Perfect & Complete
January 12, 2025
Dr. Paul Cannings
God has graciously allowed me to serve as your pastor these 31 years. Seeing God establish leadership, strengthen His vision, expand His ministries, and grow and mature His saints has truly been a blessing. When God’s faithfulness manifests itself so powerfully, all one can do is continue to press for the mark of the high calling (Philippians 4:14). It does not mean that everything has been peachy throughout all these years, but seeing God’s faithfulness has undoubtedly been the strengthening factor for our perseverance. Charles Spurgeon once said; “By perseverance, the snail reached the ark.” Robert J. Morgan put it this way; “We must never forget that the word persevere comes from the prefix per, meaning through, coupled with the word severe. It means to keep pressing on, trusting God, looking up, doing our duty—even through severe circumstances.”
“Greg Asimakoupoulos tells of a commuter flight from Portland, Maine to Boston. The pilot, Henry Dempsey, heard an unusual noise near the rear of the small aircraft. He turned the controls over to his co-pilot and went back to investigate. As he reached the tail section, Dempsey was tossed against the rear door when the plane hit an air pocket. He quickly discovered the source of the mysterious noise. Someone failed to latch the rear door properly before takeoff, and it flew open, instantly sucking Dempsey out of the jet. Seeing the red light that indicated an open door, the co-pilot radioed the nearest airport, requesting permission to make an emergency landing. He reported that the pilot had fallen out of the plane and asked for a helicopter search of that ocean area.
After the plane landed, they found Henry Dempsey holding onto the aircraft’s outdoor ladder. Somehow, he had caught the ladder, held on for ten minutes as the plane flew 200 mph at an altitude of 4,000 feet, and then, at landing, kept his head from hitting the runway. It took airport personnel several minutes to pry Dempsey’s fingers from the ladder. Things in life may feel turbulent,” said Asimakoupoulos, “and you may not feel like holding on. But have you considered the alternative?” (Leadership Journal, Summer 1991, 49).
The purpose of our trials is to teach us perseverance: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4; Romans 5:1-5). The focus of trials is never to test God’s faithfulness; trials prove it (John 10:27-30). I do not know what this year may expose us to as a church body, but Christ’s question is always before us; “when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)
His faithfulness should inspire us to trust His Word. We must press on, no matter the challenges we experience.