LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2016, Page 116

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present, this joint venture between the two church
bodies is moving toward launching a Ph.D. program
at the MYS by 2017. In light of this opportunity, I
would like to recognize the incredible contribution of
individuals whom God has used and moved to support
this ministry, especially the bridging ministry of the
Rev. Dr. Albert Collver and the generosity of Mr. Bruce
Gilbert, who funded more than 40 Masters of Theology
scholarships at the Mekane Yesus Seminary.
Despite the various challenges and confrontations
Christianity faces today in our present global context,
the EECMY is flourishing in all aspects of her growth.
For instance, as the statistical report of 2015 shows, in
one year alone, more than 4 million unchurched people
heard the Good News through the witness of the laity,
more than half a million converts were won and joined
the church, and more than 1,000 ministers graduated
from the seminaries of the church and began ministry.
We thank God for these spectacular results.
The EECMY has been blessed with human resources,
while the LCMS has been blessed with theological
resources and faithfulness to the Scriptures, which
is something the rest of the Lutheran world needs
and desires. Once again, ameseginalehu, or thank
you. Now, having shared all these expressions of our
partnership, I would like to turn your attention to the
topic of my presentation.
REJO I C E —T HE C H U R C H I S B U I LT O N T H E RO CK

Rejoicing in the Lord
I would like to begin with the words of Paul, the
prisoner of the Gospel, who stated, “Rejoice in the
Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” (Phil. 4:4).
As this verse implies, we as Christians are called to
rejoice in the Lord. This includes rejoicing in both His
suffering and in His glory. We rejoice when we suffer
for Him and with Him and also when we partake in
His glory. This shows that there are two types of joys
we are called to experience as God’s people. The first
is the experience of joy in suffering for Him through
cross-bearing. The second is the joy that comes as a
result of it. Peter was right when he said to those who
were experiencing suffering, “After you have suffered
a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you
to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore,
confirm, strengthen and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10).
Thus, this presentation incorporates both of these

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U P O N T H I S R O C K • Essay

joys the Church of Christ is called to experience, with
special emphasis on the faith journey of the EECMY.
Rejoicing in Suffering
In the Philippians text above, Paul brings up the special
joy God’s people are called to experience in the midst
of severe persecution, suffering, and cross-bearing.
This is a joy that flows from the experience of the
cross. It is a special joy the Church of Christ is called
to experience in tragic circumstances and hostile environments. This joy is not based on the fulfillment of
material blessings, prosperity, health, well-being, or
success in living. Rather, it is a special joy that comes
from cross-bearing after all these other sources of
physical joy are gone. It is a joy in the Lord and Him
alone. The mystery of this joy is the security of being in
the secret place of the Most High, the security of being
on the unshakable foundation on which the Church
of Christ has been built. This essay depicts the secret
of this special joy, reflecting on the enormous joy and
great blessings the EECMY experienced during the
severe persecution under the Communist government
of Ethiopia a few decades ago. Before dealing with
this testimony in depth, it is important to discuss the
theme of this convention: “On This Rock I Will Build
My Church,” to lay a foundation for this reflection.
This text was spoken in response to the confession of
Peter about Jesus. It depicts the real foundation on
which the Church of Christ has been built.
The term “on this rock” is so significant for our study.
It carries deep meaning. Examining what the phrase
incorporates is important for the interpretation of
the theme of this convention. What, then, does the
phrase “on this rock” signify? The dictionary meaning
of a rock is “a large mass of stone forming a hill.” In
the Old Testament, rock symbolizes security and defense. It also means a strong foundation that no one
moves or stands against (Matt. 7:24). It signifies the
foundation on which Jesus built His Church, which is
the confession of Peter.
1

2

The Book of Concord, in the Treatise on the Power
and Primacy of the Pope, interprets this passage:
However, as to the declaration: Upon this rock
I will build My Church, certainly the Church
has not been built upon the authority of man,
1

dictionary.com/browse/rock

2

The New Bible Dictionary, ed., J. D. Douglas (InterVarsity Press, 1976), p. 1098.

“Rejoice—The Church Is Built on the Rock”