ABOUND MORE AND MORE

PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS

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Today marks the one-year anniversary of my calling to be the Senior Pastor of Park Hill Baptist Church in North Little Rock, AR. In celebration of this milestone, I wanted to share a passage of scripture that reflects my heart toward the church of Jesus Christ more broadly. 

The following is the opening section of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church in Phillipi. 

3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 

7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

(Philippians 1:3-11 NIV11)

Relationship

We do not know exactly how long Paul ministered in and around the city of Phillipi, but we know that he had a long and fruitful relationship with the believers in this church. As the letter develops, we learn that Paul loved the people of this church very much and that he wanted them to experience the freedom of living in the Spirit of God. 

To that end, Paul took time out of his struggle with travel, imprisonment, trial preparation, and the sharing of the Gospel with those who were in his life as a prisoner in Rome. Love compelled Paul to teach the message of Christ to his friends, no matter the cost. 

Partnership

Paul thanks the people of the church for their partnership with Paul. The people of the church were of the same mind as Paul in their pursuit of the truth and the growth of the Gospel of Jesus. 

I too, know this kind of gratitude. Here at Park Hill, as well as in the many other places I have been called to serve, there is a real spirit of partnership. The people of the church want to be involved in the ministry and mission provided by Christ. They do not point to the preacher and expect me to get it all done on my own. That is a blessing!

Completion

Paul knew that the Lord started that church in Philippi. He was led to seek a time of prayer down at a creek outside of town when he met a group of receptive women who were eager to hear about the Gospel of grace. From this humble beginning, the Lord helped Paul, Lydia, and others build a healthy Body of Christ that grew in depth and in size. 

I share in this certainty for the church. The Lord will bring his work to completion. When the people of the church join together in prayer and unity and seek to move toward the calling they have received from Christ, they will be successful. The Lord will bless their faithfulness and expand his kingdom through them. 

Love Abound

As well as growing in wisdom and strength, I too, pray that my church (and your church as well) will become excellent at showing genuine love for one another. As we allow the Lord to draw us closer to one another, we are urged and compelled by the Spirit to accept one another with grace. 

We do not need everyone around us to conform to our image, to do things our way, but we are called and compelled by Christ to love one another deeply. It is through our love for the other people of the church that Jesus Christ said the world will see Jesus in us. 

Gratitude

I am grateful for the many families of faith that the Lord has led me to serve over the last thirty years of my ministry calling. All of them taught me more about God’s grace, about the value of telling the truth, and about the need to make love for others a priority. 

Here at Park Hill, I am grateful for their willingness to join me in the ministry as they choose to be partners with me in the calling of the Gospel. 

In Christ, 

Ryan Laden

PASTOR RYAN LADEN

Senior Pastor at PARK HILL BAPTIST CHURCH

Worked at MTN. CHURCH

Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church

Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at Baylor University

Studied at Texas Tech University

Went to Castle Hills First Baptist

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