As I have reflected on the past few months of fulfilling the Lord’s assignment of being senior pastor at Abundant Life Covenant Church, I have developed a great sense of thanksgiving for my training and discipleship with our late senior pastor, Bishop A. Wilson Phillips.

When I first came to Abundant Life Covenant Church in 1988, it didn’t take me long to figure out that Bishop Phillips was much farther down the road in his journey in Christ than I was in mine. I set an appointment with him and asked if he would be willing to disciple me.

Bishop Phillip’s response was different from any other I had heard before. He said, “The Lord showed me years ago that the primary focus of my life was to disciple men, and that if I made the commitment to do that over running programs and other things, He would bring men to me.” Thus, we began our discipleship ministry.

In our discipleship relationship, I experienced the Scripture from the writings of the apostle Paul:

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (2 Tim 2:1-3).

In 1991, I began working with the youth of our church and came on staff part-time as a pastor. In 1994, I left my work as a social worker for the state and served full-time at the church. Even before I was on staff, Bishop Phillips would often spend hours with me just talking and sharing his life. After I came on staff full-time, we would often have two-hour lunches, sometimes longer, just talking (actually he did most of the talking, and I did most of the listening).

There were times in my ministry where honestly I thought, “If I didn’t spend so much time talking (or rather listening), I could be more productive in things that need to be done.” The Lord taught me to die to those thoughts and just receive what was being offered to me.

In hindsight, I see it all so clearly now. Bishop Phillips was acting like the apostle Paul and set a goal to invest his very life in me.

For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain… But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts… But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us (1 Thes. 2:1-8).

As I have taken on the role of senior pastor, I have been hearing both the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking clear to me and the words of my mentor coming back to me. Morning by morning, the Lord wakes me up to hear His voice and give direction, and with that direction has come all the words of wisdom that I heard in my conversations with Bishop Phillips through the years.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you (John 14:26-27).

Now, I continually offer thanks to God for these past years of privilege that I have experienced under the ministry of Bishop Phillips, and as he used to say, the best is yet to come.