By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
The resignation of G3 President Josh Buice amid scandal has shocked many, revealing his misuse of anonymous accounts to slander fellow Christians. The G3 Board emphasizes the need for integrity in leadership as they plan for the ministry’s future. What lessons can the layman learn when a leader falls?
Continue reading “G3 President Josh Buice resigns amid scandal”By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS:
I talk about Christian conferences, particularly in light of the recent issue of the G3 Conference. While I appreciate the value of some events, I express concern over commercialization and issues undermining spiritual integrity. The tension between organizing a large venue conference and pure ministry remains a critical issue.
Continue reading “Evaluating the Recent G3 Conference Issue: A Case Study”By Elizbeth Prata
On a Friday evening on September 22, 2023, thousands of conference-goers were settling into their seats at the G3 Conference, ready and eager to view the premiere of The Essential Church documentary. G3 stands for ‘Gospel-Grace-Glory’ and the conference was founded by Atlanta-area pastor Josh Buice of Pray’s Mill Baptist Church.
Suddenly a person came on stage to announce there had been a bomb threat, and everyone must evacuate the cavernous building, the Georgia International Convention Center (GICC). Similar warnings were being issued in the adjacent vendor area. It’s a massive venue and it took a few moments for people to process the information and then act by moving toward exit doors.
Then dozens and hundreds of Law Enforcement and other first responders continuously checked and cleared the massive building for the few hours. Meanwhile, many of the attendees who were lodging at the next door hotel, congregated in the lobby.
A threat caller wants to disrupt normal activities by creating anxiety and panic. Well, the threat did disrupt activities, but it did not create fear or panic. The attendees simply streamed out of the GICC, went their separate ways, and prayed. Those who were lodging in the next-door hotel gathered in the Library and…sang.
They sang Great is Thy Faithfulness and the sound reverberated in the marble lobby and into the hearts and memories of many who were there. It moved those who viewed the recording later, too. Great IS thy faithfulness, Lord!
Bomb Threat at the G3 2023 Conference Led Us Back to the Hotel Lobby Where We Worshiped God in Song
The conference continued the next morning with only 1 minor adjustment to the schedule and concluded later that day as scheduled without incident.
The perp was arrested that very evening in the parking lot of the Conference Center, according to reports, Timothy Mixon, a 33-year old, was arrested and removed from the scene.
“Bomb threats create significant operational and psychological impacts.” FMI source
So what happened AFTER? I’ve been tracking the court case. The case in Clayton County Magistrate Court was filed the next morning, with a ‘Warrantless Arrest Affidavit Against MIXON, TIMOTHY MATTHEW.’ The charge was “False Public Alarm.”
A judge was assigned and Mixon’s first appearance was 09/24/2023 via ZOOM. Mixon’s bond was set $5000.00 with special conditions, and an application for indigent counsel was filed.
The next month, on October 24, there was a preliminary hearing via ZOOM. The next day a waiver of hearing was filed, with a case disposal.
The disposition of the case as of October 25, 2023 was that the case was “Bound Over to St. CT., Waver – Cnt 1 Warrantless.”
I’m not a lawyer but I believe this translates to being bound over from Magistrate Court to State Court.
According to Michael M. Hawkins, a Criminal Defense Attorney in Atlanta, GA, speaking not about this case but answering a question as to what “bound over” means,
“Bound over simply means the case is being sent forward in the court system to be prosecuted. A bind over can be from a municipal court to a state court, or from a magistrate court to a state court where there is a probable cause hearing. It is a normal step a case takes in the criminal justice system. The next step will be arraignment, where [defendant] will be advised of the charges pending against her, and will be given the opportunity to enter a plea of guilty (where [defendant] will go to sentencing), or not guilty (where [defendant] will be scheduled for trial).“
The case does not appear yet on the State Court website, so no further information is available at this point. I will update when it is filed and the public can view it. Meanwhile, no motivation for Mixon’s act has been publicly presented as far as I can detect, but certainly the man needs prayer.
By Elizabeth Prata
I waited two years for this conference. That’s 730 days. It was over in a heartbeat, just 2 and a half days. That’s just 0.34% of the time of the last 2 years.
But it was everything! It was 100% edifying. 100% eternal. 100% joyous.
We started the day with an altered schedule. Last night just as the movie The Essential Church was to begin its showing, a bomb threat was called in. The building was evacuated. Many of the speakers were staying at the next door hotel, and as police pushed people further and further back, and when it became obvious they were not going to be able to return to the building, they gathered in that hotel lobby – and began singing praises to the Lord.
Religious conference proceeds Saturday after bomb threat
The morning’s first speaker by video would have been John MacArthur, but since the building had been closed all night, the GICC crew needed extra time to clean it, which hadn’t been possible the night before. The day would start an hour late. So the video sermon sent in by John MacArthur was canceled and the second slated speaker was now going to be first in order. It was Ken Ham and sermon titled God’s Sovereignty in Creation.
Ham spoke passionately about the attacks on God starting in Genesis 3. The man is 71, and I was thinking after, I pray the Lord gives me as much passion and articulation within my niche as He has given Ken Ham all these past 40 years of beating the drum for Genesis 1-11. Answers in Genesis, Ham’s organization, offers an INCREDIBLE mount of material for all ages on all types of platforms. Homeschool, Sunday school curricula, videos, books, kids’ books, you name it.
“God made the animals according to their kinds, but He made man in HIS image. Man is not an animal.” ~Ken Ham
After a short break we listened to Mike Riccardi speak on the Sovereignty of God in Particular Redemption, expositing the answer to the question “In whose place did Jesus stand in absorbing God’s wrath?” He is an articulate man whose theological precision is only equaled by his clarity. I’ll put a link to these men’s biographies and where you can listen to them in the future.
Steven Lawson was closing the conference but I couldn’t stay to listen- our hotel checkout time was noon.
Our checkout experience was smooth and soon we were on the road to home. After a group photo of course, of most of the ones from our church who came to hear these wondrous things.
G3 (Gospel, Grace, Glory) 2023 national conference speakers
Now all that is left is to pray that the Holy Spirit would apply these truths to me in His inimitable way.
These people are precious to me: some of the young people from our church who traveled to the conference. Is there anything sweeter than seeing young people dig into their Bible with all eager attention?
Points I’m pondering:
–I loved the seminary-level teaching at G3 from seasoned and credible men of the faith.
–Many of the doctrines they taught that were related to Election were the SAME we have recently been taught in my own church. So: the blessing is there is seminary-level teaching at my home church as well! I love my pastors.
–I loved seeing the excitement of the younger people we traveled with and the new friends I met there. God ALWAYS leaves a remnant and a next generation for His name.
–I loved meeting my social media friends. It was a great reunion!
–I’m getting old. Leaving home was a struggle. Absorbing all the firehose of teaching for 8-9 hours was also a struggle. I ain’t a spring chicken. Where does the time go???
— The best part was when the bomb threat occurred, the men lingering in the hotel lobby and deciding to praise the Lord in song. They do not just preach God’s sovereignty, when tested, they showed that they LIVE it.
If you ever have an opportunity to attend this conference, please deeply consider it. Conferences aren’t real life. But getting away once in a blue moon to refresh and reset by and with the word of God given by top theologians and singing with 8000 other people is a foretaste of heaven. It propels a person forward even as we step back into the mundane day by day tasks.
Blessings to you and thank you for reading!
By Elizabeth Prata
We slept well and had a hot breakfast offered by the SpringHill Suites at Marriott. The breakfast was free and it was unusually lavish. Usually “free breakfast means they throw a cellophane wrapped muffin at you and say see ya bye”. Not the SpringHill Suites. They had hot eggs, sausage, granola, cheerios, biscuits, muffins, bagels, iced water, juices, and more stuff I can’t even remember. It was nice to relax in the breakfast area over a hot meal and speak with the fellow conference-goers around me.
Our venue is across a small road with a path to it. The bookstore is almost straight ahead, so that’s where we headed.
That feeling when you’re almost the first people in the bookstore at opening and you have it all to yourself.
So I bought 2 more books. But that’s it. No more. Done. Fini. The end. Fade out. Really. I mean it.
Our first session on Day 2 was Canadian pastor James Coates. James was jailed in a maximum security prison in Edmonton during the covid era so called pandemic. He brought a message about the Sovereignty of God in Election from Romans 9. His message was clear, indicating he is clear thinker, and his demeanor was humble and reverent. I enjoyed his sermon.
The auditorium is huge. There are more than 8,200 attendees, and from front to back feels like a mile. But the acoustics are good and there are jumbo-trons stationed all over, so there is no really bad view.
“God cannot pursue less than His own glory.” ~James Coates
We went straight to the next session, James White of Alpha & Omega Ministries with a message I was really interested in: God’s Sovereignty over Time.” Dr. White focused on Isaian 41 and God (speaking through Isaiah) calling the idols to account in His legal courts. God’s sovereignty is then demonstrated by His precision in prophecy. I want to go back and re-listen to this one.
All the sessions and breakouts were livestreamed, captured on video. When they are finalized with editing I will happily re-watch. I know I will pick up more concepts the second time and the Spirit will further renew my mind and enlarge my heart for Jesus.
“God desires to reveal Himself and be known by His people so they can know what He is doing and they can love Him properly.” ~James White
I attended a luncheon with some G3 people which was very ice to be away from the hubbub, and then meandered through the Exhibit Hall where all the vendors were. I LOVED meeting everyone! Martha Peace, Susan Heck, Doreen Virtue, Steadfast Women, Allen Nelson and his wife and daughter, ReggieP2 at GBTS booth, Phil Johnson, Justin Peters, Gigi’s Sewing Room…tweeps from Twitter and Facebook.
My friend and I also ran into our other friends from church who are separately attending. I love seeing the joy in their young faces as they breathlessly recount insights gained and how much they love Jesus as they come to know Him more. Really Spirit shining faces. It does an older woman like me so good when I see the Lord raises up the next generation for His name.
On to the session with Justin Peters. I love this man and I think highly of him. His talk was on “False Teachers and the Sovereignty of God.” He demonstrated how false teachers oppose God in a myriad of ways; by attacking His sovereignty in our sickness & suffering, solitariness, omniscience, in Creation, and in general.
He showed clips of the ways these false teachers oppose God and their comments were breathtakingly, jaw-droppingly blasphemous statements from their own mouths. Several of these false teachers were teaching that God needs us and needs our permission to do anything.
“God does not have a man-shaped home in his heart.” ~Justin Peters
“False Teachers hate God. They only love the god they have created as an idol.” ~Justin Peters.
The final session we attended, though there were two more afterwards, was the highly popular Q&A with all speakers. Lined up on the stage, absent Paul Washer, were L-R, Scott Aniol (cut off), James White, Owen Strachan, Voddie Baucham, Josh Buice, James Coates, Mike Riccardi, Steve Lawson, Phil Johnson, and Moderator Virgil Walker.
A favorite question is always about what books they are reading or what books have impacted them. Virgil asked the men what book on the soveeignty of God has impacted them most. A frequent answer from all the men was Jonathan Edwards’ The End for Which God Created the World. Also popular was AW Pink’s book The Sovereignty of God.
Paul Washer came walking in at that point. Steve Lawson asked “Why are you late? Paul washer answered “There is one answer to that: I am a missionary”. When the audience finished clapping, Washer continued, I was sharing the Gospel with a beautiful young lady. There is nothing more important than that.”
Amen, Mr. Washer. Amen.
Though there were two more speakers to come, Washer and Voddie Baucham, my friend and I headed back to the hotel to decomopress and discuss our day.
The Movie The Essential Church was going to be shown at 7:30pm, but just as the moderator was about to come on stage, a bomb threat was called in. Thousands were evacuated from the Georgia International Conference Center, and rather than despair, many of them went next door to the nearby hotel lobby and they began singing the hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness.
Amen.
I’ll recount the final day later when I get home tomorrow afternoon.
By Elizabeth Prata
My friend and I went early to the conference this morning. We are in a hotel across the street, it only takes 5 minutes to walk over there.
Once inside the cavernous building, it takes a minute to actually get to where we’re going. We passed the Answers in Genesis booth along the way.
The Answers in Genesis folks at #G32023 are having a wonderful time, their joy is evident! That ministry sure has been a blessing to me.
The bookstore was fairly empty as we arrived at about 8 am. The first speaker wasn’t scheduled until 9, so we felt in no hurry while browsing around. Books are 40% off!
We are a religion full of readers. This is the checkout line at #G32023 bookstore. I promised myself I would not buy any books! I lasted 2 minutes. I bought 2 books! The guy said “You should have bought John Owen’s Temptation: Resisted and Repulsed first!” I fell over laughing!
Below, Virgil Walker, Executive Director of Operations for the G3 Conference, and one half of the duo of Just Thinking podcast, welcoming the 8200 attendees and opening the conference.
The song worship is glorious. The leader is Matt Sikes, who is Discipleship and Worship Pastor at Pray’s Mill Church. The songs selected are strong hymns and the musical accompaniment includes an orchestra composed of cello, or oboe, piano, and violin. It’s wonderful.
Immediately after the singing was Owen Strachan, preaching on The Sovereignty of God and Perseverance of the Saints. I really enjoyed this one.
Time for lunch. Despite G3 having provided food trucks and food vendors, the lines were incredible. My friend and I anticipated this, and had brought our own food. We sat in the large hallway people-watching and munching on our snack-y lunch.
Next up in the demanding and packed schedule were breakout sessions. The rooms hosting the various sessions to choose from are small, and only accommodate about 200 people. I fervently wanted to attend Carl Hargrove’s talk on “How Does God Govern the World by His Providence?” So I got there early. Not early enough. Not only was every seat taken, people were sitting on the floor, standing in the doorways, and spilling into the hall. I stood hesitantly at the doorway desperately looking for a seat, but none were to be had. None, that is, until a kind younger gentleman offered his. I demurred at first, but he insisted, and he sat on the floor in front of his wife.
We went right into another breakout session. This one was highly anticipated, not just by me, but most of the conference, it seemed! It was Erin Coates’ “Godly Women remain Faithful in Suffering”. Every bit of floor space was taken by a sitting disciple, all seats taken, tons of people at the doors and in the hall trying to listen. And if they did hear, they received a blessing, because Erin’s talk was stupendous.
Once again, we swept into the hall when Erin concluded and set off at a fast pace to the main auditorium for Phil Johnson’s sermon, “Love that will not let me go.” I love Phil’s preaching. I really, really do. He is my favorite preacher, along with John MacArthur (who will be speaking Saturday morning by video). Phil spoke on 1 John 4:19; We love because He first loved us.
The Hall was filled. I had a very hard time finding 2 seats together. What a blessing to be among like-minded people who are all there to hear about the excellencies of God!
By now it was a bit after 5:00 and we were tired and hungry, having missed breakfast. The free breakfast offered at the hotel was eaten by hungry Christians and was wiped out completely by the time we got there. The hotel later apologized and said they will be better prepared Friday morning. And our lunch was cheese stick, almonds, and carrots.
There was one more speaking session to be had, by Steve Lawson, and the premiere of the move Cessationist. I really wanted to see the movie. But we were both tired, hungry, and bleary from the day. I’d gotten up at 4:15 am, and she had gotten up at 5:00. Long day. We packed it in, headed for the hotel, ate our supper and decompressed.
Tomorrow is another G3 day!
By Elizabeth Prata
My friend and I are at the G3 Conference in Atlanta today, tomorrow, and Saturday. This is a once-every-two-years conference put on by Josh Buice and Prays Mill Church outside of Atlanta. The conference features some of the world’s best expositors, preaching sermons in a set theme. The Theme this year is “The Sovereignty of God.”
I am especially looking forward to Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis speaking on “The Sovereignty of God Over Time”, Justin Peters’ talk on False Teachers and the Sovereignty of God, and a breakout session for the ladies with Erin Coates on “Godly Women Remain Faithful in Suffering.” I am also looking forward to meeting people IRL that I know from online, singing with 8000 other people, and taking some photos of the area! I’ll keep you posted as we go along, here, Instagram, on Twitter, and on The End Time Blog Facebook page.
By Elizabeth Prata
When I plan to attend the National G3 Conference put on by Josh Buice and his church, Pray’s Mill Baptist, I eagerly look forward to the moment when lineup of speakers and their topics for preaching are published for the public. I usually know of most of the men slated to speak, I mean, how can you NOT know of Voddie Baucham, Paul Washer, John MacArthur and so on?
But there was one name this year with which I was not familiar – David Miller.
David Miller?
I was anticipating his sermon, it was on The Excellency of Christ. What a great theme for a sermon.
David Miller is an Arkansas pastor, now evangelist with Line Upon Line Ministries. I’d offer a website url or a Facebook page but there is little public or current about this ministry other than churches and organizations announcing that Brother Miller is set to speak at their event. Line Upon Line was founded in 1985 and since 1995 Miller has been evangelizing, speaking at various places in and around his home of Heber Springs Arkansas.
Here is Miller’s bio, from Tumbling Shoals Baptist Church, Line Upon Line’s partner in their joint endeavor, the Expository Preaching Conference (EPC). More about that in a moment. Here is a partial bio of Miller-
“David Miller has been preaching for over 50 years. He has been in full-time evangelism since 1995 with Line Upon Line Ministries. He prefers the title “Country Preacher at Large.” He resides in Heber Springs, Arkansas, with Glenda, his wife of 50 years.”
Miller has suffered from a degenerative muscular disease called peroneal muscular atrophy. Miller is in a wheelchair and cannot hold a Bible. His work-around? Miller has memorized the Bible. He also memorizes his sermons.
The Baptist Press published a good story on Miller and the Expository Preaching Conference, here. The opening of this story is a huge encouragement-
In a quiet little town two miles north of Heber Springs, Ark., a church with a congregation of no more than 75 on an average Sunday morning has been providing training for pastors for the past 19 years. Through the Expository Preaching Conference (EPC), Tumbling Shoals Baptist Church has helped train more than 1,500 pastors in biblical preaching and ministry.
I’m always gladdened by the news that in various corners of the world, Jesus is raising up churches. He is raising up men. He is sustaining his elders who persevere in gracious joy. I mean, you know in your heart, He is. But what a joy to see the layers peeled back a bit and learn of new pockets of His remnant!
Not every preacher has opportunity to attend seminary. Yet many men are called to preach. The article on Miller further states,
"Many of the pastors who attend the EPC are not, and probably will not be, seminary-trained," said Brad Johnson, pastor of Tumbling Shoals Baptist, about the event held this past spring. He said the conference is "often the closest they will come to being formally educated in biblical preaching and ministry." The conference began in 1997 as the brainchild of Miller, who has preached expository sermons for 51 years. After serving as director of missions for Little Red River Association for 25 years, often counseling preachers on how to preach from the Bible, Miller retired in 1995 and began looking for another mission position to fill."
Miller calls himself “Country Preacher at Large”. He has the country accent, much gravitas, an understated delivery of the truths anchored in the word of God, and an arched wit. His precise understanding of the scriptures combined with his delivery make for a powerful listening experience.
At G3, Miller delivered the sermon, “The Excellency of Christ“. I was eager to hear this new voice, one of which I had not been aware. I trust the G3 ministry to properly vet who they will choose to platform, so my discernment radar was on low volume.
And what a voice it was. During sermons or at conferences, especially one like G3, my spirit will connect in a major way with the Sprit in me. The Holy Spirit will use the words preached to convict my heart, awaken my conscience, expand my mind in knowledge and aroma of Christ, lead me in sanctification, all that and more that the Bible promises He will do when we revel in the Word. Mike Riccardi’s sermon on the Cleansing of the Leper plunged my mind into the depths of despair over my sin before raising me to see the glory of Christ as compassionate Savior of our sinful state.
Miller, though…David Miller! I heard, I rejoiced. For the rest of the day I never came down from the mountaintop of glorious words. Miller’s sermon knit a view of Christ in my mind that brought me over beams of light traveling back to before the universe began to glimpse the holy and loving intra-Trinitarian delight the Three Persons of the One God has in each other. I lay at Christ’s feet in the starry ether, alone, reveling in His excellency. I closed my minds’ eye to the bright glory evoked by the words he delivered. David Miller is an amazing preacher.
David Miller’s sermons are on SermonAudio. I am interested to listen to his Overview of the book of Ruth, for a start. There are videos of his sermons on Youtube as well, including his address at the 2018 G3 Conference.
Apart from your own pastor, if you are looking for a preacher to add to your list, David Miller is a good one to add. Isn’t it wonderful to see that the Lord is working among the Lampstands of heaven to persevere men all around the globe? That He is sustaining men, churches, ministries for the good and glory of His name? And Jesus will do so all the days until the consummation of His prophetic plan, when we will be united as one Bride, adoring our Groom, ‘up there’. Revelation 1:12-16 shows us our Lord, at work, curating his church, leading as Head of the Church. For he is El Roi, our God who sees.
Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And after turning I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and wrapped around the chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze when it has been heated to a glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.
By Elizabeth Prata
Plagiarism is a plague in the church. Many pastors are not working out their sermons with fear and trembling under illumination of the Holy Spirit. They are reading other men’s sermons, reformatting, swapping out some words with synonyms and re-delivering the other man’s words to their churches as if they were their own. Or they take another guy’s sermon outlines and his structure and his flow, rename the sermon points, and pretend they crafted it together with their own brain and sweat and labor.
In no case did the preacher dig out truths the Spirit wanted him to pass to the local body. He didn’t spend time sweating and laboring and unearthing scriptural gems with the precise emphasis the Spirit wanted for this specific congregation to hear. The plagiarizing pastor just took the easy way out.
THIS IS BAD.
Continue reading “Paul Washer with an admonishment to pastors”By Elizabeth Prata
*Podcast player at bottom. Some photos of the event and the city of Atlanta, here
I arrived home from three days in Atlanta for the G3 Conference. The three G’s stand for Gospel-Grace-Glory. The emphasis is on Reformed expositional preaching from some of the most credible men in the faith, doctrinally solid worship music, and fellowship. The aim and goal of the conference founder and organizer, Josh Buice, and his congregation at Pray’s Mill Baptist Church in Douglasville GA is to bring back the teaching and reignition to our local churches, which are the most important. ‘Conferences are nice, they are good, but the local church is paramount,’ Buice said.
It’s very hard to describe the event in emotional terms. I can offer you the schedule, which is aggressive. They keep us moving. It’s morning till night, and they start on time. I can list the speakers, ones like John MacArthur, Paul Washer, Voddie Baucham, Conrad Mbewe, Steve Lawson, James White, and many, many others of that caliber. I can tell you of the luxurious hotel attached the venue we stayed in with city views and valet parking; and of the venue itself, also very nice especially if you’re going to spend 9-10 hours a day in it. It was a joy to meet so many Twitter and Facebook friends. I enjoyed our conversations, whether they were long and deep, or were short hello’s and quick hugs as we passed each other among the exhibitor booths.
But how do I articulate the convictions of conscience from the preaching of the scriptures, the tears for the lost we mourned, the concern for missionaries we heard in reports, the skill of the preachers bringing us to the throne and back, to the depths of the pigpen of our sin and back, the glories of the Triune God exalted? How do I encapsulate the awe we felt for God in lifting up these men preach for decades, one of whom recently went to jail for the privilege of bringing the Gospel to his congregation? How do I tell of the joy of 6500 voices strong, singing praises to God, united of heart and purpose, which was to see God glorified?
I can’t.
It’s just in my heart. Whatever reactions I have are being knit to other tendrils of the faith that the Spirit in me will eventually grow into a redeemed, future glorified tapestry of good works done in His name. He will cultivate knowledge that is the fragrance of Him and flow from me to the aroma of life to life. I don’t know what the Spirit is doing in my heart with this gush of Gospel preaching nor with the sterling truths swirling in my brain. I just know that after 16 sermons, three days of fellowship, music, and intimacy with Christ, of gazing upon Him with intent love, my heart is full.
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