A High Point congregation is mourning the death of its senior pastor, who took his own life over the weekend.
Pastor Robert McKeehan, the senior pastor of Community Bible Church, died Friday evening, and news of the 42-year-old pastor’s suicide sent waves of shock and grief through the body of the Johnson Street church.
“As you can imagine, there’s been a lot of grief and a lot of numbness,” said Richard Curtis, chairman of Community Bible’s elder board. “We’re sad, of course — we’re going to be poorer for the loss — but we’re also trying to help people understand that even though this is not the path we would’ve chosen, God is sovereign, and we’re still going to praise and worship our God.”
During an emotional service Sunday morning, church leaders tried to make biblical sense of how a pastor could take his own life.
“The reality is we can never understand exactly how and why that happened,” Curtis said. “Just like those they lead, pastors are human and subject to all the same trials, emotions and struggles.”
Rob Black, pastor of adult ministries, spoke during the service and pointed the congregation to Deuteronomy 29:29, which says, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and our children forever.”
“Why Robert took his own life is always going to be one of the secret things,” Curtis explained.
“What God has revealed to us, however, is the promise we hold onto in Romans 8:28 — ‘We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.’ God has proven that to our church in the past when we’ve had difficult times, so we know that certainty will again prove true as we move beyond the question of why.”
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SOURCE: HPE
Jimmy Tomlin
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This message was preached at the Community Bible Church in High Point, NC, by Pastor Robert McKeehan on Sunday, April 6th, 2014, five days before he committed suicide on Friday, April 11. The sermon notes are below:
Everything and Nothing (Romans 8:28-39)
I. God uses everything in our lives to further his eternal plan (8:28-30).
II. Nothing can separate us from the love of God (8:31-39).
Discussion Questions
1. If life is like a tapestry, what are some of the threads in your life that you have seen God use for your good?
2. Why do you think so many believers appreciate Romans 8:28-39? What are some ways that this passage has been misunderstood or misused?
3. What does the sovereignty of God refer to? Why is this an important doctrine for believers to know?
4. What does Matthew 6:25-34 teach us about the sovereignty of God and how to live in light of that truth?
5. How can you help your small group to trust in the sovereignty and security of God when life is tough?
Click here to view more of Pastor McKeehan’s messages.
BCNN1 WP 
My heart & prayers go out to the family. I didn’t know Pastor, but I know he knew The Lord. I just listened to his last sermon, my heart is filled with JOY. You could feel his urgency to his listeners not to JUDGE, because he was a child of the KING & NOTHING would be able to SEPARATE him from the LOVE of Christ.
My prayers go out to his family that’s left behind my god keep and comfort them.God knows all our hearts .so many pastors and God’s children are suffering in silence. We must testify more so others can come out and be set free. Let us not judge.