What Does the RPCNA Say About Fasting?

The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. -Jesus in Mark 2.

Fasting is an ordinance of God that is much neglected in the Church of Jesus Christ today. The Scriptures say a lot about the ordinance of fasting, but what is it? I think that the Reformed Presbyterian Church has helpful information within the Standards of the Church. Hear from the Larger Catechism, Reformed Presbyterian Testimony, as well as the Directory for Public Worship for meditation material on fasting. The Pacific Coast Presbytery of the RPCNA will be fasting on June 4, 2011. Please see this guide for praying for the Pacific Coast Presbytery.

Larger Catechism

Question 108: What are the duties required in the second commandment?

Answer: The duties required in the second commandment are, the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God has instituted in his Word; particularly prayer and thanksgiving in the name of Christ; the reading, preaching, and hearing of the Word; the administration and receiving of the sacraments; church government and discipline; the ministry and maintenance thereof; religious fasting; swearing by the name of God, and vowing unto him: as also the disapproving, detesting, opposing, all false worship; and, according to each one's place and calling, removing it, and all monuments of idolatry.

Reformed Presbyterian Testimony 21.7

Religious fasting is an ordinance of God in which the believer voluntarily abstains from food for a season for the purpose of seeking the will of God, strength for service or deeper spirituality. It should be accompanied by meditation, self-examination, humiliation before God, confession of sin, repentance and renewed dedication to a life of obedience.

Directory for Public Worship 4.2

In Christian fasting, as an ordinance of God, the believer voluntarily abstains from food or some ordinary pleasure for a season for the purpose of seeking the will of God, strength for service, or deeper spirituality. It should be accompanied by meditation, self-examination, humiliation before God, confession of sin, repentance and renewed dedication to a life of obedience.

A fast day may be marked by a service of public worship. In such services, it is fitting that psalms of penitence be sung, along with the offering of prayers of confession of sin and petitions for pardon.

If the civil authority calls for a time of prayer and fasting that is in harmony with the Scriptures, Sessions may encourage the people of God to pay due respect to that call. Besides such general occasions, there may be times when families and individuals, for their own reasons, give themselves to prayer and fasting for a season.

Special days of fasting, humiliation and prayer are particularly appropriate when God’s judgments are evident in the land, or when corporate sin in church or nation provokes the Lord and invites His judgments. It is appropriate that such days be observed in connection with services preparatory to the Lord’s Supper or on days designated by Sessions, Presbyteries, and Synods for this purpose.

Love for God and Worship

Today I was reading in Thomas Watson, and came across this great thought on our love for God in connection with biblical worship:

When Christians make little reckoning of God's worship, duties of religion are done in a dead, formal manner; if they are left undone, yet they are ill done. This is a sad symptom of a spiritual consumption; remissness in duty shows a decay in our first love. The strings of a violin being slack, the violin can never make good music; when men grow slack in duty, they pray as if they prayed not; this can never make any harmonious sound in God's ears. When the spiritual motion is slow and heavy, and the pulse of the soul beats low, it is a sign that Christians have lost their first love.

May We Pray to 'The Father' Only? Or Can We Pray to Christ and the Spirit?

A number of years ago I was talking with a saint who was well into his 80s. He was Netherlands Reformed by birth, but had wandered into the Presbyterian camp in his later years. During a conversation on prayer, I remember him saying that he has never prayed to Christ or to the Holy Spirit because the the model of our prayers (the Lord's Prayer) does not allow it.

Thomas Watson answered this pious objection, 308 years before this conversation took place between Mr. W and myself. Watson says,

Though the Father be named in the Lord's Prayer, yet the other two Persons are not excluded. The Father is mentioned because he is the first in order; but the Son and the Holy Ghost are included because they are the same in essence. As all three Persons subsist in one Godhead, so, in our prayers, though we name but one person, we must pray to all. To come more closely to the first words of the preface, 'Our Father.' Princes on earth give themselves titles expressing their greatness, and 'High and Mighty'. God might have done so, and expressed himself as thus, 'Our King of Glory, our Judge'. But he gives us another title, 'Our Father', an expression of love and condescension. That he might encourage us to pray to Him, he represents himself under the sweet notion of a Father. Sweet is the name of the Father. The name Jehovah carries majesty in it: the name of the Father carries mercy. (Lord's Prayer, 3)

So, we see, that we can pray to the Father, the Son, or the Spirit, and when we do so, we are praying to each because they share the same essence. The name 'Father' was not given to exclude prayer to the Son or the Spirit- but instead, was given as an encouragement that we can approach God, through Christ, as a Father, and not merely as a judge.

Prayer For Lost Things

I have asked many of my online acquaintances to pray for me regarding lost keys. It felt a little silly to ask, but we know that nothing is too great nor to small for our Lord- we do not despise the day of small things.

After a couple of weeks of searching and numerous phone calls to a foreign land via a very kind part's manager- I found my original keys. Praise God!

See, who needs Saint Anthony, when we have such a great mediator in Jesus Christ.

Some Prayer Requests

There are a number of prayer requests concerning the Reformed Presbyterian Church that you can pray about:

• We have Synod approaching in two weeks. Please pray that the Lord would be glorified by the decisions of the Church Courts.
  
• The Great Lakes/Gulf Presbytery has a few men who will be examined at Synod. I will have a theological exam as well as a preaching exam.
  
• There are 13 pulpits open or coming open. Please pray that the Lord would raise up the men that He would have to fill these.
  
• The mission to Nantes, France is coming up soon. Ask the Lord to prepare the hearts of those who will be attending (First Church's own, Loretta Lanning, is among the laborers).
  
• Westminster RP in Chicago, IL had a congregational fast on June 7th. Please pray that God would give them clarity and insight into the issue(s) for which they fasted.
  
• Please pray for those men who are looking for a pastoral position. I think of A.K. and B.E. especially.
  
• Ask that the Lord would prosper the church planting activity in the nation. I think especially of the Berkshire RP mission in Massachusetts as well as North Atlanta RP in Alpharetta, Georgia. Both of these communities have great need for the Reformed religion and are ripe for the Lord's harvest.
  

Thanks for your prayers for denomination. If your denomination has special needs at this time, please post them in the comments section and we will pray that God's will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.

A Prayer For Understanding and Strength

Psalm 119:33-40
Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.
Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law;
yea,
shall observe it with my whole heart.
Make me to go in the path of thy commandments;
for therein do I delight.
Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.
Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity;
and quicken thou me in thy way.
Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.
Turn away my reproach which I fear: f
or thy judgments are good.
Behold,
I have longed after thy precepts:
quicken me in thy righteousness.

First Love

I went through a number of boxes in a closet today. I found a number of old pictures and my old brown leather Bible cover that I was given when I first became a Christian. Looking back in reflection through those old pictures I wonder about the zeal that I had back then. I was not afraid to talk to anyone about the love of Christ, the free offer of grace, and the realities of life without God.

We ebb and flow in our Christian experience, but with the Lord's help we should not lose our zeal for Christ or what the book of Revelation calls 'our first love'. We should all examine ourselves and see where our allegiance lies. At times, for me, the fear of man, holds me back. Other times I feel spiritually empowered to speak of the great things of God. We should strive for perseverance, for growth in grace and knowledge, and above all, a greater dependence on the Lord Jesus Christ. As the song we used to sing in the praise circles went- more of you Lord, less of me.

For the sake of Christ and the next generation of believers, do not lose your first love. I have some praying to do.

“The lush green color of springtime in the congregation [at Ephesus] has disappeared, and the fading shades… of Autumn are now prevalent. To put it differently, the church that Jesus addressed no longer consisted of first generation believers but of second and third generation Christians. These people lacked the enthusiasm their parents and grandparents had demonstrated. They functioned not as propagators of the faith but as caretakers and custodians. There was an obvious deficiency in evangelistic outreach as a result of a status quo mode of thought. They loved the Lord, but no longer with heart, mind, and soul.” –Simon Kistemaker

Let the Nations be Glad

Last night at prayer meeting we sang through the Psalms that discuss the nations. It is amazing how many promises there are that will be fulfilled through the reign of King Jesus. I advertised a book there that I used in my undergraduate program. It is called Operation World and gives specs on each country in the world as well as information about how the Lord Jesus Christ has worked in the people as well as prayer requests. This book is quite helpful in our ongoing quest to become world Christians.

* One point about the book that I should mention is that it is not from a Reformed worldview. It is quite broad in its evangelicalism, either way, it is a very helpful tool that I would recommend to anyone who wants to expand their prayer life.

Prayer and Praise: the Church in the Psalter

Part of my internship is leading the "prayer and praise" during summer Wednesday evenings. We gather at the home of one of our members and sing and pray. We use the United Presbyterian Psalter of 1912 in our congregation so the following numbers correspond with this book of praise. Last week we went through 'the Church' in the Psalter and looked at some of the ways that she is described as well as some of her duties. This discussion and Psalm sing led to some very good prayer for the church and her faithfulness. We will be looking at some other themes as the summer continues. If you would like to join us feel free to email me and I will give you further directions. I hope that the following copy of the handout can be helpful to your own family worship or private worship.

THE USE OF CHURCH IN THE PSALTER

50: Diverse, faithful, everlasting.

63: Redeemed from adversity.

69: Secure, peaceful, and happy.

125: Regal, loved, and wedded.

205: Christ’s inheritance, saved by grace.

224: Fought against by God’s enemies.

260: Rejoices over God’s work on earth.

368: Shouts with joy and is Christ’s glory.

373/374: Indwelt by God & sings His praise.

375: Praises and blesses God’s name.

403: Built, cared for, and blessed of God.

It is Much Needed

West Michigan has been a dry place this summer. This is not good for those who work in agriculture. It is also not good for my rose gardens. Please pray for West Michigan to be given an abundance of rain. Ask that it falls on the just and the unjust alike. Pray that the unjust may see God's blessings and turn unto Christ Jesus.

O GOD our heavenly Father, who by thy gracious providence dost cause the former and the latter rain to descend upon the earth, that it may bring forth fruit for the use of man; We give thee humble thanks that it hath pleased thee, in our great necessity, to send us at the last a joyful rain upon thine inheritance, and to refresh it when it was dry, to the great comfort of us thy unworthy servants, and to the glory of thy holy Name; through thy mercies in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-Book of Common Prayer, 1662

Sabbath a'Brakel: Diligence in Prayer

Godly reader, why do you complain about your spiritual deficiency and your bodily tribulations if you are so negligent in prayer, so lax to engage in prayer, so listless while praying, and so quickly finished? Pray if you are desirous for something. Such excuses as made by many who are lazy in the practice of prayer--and which cause grief to some tender godly persons --will not avail here. If you were diligent in prayer, you would avoid these excuses or very readily have an answer for them, so that you would not be hindered by them (III: 470-471).

Closed This Week

Well folks, it seems as though they found the still in the cellar. Just kidding! I will be back next week.

• Please pray for me as I preach at Rose Point Reformed Presbyterian Church this coming Lord's Day


• Pray that the semester gets off to a good start, I have 19 credits, plus my job.


• Pray that my Dutch Reformed Ecclesiology professor sees the superiority of the Westminster over the Three Forms of Unity.
  

Sabbath a'Brakel

Prayer is a glorious work, for it permits us to enter the inner chambers of the King of kings--of God, the Lord of heaven and earth (III: 469).

Luther on True Prayer

“All who call on God in true faith, earnestly from the heart, will certainly be heard, and will receive what they have asked and desired, although not in the hour or in the measure, or the very thing which they ask. Yet they will obtain something greater and more glorious than they had dared to ask.”
- Dr. Martin Luther


And what is it, dear Dr. Luther, for which we ask? We ask for none other than the reform of the Church. We desire to see the Bride of Christ, the glorious Church live as a pure bride, devoted to her husband and glorious head.

Brothers and sisters, pray for the Church. Pray that the broken walls of Zion would be rebuilt.

Christopher Love on Prayer

Prayer is one of the greatest weapons that the Christian Church has. She can fight against Satan, against the world, and against her members flesh with storming the throne room of Grace. Christ has attached great promises to prayer and it is one of God's primary means to work out His will in human history. Prayer is often neglected, and as James has said, we have not because we ask not.

There are many who pray sometimes and leave off praying again. Now this very much dulls men's affections in prayer. There is a Proverb: Use makes perfectness. I am sure it is so in the duty of prayer. Let a Christian pray often and he will come to pray well, and to pray with much enlargedness of heart. Let him leave off prayer and will find his heart exceeding straitened.

Take a key. If you use it frequently it will be bright, but if you lay it aside it will soon grow rusty. This it will be with a man's heart. Use prayer much, keep it close to the performance of a duty, for that is the way to have your heart bright. Let this key of prayer, which often opens heaven be used; it will be kept bright and your prayer will enter heaven. But let this key of prayer be laid aside and be seldom used and it will quickly grow rusty again. Your prayers and performances will not be able to enter heaven, and you will not be able to perform duty in this manner which God expects. If you do not watch your prayer with all carefulness, you will lose your zeal and fervent affection, and your desire after God in duty.
-The Zealous Christian, c.1653

Approaching God in Character

Our day and age has brought about what we deem as the "worship wars". The worship wars are Christians battling out their perception of worship. Generally the debates revolve around preference and who prefers hymns versus "contemporary" songs. These churches also desire to battle over things such as organs versus guitars and drums.

The problem with this whole argument is that no one has taken the time to stop and to ask what God desires in all of this. The American church has not stopped to ask about God's character or how he has revealed himself in his Word. The debate usually never leaves the horizontal aspect of ascetics, preference, or "the way that I see it is...".

God has revealed himself in his Word and we need to reflect that character. He has also revealed principles of worship and we must bow to his sovereign will... God is in His holy temple- let the whole earth be silent.

God is a Spirit infinitely happy, therefore we must approach him with cheerfulness; he is a Spirit of infinite majesty, therefore we must come before Him with reverence; he is a Spirit infinitely high, therefore we must offer up our sacrifices with deep humility; he is a Spirit infinitely holy, therefore we must address him with purity; he is a Spirit infinitely glorious, we therefore must acknowledge his Excellency... He is a Spirit infinitely provoked by us, therefore we must offer up our worship in the name of a pacifying mediator and intercessor.
-Stephen Charnock