By Deborah A. Dessaso
WASHINGTON, D.C.--The Washington, D.C., church was host to Pastor General Joseph Tkach Feb. 22.
More than 500 brethren from Washington and the surrounding areas of Burke, Virginia, and Frederick and Baltimore, Maryland, met to hear Mr. Tkach speak on "Perception With Commitment," and address the brethren's concerns in a question-and-answer session.
Mr. Tkach began his sermon with a six-minute video reenactment of a real-life situation in which a man died after being locked in a refrigerated train car. His misperception caused him to presume the freezer was working even though it wasn't.
The pastor general said that misperception is dangerous because it causes us to misinterpret communications we may receive. Spiritual misperception occurs when we try to see the new covenant through old covenant glasses.
The pastor general encouraged the brethren to have faith and exercise the kind of spiritual contentment that is favorable in God's sight (1 Timothy 6:6). We must learn this type of contentment, he said, just as the apostle Paul did (Philippians 4:11-13). Godly contentment comes when we stop trying to control everything and turn things over to Christ.
Mr. Tkach reminded the brethren that the Christian world has its eyes on us. We need to appreciate the unique experience God has given us, a uniqueness that others see even if we do not.
The pastor general concluded by urging the brethren to appreciate the added value that God has given to the life of the church. Christ's blood puts a stamp on us and gives us added spiritual value in the eyes of the rest of the Body of Christ.
March 18, 1997, WN, page 3
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