Passages: Romans 8:18, Philippians 1:6, James 4:7-10, 1 Peter 5:7-8   Concerning Romans 8:28-32 Bruce Ware comments, "For the believer, there simply are no accidents or tragedies in which God is, as it were, a passive bystander. He never helplessly watches while some tragedy occurs, wishing it were different. Rather, God is at work to bring about good. He is altogether active in all the events of our lives, never merely passively--and certainly not helplessly---watching...Paul states that the scope of God's work is absolutely comprehensive. There is nothing he is not actively working in to bring about good for his own." (Bruce A. Ware, "God's Lesser Glory,"p.192-193)   You are probably familiar with the old but classic “Footprints in the Sand” poetic prose carefully written to display the mysterious work of God behind the scenes. This treasured and variously copied poem has helped thousands in trusting God for the challenges and difficulties in life. Doubtlessly, it is true that God is singularly handling your affairs behind the curtains while you fulfill the real life drama of your life on a stage of frightening realities. But be of good courage, my dear child of God, God is not silent to the various and sundry ways your life is assailed by so many storms and torrents! The life of Job is an ancient “Footprints in the Sand” epic. Scripture reveals in the story of Job what Bruce Ware calls “God-intended concealment, the unveiling of purposeful veiling. That is we are told what Job was not told.”(Bruce Ware, “God’s Greater Glory,” p.163) My friend and beloved, remember that everything that tries our faith is God’s intended purpose to arouse in us fervent devotion and committed trust and dependence. “Living behind God: Veiled to the Purpose of God in Suffering,”(ibid. p.163) is what we are called to do. The whys of our circumstances, adversities, and afflictions are not as important as our willingness to endure and patiently wait on God for the unfolding drama to reap its glory. We may never know fully the reasons in this lifetime for the difficulties we endure, but we can sure endure it with strength, patience, and growth. If we rest in the Almighty and the sweet precious ointment of Jesus, whose balm is a an ever-source of healing, we will not faint and grow weary. Alas, draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Dear Child of God, don’t be afraid to cry and weep for God’s ever-present help!               “Favour’d saints of God,             His messengers and seers,             The narrow path trod, ‘Mid             Sins, and doubts, and fears”  (Iain Murray, “The Life of Arthur Pink,” p.204)   Pastor Jim Cater "For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth" (2 Corin.13:8)   Blessings, Pastor James T. Cater Miramar Church 6390 SW 32nd Street Miramar, FL 33023 (954) 981-4677 pastorjim@miramarchurch.org or Caterluvmy4@aol.com www.miramarchurch.org

“I have watched with growing disbelief as the evangelical Church has cheerfully plunged into astounding theological illiteracy. Many taking the plunge seem to imagine that they are simply following a path to success…theology is a knowledge that belongs first and foremost to the people of God and that the proper and primary audience for theology is therefore the church, not the learned guild…I say this because theology is not simply a philosophical reflection about the nature of things but rather the cogent articulation of the knowledge of God. Its substance is not drawn from mere human reflection, no matter how brilliant, but from the biblical Word by which it is nurtured and disciplined. And its purpose is not primarily to participate in the conversation of the learned but to nurture the people of God…A culture for whom God is no longer present believes everything…When we believe in nothing, we open the doors to believing anything.” David F. Wells, “No Place For Truth” [William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company: Grand Rapids Michigan, 1993] pp.4-9.   It was May 29, 2005 when I was officially invited to preach at Miramar Church for the express purpose of being installed as their interim pastor. My nerves were a little rattled! I wasn’t sure what to expect other than the overwhelming feeling that I had only one opportunity to find favor in the congregation’s eyes. So, I proceeded to preach my heart out on the role of parents since the time for family oriented topics was the order of the day. To my relief, the congregation overwhelmingly invited me to stay, and the rest is history. Immediately, I began a series on identifying the marks of a healthy church. God led me to Mark Dever’s book, “The Nine Marks of a Healthy Church.” This was a divine call to the church to pursue those indicators that provide us with tell-tale signs of a healthy, thriving, yet imperfect church. The first two pillars of the nine marks, if you will, were 1.) The centrality of God’s Word and 2.) The preeminence of Biblical theology. If the church’s moorings have drifted, these two are at the center of the crisis! Since preaching on the marks of a healthy church, our congregation has centered its preaching on “expository (or biblical) preaching.” This has been a mainstay for us. Thank you Lord for this great trajectory of being faithful to your Word and to the commitment to biblical theology, without which we would be sailing on a sea of uncertainty! Theology is not optional as David Wells clearly articulated above. Biblical preaching and Biblical theology belongs to the church! And, how will the world ever know our beliefs if we can't get it straight? Let’s continue to lift the banner so that the knowledge of God is communicated to our generation.                             "For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth" (2 Corin.13:8)     Blessings,  Pastor James T. Cater  Miramar Church  6390 SW 32nd Street  Miramar, FL 33023  (954) 981-4677  pastorjim@miramarchurch.org 

Dear Gentlemen,   I would love to let you know that we are planning another men's breakfast that will include the representation of several churches. Once again, plan ahead. Either the second or third Saturday of August tentatively we will be shooting for as a date to come together and fellowship and learn. I've asked pastor Darin from Westgate Baptist church to do us the honor and follow up on the teaching from last time together. He will follow up on some of the questions that arose from our discussion time. The topic had to do with sanctification (the process of becoming more and more holy).   I hope you can plan ahead and try and be there. Last time together we had lots of food and a great time getting to know many of the men from each respective church. In fact, we had a total of seven churches represented and 38 men attended. Let's do it again! "For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth" (2 Corin.13:8)   Blessings, Pastor James T. Cater Miramar Church 6390 SW 32nd Street Miramar, FL 33023 (954) 981-4677 pastorjim@miramar.org www.miramarchurch.org