Jesus Builds His Church: PRTS Update, May, 2009

As Reformed Christians, we hold the testimony of a sovereign Redeemer who controls and governs all things by the power of His hand. At the same time, we are often people who are discouraged at the state of our churches and the lack of growth that we see in the Reformed community. We wonder, “What are we doing wrong? What would God have us do in order to see biblical church growth?”

In times of discouragement, as well as in times of great encouragement, it is always important to remember that the church is being built, and that Jesus Christ has promised to build her. In the verse preceding this, Jesus tells Peter that he is blessed for confessing Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God. This confession would serve as a basis and foundation for the church being built throughout history. Year after year, throughout all of church history, men and women, boys and girls, have confessed this same confession for the saving of their souls and the building of Christ’s church.

The church is also built through conflict. In our minds, conflict is a bad thing, a divisive problem; but Jesus says that conflict will be part of the building materials of His church. This conflict is between the church and “the gates of hell.” There is an offensive as well as a defensive way to read this portion of the text. The imagery is that the church is on the attack against wickedness and sin. This is done through the preaching of the Word, through evangelism, through the church interacting with the culture around her, and through participation in the public sphere. This aspect of the conflict cannot be won by building walls around ourselves or being in a “holy huddle”; we are in battle, and the church that Christ is building is built through conflict. It is a call to arms! How many times has the church of Christ been attacked, only to blossom, grow, and flourish under satanic persecution? How often have the laws of men and the powers and principalities of darkness attempted to suppress the church, only to make her confess more loudly and more clearly? The church is built through conflict!

We also see in this part of Matthew’s gospel that the church is built through “keys.” Jesus uses the terminology of binding and loosing to show that the church has great power and responsibility in discipling her members. This may sound like a strange way to build — through discipline — but that is the way of Christ. Discipline involves more than admonition and excommunication. These are real and biblical aspects to discipline, but they are hardly the whole picture. Discipline begins with disciples, or those who are followers of Christ, discipled by Him. We are under this great church builder, and He is telling us that the church that He is building is one in which His followers are going to be students of Him. They will study His ways, His Word, and His will, and He will build.

So should we be discouraged as Reformed Christians? There are times when we need to bring our confession before Christ and ask Him to make it clearer. There are times when we need to bring our conflicts before Christ and ask Him to make them victorious. There are times when we need to bring the keys before Christ and ask Him to make us better disciples. But be discouraged? No! Jesus Christ promised to build His church and the evidence over the past two thousand years is abundantly clear: He is a faithful builder!

Original Article found here.

The Vomit of the Soul: Christian Confession

Confession is when we confide in a fellow Christian and we share the struggles that have been hindering a greater fellowship with Christ and the Church.

One Puritan said, “Confession is an act of mortification, it is as it were the vomit of the soul; It breeds a dislike of the sweetest morsels when are they are cast up in loathesome ejections. Sin is sweet in commission but bitter in the remembrance. God's children find that their hatred is never more keen and exasperated against sin than in confessing.” (Thomas Manton, 457).

What a vivid description for confession. The vomit of the soul- it is all of the stuff that sin has produced within us and as we confess that to our fellow Christians- we find that we are feeling better and our relationship with Christ is better. As we confess our sins to a confidential and compassionate brother or sister- we are more equipped to hate sin and to fight against sin.

One of Satan's greatest tactics in spiritual warfare is convincing Christians that nobody in all the world shares the same struggles with you. There is this lie that is told that you are in your sin alone and that if you shared it you would be so out of touch with the struggles of everyone else, that it is better to never share it.

This is untrue, of course. Christians struggle with a whole host of sins, and we are called to bring them confidentially and compassionately to a trusted brother, friend, or counselor.

Confess to one another.

What Are Preachers Reading?

Today I went into the 'deacon's office' and noticed a pamphlet from a well-known Christian book publisher called 'Pastor's Bargains: Low Prices for Those on the Front Lines'. I decided to paruse it to see what this publisher is recommending for pastor's to read.

Sad mistake. I believe that the books that pastors read is reflective of the health and well-being of the Church. As pastors we should be reading books about the Scripture and books to deepen our knowledge of Theology. The occasional 'issues' book is to be thrown in as well.

The books that this pamphlet suggested for pastors to read included:

1 Book on a deeper prayer life.
1 Book on the Majestic Nature of Jesus Christ.
3 Sports Biographies
11 Self Help Books
2 Books on 'Success'
1 Leadership Book

That is 10% dealing with Christianity (prayer and Jesus) and 90% dealing with pop-psychology, entertainment, or management issues.

Pray for your pastors. Pray that they are reading books that will benefit the Church of Christ and be used to advance Christ's Kingdom in the earth.

You Are Not A Christian!?

Boice, commenting on Jesus' words about loving each other as evidence of being in Christ:

If people come up to us and cast in our teeth the judgment that we are not Christians because we have not shown love toward other Christians, we must understand that they are only exercising a prerogative that Jesus gave them. [He then quotes Schaeffer] 'And we must not get angry. If people say you do not love other Christians, we must go home, get down on our knees, and ask God whether or not they are right. And if they are, then they have a right to have said what they said.'

Sabbath a'Brakel: Reflection on the Lord's Supper

'Did you receive peace, quietness, hope, assurance, and joy? Did you sweetly cleave to the Lord, doing so while weeping, without much comfort? Or could you entrust it all to the Lord, and did you in love, lean on the beloved, Did the Lord manifest Himself to you in a special manner with extraordinary revelations, or by granting clear and powerful assurance? Reflect upon these and similar matters. Do not deny what you have received; highly esteem the very least thing. If the soul can thus engage itself in quiet meditation, the Lord's Supper will have a sweet aftertaste. One will perceive his failures and his acknowledge the free grace of God, His goodness, and His benevolence. It will be a renewal of friendship, and be as a wedding dinner, treating Jesus to His own dainties, saying, 'Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat His pleasant fruits'. Yes, you may then receive that blessing during reflection which you missed while partaking of the Lord's Supper. (II. 594)

Why Are (Some) Reformed People Such Jerks?

Dr. Clark answers the question here at a student lunch.

D James Kennedy and Billy Graham?

Coral Ridge PCA in Ft. Lauderdale FL, where D. James Kennedy pastored for 50 years, has called Billy Graham's grandson to be their new pastor.

Read it here.

Sabbath a'Brakel: Communion of the Saints

How refreshing it is for God's children, being hated by the world, to have communion with each other, to make their needs known to each other, and in love and familiarity to have communion with each other! They exercise communion with God's church in general (which is dispersed over the entire face of the earth), as being the sole people of God, as being the sole adherents to the truth and the way of salvation, and as confessing Christ alone to be their Head. Since they have the very same Spirit in common, as well as the same interests, they thus rejoice when the church prospers, and likewise grieve when elsewhere the church does not fare well. Their prayers and thanksgiving are for the church in general. They exercise communion with the church within the kingdom or republic in which they are subjects, as well as with the specific congregation of the city or village in which they reside. Yes, their communion is most specifically with the godly, doing so, however, within the context of the church. They may have a special relationship with some, which, however, does not cause them to separate themselves from the church or to cause schism within the church, since they cherish the church above their chief joy upon earth (II: 100).

TIME Magazine's Take on The New Calvinists

TIME magazine has an article on the resurgence of Calvinism as generation X's brand of Christianity. It encourages me to see that even the world is acknowledging that God is on the move.

Read it here.

Growth in Your Profession

The Hebrew Christians were struggling and were ready to 'throw in the towel'. The persecutions were too much, the slander was too much, the difficulties of maintaining their profession of faith was too much.

The author of Hebrews (lets call him Paul), comes along and he says, 'brothers, sisters, hold fast your profession,' meaning hold it tightly. Do not allow it to be let go of.

Commenting on Paul's words to the Hebrews, John Owen writes, "Their [The Hebrew Christians] faith, their love, their diligence, were decayed; and they performed not the works they had some time been fruitful in. And in all these things are men liable to let go their profession. Again, growth and progress in all these is required of professors. The kingdom of God is a growing thing, and out to be so in all them in whom it is by its grace, and who are in it by the observation of its laws."

R Scott Clark ON John Calvin ON Musical Instruments in Worship

Dr. R. Scott Clark (URC ruling elder and professor at Westminster West) is doing a good job defending his one paragraph blog post on Instruments in Worship. Join the fun here. If you don't want to join the fun, at least you could read his book.

Sabbath a'Brakel: The Privledges of Sonship

I wanted to let my readers know that I am still here and that I do intend on blogging regularly again. Starting the ministry here in Los Angeles has been very quite time consuming (in a good way). I look forward to being on a more regular schedule and being able to blog again as a part of that schedule. Today, the congregation was together for a planning day (lecture here) and I was encouraged by some in the congregation to take up the 'pen'.

On another, very important note, today marks my and Lydia's 7 year anniversary of marriage.

Sabbath a'Brakel....

(1) God cherishes them as His children with a fatherly love. Oh wondrous love! God, who is love, sets His infinite love in motion to cherish with love such persons who in themselves are hateful, despicable, and condemnable. This love is not generated by the desirability of the object, but it originates within Himself, being desirous to love and to love specific individuals. Observe the following concerning this love: "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee" (Jer. 31:3) [II:421].

(2) God has His eye upon them as a Father, to keep them so that no evil will befall them. "He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore" (Psa. 121:3-8). How safely may such a child rest and trust under the shadow of His wings! He need neither fear nor be careful, for the Lord cares for him (1 Pet. 5:7) [II:421].

(3) Since He preserves them, He cares for them in all that they need according to body and soul, so that they need not be concerned as to what they shall eat and drink and wherewithal they shall be clothed, for their heavenly Father knows what they stand in need of. He who feeds the fowls of the air and clothes the lilies of the field with more glory than even a Solomon, will He not provide food and clothing for His dear children? The Lord Jesus impresses this upon us in this convincing manner in Matthew 6:25 (II: 422).

(4) God has compassion and pity with them in all their bodily and spiritual ailments. It pleases the Lord to lead His children to heaven through many adversities and tribulations, in order that they may thus learn to know and feel their sins, be kept humble, be weaned from the world, be stirred up to prayer, be motivated to trust in Him, to attentively acknowledge His help and His preceding grace, to give all things into His hands and to be satisfied with His government (II: 422).

(5) Since they are children, God hears and answers them as their loving Father. As children they take refuge to their Father in their perplexity and by reason of this relationship they call Him, "Abba, Father!" In an intimate manner they bring their needs before Him, and with teary eyes they tell Him what their sorrow is. They cry out, "My Father, the cross is so heavy and it is so very painful for me; it lasts so long and I do not see my way through. Thou art able to help me, however, for Thou hast promised it and Thou dost indeed have compassion with me. Therefore, my Father! help me, support me, and deliver me!" The Lord looks upon such children in love, and is pleased with their childlike complaints and their taking refuge to Him. He shall most certainly answer them and deliver them at His time and in His manner. "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?" (Luke 11:13); "How much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" (Mat. 7:11) [II: 423].

(6) Since they are children, they are free (II: 423). [1] They are free from the covenant of works. [2] They are also free from the old ceremonial administration. [3] They are free from the power of Satan, who will neither have power nor dominion over them as he did prior to their conversion (2 Tim. 2:26). [4] They are free from the dominion of sin. [5] They are free from eternal condemnation (II: 423-424).

(7) Since they are children, they are also heirs of God, that is, of all the temporal, spiritual, and eternal benefits of the covenant of grace. "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:17). What an unspeakable inheritance this is! They may indeed exclaim, "The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage" (Psa. 16:5-6); "Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee; which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men!" (Psa. 31:19) [II: 424).

Jesus' Creative Joy

When thinking about Jesus' relationship to the Church we do not often think of his 'creative joy' in creating, sustaining, and loving a church. His relationship to us should also be reflected in our relationship with the Church and with the outside world. The Church is also to be a place of creative joy where we live joyful Christian lives.

The joy of Jesus is the joy that arises from the sense of a finished work. It is a creative joy, like the joy of the artist. It produces a sense of unexausted power for fresh creation. This joy in the heart of Jesus is both the joy of victory , and the sense of having brought His Church into being. It is an inspiring thought that Jesus calls his followers into that joy. The Christian life is not some shallow, insipid, following of a traditional pattern. It is a life characterized by unexausted and inexaustable power for fresh creation. (New International Commentary on the New Testament, John, p.598.)

Sabbath a'Brakel: My God, In Christ

It is essential that one considers God to be His God in Christ. The light of the knowledge of the glory of God is to be found in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6). Outside of Christ, God is a terror, and can only be viewed as terror, and can only be viewed as a consuming fire. In Christ, however, one may have liberty; and God reveals Himself to such who approach unto Him in that way. Then one will be able to better endure the light of God’s countenance, rejoice in it, and therein glorify God. One ought to be cautious, however, of becoming too free and irreverent when considering God as Father in Christ and in the contemplation upon His perfections which are unveiled by the covenant of grace (I: 138).

Sermon Audio

The Los Angeles Reformed Presbyterian Church has launched a Sermon Audio site. Sermons will be posted, Lord willing, soon after they have been preached. You can check it out here. You can also see a number of other RPCNA congregations here.

Sabbath a'Brakel: How Often Should I Read the Word?

The eunuch read while riding in his chariot (Acts 8:28). The Bereans searched the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11). How everyone ought to practice this in private, prior to going to work, both by himself alone, and with his family! At noon when one nourishes his body, he ought also to nourish his soul. In the evening after work, one must end the day by seeking some refreshment from the Word of God. In the meantime, while engaged in his occupation, by meditating upon what has been read, the soul will maintain communion with God. He will be enabled to understand the spiritual meaning as well as to experience the power of God's Word. This will cause the soul to grow in grace, protect against vain thoughts, control the tongue, suppress corruptions, and direct man to fear God (I: 77).

John Piper's Message to the President On Right to Life Sunday

Prayer For First Reformed Presbyterian Church

Yesterday I preached my last two sermons as the pastoral intern of First Reformed Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids. Today my family and I begin our journey west as we seek to be obedient to the Lord's call for our lives.

Please pray for us as we begin this new phase of life and ministry.

Here is the doxology from last night's evening service. It is a selection from Psalm 122 from the 1912 United Presbyterian Psalter.

348.5-6

I pray the Lord that peace may still
Within thy walls abound,
And ever in thy palaces
Prosperity be found.

Yea, for the sake of friends and kin,
My heart desires thy peace,
And for the house of God the Lord
My care shall never cease.

Thank you people of First Reformed Presbyterian Church for 10 years and 2 months of love and pastoral care. Our friendship will have eternal rewards.

True Worship Involves Confidence in God and Reverence For God

John Calvin understood that true religion was one which reverenced God, had confidence in His promises, and resulted in worship according to His Word.

We live in an age where many Christians will say that they have confidence in the promises of God. We live in an age where Christians find the concept of 'fear for God' as something foreign. We hear a lot about the love of God, which is good and biblical, but the Scriptures (even the New Testament Scriptures, mind you) show that we are to fear God because he is a consuming fire. His holiness next to our unholiness should leave us quite humbled. We also live in an age where the 'what does this text mean to you' method of biblical study is supreme. This is foreign to the Scriptures- God has said how we are to worship Him, and God has prescribed what pleases him.

As we care for and reverence God, we should also consider how the Word of God reveals what true piety is. What is true religion? Calvin answered it this way:

Such is pure and genuine religion, namely, confidence in God coupled with serious fear - fear, which both includes in it willing reverence, and brings along with it such legitimate worship as is prescribed by the law. And it ought to be more carefully considered that all men promiscuously do homage to God, but very few truly reverence him. On all hands there is abundance of ostentatious ceremonies, but sincerity of heart is rare.

Sabbath a'Brakel: How Satan Plans on Attending the Lord's Supper

The devil knows that the Lord commonly blesses the assembly of believers, the ministry of the Word, and the partaking of the Lord's Supper. Therefore, he goes along to church and will seek to implement his practices upon you there also (IV: 240).