Who Was Wilhelmus a'Brakel?

It does not take too much reading of PRESBYTERIAN THOUGHTS to know that Wilhelmus a'Brakel is one my favorite Dutch theologians. In this brief video the translator of A Christian's Reasonable Service speaks on Brakel as well as the Dutch Second Reformation. Enjoy.

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.

Guilt and Psychiatry

JG Vos, in the 1940s, asked the question, "What mistaken idea about guilt is common today? I believe that his answer is just as relevant 50 years later:

"Today it is very common to confuse the feeling of guilt with the fact of guilt. Popular notions of psychiatry have led many people to suppose that there is nothing to guilt beyond the feeling of guilt, and that if they can manage somehow to get rid of that troublesome feeling of guilt, that they will have nothing to fear.

The legitimate practice of psychiatry deals with neurotic or mentally abnormal individuals only. Such persons may have an abnormal feeling or complex of guilt which destroys their happiness and usefulness, and which is entirely different from their real guilt before God. It may be possible to relieve such an abnormal feeling of guilt by psychiatric methods. But real guilt before God cannot be affected one whit by psychiatry. Guilt remains guilt, regardless of whether we are obsessed by it or unconscious of it.

Real guilt is not a mere subjective feeling, but an objective fact concerning a person's relation to God. A person may be so hardened in sin that he is entirely unconscious of his guilt, and vainly imagines himself to be a righteous person on the road to heaven. By the special work of the Holy Spirit a sinner is brought under conviction of sin and then realizes himself to be guilty before God and deserving of eternal punishment in hell. Imaginary guilt or the mere feeling of guilt may be removed by psychiatry, but real guilt can only be removed by the blood of Jesus Christ, the sinner's substitute."

So feeling guilty? If you are then Jesus is the real answer. He taught us to pray, "forgive us our debts". So many in our culture attempt to medicate away what only the blood of Christ can heal.

Why Found a Seminary in the 1800s?

The Reformed Presbyterian Church (in America) was relatively small in the 1800s. (It was less than 1/3 of the size that it is today). There were only four established seminaries in the United States at the time RPTS's Constitution was written (in 1807). The country was young and the Church was getting accustomed to life in the United States- there was a lot going on!

So why would a small Presbyterian denomination see a need for training her pastors in a way other than one-on-one in a pastor-student mentorship? Why take on the financial, ecclesiastical, and time related responsibilities? Besides the obvious reasons of allowing those who excel in languages, biblical studies, systematics, and ethics each train in their area of expertise- there was also another reason. The RPCNA view of the end-times would come into play. Their eschatology required more men for the ministry:

"There was a belief that, because of the power of truth and reason, the denomination could have a genuine impact on society. Most important, perhaps, was the prevailing eschatology of Covenanters, which was Postmillennial- that is they believed that the 'thousand years' of peace and righteousness which precede the return of Jesus Christ was to be ushered in by the efforts of Christians. They also believed that the millennium was near... In this context, it is easy to understand why the church felt not only that a theological seminary could be supported, but also that it was bound to grow and have an influence far beyond the tiny denomination which gave it birth." (R.M. Copeland, Spare No Extertions)

Two Covenants, Two Mothers, Two Sons

Luke 1:39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth s was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of w my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And x blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

A Broken Covenant in the Womb.

The New Covenant in the Womb.

Curse Broken.

World Restored.

Elizabeth Spirit Filled.

Mary Blessed Above Women.

For Joy John Leaped.

Jesus has come.

Thoughts on Prayer Meeting's Beginning

Last evening we hosted the first Northern Prayer Meeting (there is also a Southern Prayer Meeting which meets in Orange County) in our home. We have been waiting for this time to come for awhile; but through numerous providences we could only start now.

Our Practice

Our prayer meetings will meet every Wednesday at our house from 6:30PM until 8PM (Orange County meets on Thursdays at 7PM). We are focusing on a Bible study that I am calling "Jesus and the Church in the Psalter". We will walk through all of the 150 Psalms one-by-one and see Jesus. We will also sing through the Book of Psalms For Singing, and, of course, pray.

Last night we started with an introduction which included some of these Psalm principles that we take to the Book of Psalms:

• 2 Timothy 3:16 Even though the Psalter has a number of human composers (at least 6), the true composer is the Spirit of God and he gives us the Psalms for our instruction, correction, reproof, and training in righteousness.
• 2 Peter 1:20 The Psalter is not open to our private interpretation. We must look at the historical context as well as way that the New Testament interprets the Psalms.
• Luke 24: 36-49 The Psalms are prophetic and speak of Jesus Christ.
• Acts 1:20 The Psalms speak of the Church and contain prophecies concerning her as well.
• Colossians 3:16 The Psalms are the words of Christ. They are to be used for mutual teaching and admonition.
• James 5:13 We are to sing Psalms when we gather together in happiness.

The Psalms will be a central part of the NPM (Northern Prayer Meeting). We will meditate on them, sing them, and pray portions of them back to God. As Ambrose said, The Psalter deserves to be called the praise of God, the glory of men, the voice of the Church, and the most beneficial confession of faith!

Encouragement

I was encouraged by the outcome of our first prayer meeting. We are a small congregation that is scattered through-out the Southland and the OC; yet we remain faithful to God calling us together for worship and mutual encouragement. Last night we had 15 people here (including the children) which I thought was a good turn out for a first time.

We were able to spend a good amount of time in prayer for each other as well as learn some new psalm tunes. Lord willing, the group will grow, more from the congregation will come, and friends will be invited as well.

Purpose

We have thought about the purpose of having a weekly prayer meeting quite a bit. We do not do these things because that is what the church does. We need to think through some of our purpose behind having prayer meetings. Here is our purpose:

1. Prayer. We meet to bear one another's burdens and bring them before the throne of grace. This is always the main purpose of prayer meeting, but it never stands alone. Prayer is never separated from the Word. Hence the next purpose.
2. Teaching. We want to know the Psalms better and the Lord who calls them his words.
3. Fellowship. In a congregation that is scattered through-out such a large place as Los Angeles and SoCal, it is important to work on building a sense of community.
4. Outreach. We want people to be able to invite friends and introduce them to our congregation in a way that is less threatening than formal worship. Having a weekly Bible Study/Psalm sing in our home also gives continuity in the church's backyard to reach out to those that God would want us to meet.

Keeping Children in the (Reformed) Church.. Well, At Least One Way

There are many reasons why children leave the Church of Christ when they are at an age to make decisions on their own. Of course, the main reason that children leave the Church is because they do not have converted hearts; but other reasons can drive children out of the Church.

At times children leave the denomination that their parents have chosen and go into other denominations. I have seen many children grow up to leave their Reformed churches and go into evangelical churches of some sort. This too is sad (although not as devistating as the first scenerio).

So what are some reasons that children will leave the Church? One of the main reasons, if not the main reason, is that they do not feel/think that they are a part of the church. They believe that the church is their parent's church, and not THEIR church. They never take ownership of the covenant of communicant membership, the relationships in the church, or the teaching from the pulpit.

One way that the Dutch branches of Reformed Churches have combated this in a small way is by providing children with Psalters that are small enough for their hands- their own personal Psalter. This may sound simplistic, but when a small child has their own Psalter they are more likely to participate in worship and more likely to grow to love the Psalms and the Reformed faith. With this in mind, I am pleased to announce that Crown and Covenant will be producing 4x6 inch Book of Psalms for Worship. I look forward to getting these for our children (and they look forward to having them!). They can be acquired here. If your congregation is using the Book of Psalms for Worship, I would recommend that these are purchased for the children (teens love them too) or parents be encouraged to purchase them.

Even though this is a small step, and essentially will not do anything without the Holy Spirit working in their lives, I would argue that doing 'small things' to make children feel at home in their congregations will prove to be beneficial in the end. We all must take ownership of our vows- and children must learn that at an early age... even if it includes a really great Psalter that is just their size!

Want To Go To Seminary?

Below is a recommended reading list from Westminster Seminary California for students who are considering entering seminary. I would concur that it is important for a pre-seminarian to read a number of these books so that the discussions in seminary may be more fruitful.

I also believe that this list is useful for any Christian who is wanting to learn more about God, Christ, the Bible, or any of the topics listed below. So 'pick up and read' as the singing children told Augustine to do long ago!

BIBLE CONTENT AND INTERPRETATION

• Reformation Study Bible (Ligonier)
• Edmund Clowney, The Unfolding Mystery (P&R)
• Dan McCartney and Charles Clayton, Let the Reader Understand (Bridge Point)
• Michael Horton, God of Promise: Introducing Covenant Theology (Baker)
• Gerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology (Banner of Truth)
• Dennis Johnson, Triumph of the Lamb: A Commentary on Revelation (P&R)

REFORMED CONFESSIONS AND CATECHISMS

• Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms; Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession, Canons of Dort
• A. A. Hodge, The Confession of Faith (Banner of Truth)
• Zacharius Ursinus, Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism (P&R)

PHILOSOPHY, APOLOGETICS, AND PROLEGOMENA TO THEOLOGY

• Diogenes Allen, Philosophy for Understanding Theology (Westminster John Knox)
• Cornelius Van Til, Defense of the Faith (P&R)
• Louis Berkhof, Introduction to Theology (Eerdmans)
• Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics: Prolegomena (Baker)
• Michael Horton, Covenant and Eschatology (Westminster John Knox)

THEOLOGY

• B. B. Warfield, The Plan of Salvation (Wipf and Stock)
• John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied (Eerdmans)
• Michael Horton, Putting Amazing Back Into Grace (Baker)
• Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Eerdmans)
• Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics (Baker)
• John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2 vols. (Westminster John Knox)

CHURCH HISTORY

• W. Robert Godfrey, Reformation Sketches (P&R)
• Paul Johnson, A History of Christianity (Scribner Book Co.)
• D. G. Hart, Defending the Faith: J. Gresham Machen and the Crisis of Conservative Protestantism in Modern America (P&R)
• Bengt Hagglund, History of Theology (Concordia)
• Philip Benedict, Christ's Church Purely Reformed: A Social History of Calvinism (Yale University Press)

SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND CALLING

• W. Robert Godfrey, Unexpected Journey (P&R)
• J.I. Packer, Knowing God (IVP)
• Edmund Clowney, Called to the Ministry (P&R)
• Charles Bridges, Christian Ministry (Banner of Truth)
• Charles Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students (Christian Heritage)

PREACHING, WORSHIP, AND THE CHURCH

• Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers (Zondervan)
• Michael Horton, A Better Way (Baker)
• D.G. Hart and John Muether, With Reverence and Awe (P&R)
• Edmund Clowney, The Church (IVP)
• Samuel Logan, ed., The Preacher and Preaching (P&R)

EVANGELISM AND MISSIONS

• Ernest Reisinger, Today's Evangelism: Its Message and Methods (P&R)
• J. I. Packer, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God (IVP)
• R.B. Kuyper, God-Centered Evangelism (Banner of Truth)
• John Piper, Let the Nations be Glad (Baker)

CHRISTIAN COUNSELING

• David Powlison, Seeing With New Eyes: Counseling and the Human Condition through the Lens of Scripture (P&R)
• John MacArthur and Wayne Mack, Introduction to Biblical Counseling (W Publishing Group)
• Paul Vitz, Psychology as Religion (Eerdmans)
• Alfred Poirier, The Peacemaking Pastor: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Church Conflict (Baker)

CONTEMPORARY CULTURAL ISSUES

• J. Gresham Machen, Christianity and Liberalism (Eerdmans)
• Michael Horton, Where in the World is the Church?
• D. G. Hart, The Lost Soul of American Protestantism
• David Wells, God in the Wasteland (Eerdmans)
• John Piper and Wayne Grudem, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (Crossway)

RESEARCH AND WRITING SKILLS

• William Strunk and E. B. White, The Elements of Style (Allyn and Bacon); Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren, How to Read a Book (Simon and Schuster);
• William Zinsser, On Writing Well (Quill Press) Joseph Williams, Style: Toward Clarity and Grace (University of Chicago)
• Lynne Truss, Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation (Gotham)
• Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (University of Chicago)

Intimacy With God Following the Sacrament

Reflection consists in a continual looking unto and having fellowship with the Lord. "Walk before me and be perfect (Gen. 17.1)" "And Enoch walked with God (Gen. 5.24)". To that end it is necessary that one views God in Christ as a reconciled Father. Even when spiritual light dissipates, if one falls into sin and strife comes, he must nevertheless hold fast to the immovable-ness of the covenant. It is neither your feeling nor your standing or falling which determines the steadfastness or stability of the covenant; rather it is based on the immutability of God. "For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, says the Lord that has mercy on you, (Is. 54.10). "For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed (Mal 3.6)" Therefore do not succumb so readily, hold fast to what you have, be steadfast in faith, and conduct yourself manfully. If according to your feeling, you cannot conculde to the certainty of your state, then make the conclusion judgementally. Observe this in the following passage: "Likewise reckon also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Christ our Lord (Rom 6.1); because we thus judge that if one died for all, then we are all dead (2Cor 5.14)." Therefore setthe Lord continually before you and live in a continual dialogue with him- at one time pray, then ask for counsel, then express your dependance upon him, then wait upon Him, then reverently worship Him, and rest in Him, then thank Him, and again, offer yourself to His service. Aquaint yourself with Him.

All salvation, comfort, delight, holiness, and felicity for the soul is to be found in having fellowship with God. Such a soul perceives the righteousness of God as being only light, glorious, and pure- she loves it and rejoices herself in it, doing so all the more, since this righteousness is not against her unto condemnation, but the surety having merited this, it is to her advantage. The soul also perceives the goodness and all sufficiency of of God, and in enjoying their efficacy, she not only is unable to find any desirability in creatures apart from God, but apart from God there is nothing which she desires, since the soul finds everything from God. The soul also perceives the holiness of God. Since she is unable to endure its luster, she covers her countanance and perceives in this luster her own sinfulness; and for shame, she shrivels away, so to speak and becomes nothing. The soul also perceives the love of God and being irridated by this love, she delights herself in a most wonderous way, reciprocal love being ignited with her. She perceives the will of Godas being uppermost and sovereign over all things. Thus she loses her own will in whatever suffering comes her way and in whatever duties are before her. She wishes it to be thus becaue it is the Lord's will. The soul perceives the majesty and glory of God, in comparison with herself deeply before the majesty of God, worships him with deep reverence and gives glory to him. She perceives the omnipotence of God, both within Himself and as its opperatives toward his creatures. Then the power of the creature, which manifests itself either for or against her will, disappears. She sees the wisdom of God as revealing itself in all His works- both in nature as well as in grace. Thus the wisdom of all creatures melts away and she is quieted and well-satisfied with the only wise government of God. The soul also perceives the veracity and faithfulness of God. She is aqauainted with the promises, believes them, and is so confident as far as the certainty of these promises is concerned that it is as if they were already fulfilled.

All this engenders a thoughtful and steadfast spiritual frame, quiet submission in whatever circumstances the soul encounters, a fearless courage in the performance of her duty, and a delighting herself in the task she has for the Lord, leaving the outcome with resignation to the Lord's direction. Such a life is truly a joyful life, and pure holiness issues forth from this. She acknowledges any virtue which is not practiced by having God in Christ in view, as a vice. Such fellowship with God is heaven itself: I Thes. 4.17-18; Ps. 16.11; Ps. 17.15; Jer 33.3.

Behold such is the eminent felicity of fellowhip iwth God. Since you have entered into covenant with God, however, and this covenant has been sealed to you, you thus have the privledge to walk humbly with your God- thus also being your duty. Therefore, aquaint yourself with the Lord, have peace, and let your holiness shine forth. (Christian's Reasonable Service, vol. 2; pp.596-8)

A New-Old Psalter Conversation

De Regno Christi is having a discussion on the RPCNA's new Psalter. You are free to join in the conversation here. As with anything that is new, there will be those in favor and those who like the old ways better.

This is not how De Regno Christi is dealing with the matter though. They are discussing principles instead of preferences. Join in the conversation.

http://deregnochristi.org/2009/07/27/a-newold-psalter/

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.

The Theatre of Glory

Many will claim that Calvinists and Puritans were ones to reject the notion of theater. They will cite the Westminster Larger Catechism where it says, "...lascivious songs, books, pictures, dancing, stage plays; all other provocations to, or acts of uncleanness, either in ourselves or others..." are a violation of the seventh commandment.

Of course, what is not realized is that the Divines are not rejecting stage plays, but ones that are lascivious. Theater is all around us.

Calvin himself saw the whole world as a place of theater. He saw it as the theater of God in which his glory and wonder was played out before humanity, where the unfolding of the drama of redemption took place for His glory. He said, "Ever since in the creation of the universe he brought forth those insignia whereby he shows his glory to us, whenever and wherever we cast our gaze... And since the glory of his power and wisdom shine more brightly above, heaven is often called his palace. Yet... wherever you cast your eyes, there is no spot in the universe wherein you cannot discern at least some spark of his glory (1.5.1)." What that means is that his glory is being shone around us in theatric measures!

David Hall, also speaking of the theater of glory says for Calvin, "Every aspect of life, from work to worship and from art to technology bears the potential to glorify God. Creation is depicted as a platform for God's glory or a dazzling theater displaying God's glorious works."

Where is God Working Wonderous Deeds? A: In Sudan.

Sometimes as Reformed Christians we get discouraged. Where is God working in mighty ways? Why can't we see the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as we did in Acts, or during the Reformation, or during great times of revival in the past? We ask these questions and we forget that God is always at work, always building his Church, always bringing the number of the elect unto himself.

Here is an update from the RP Mission team to Sudan. We stand in awe of God's outpouring of grace in Sudan. Please remember them in your prayers and if you are so inclined, to remember them with a gift as well. (Financial information for giving can be found here.)

Read what the Lord has done in the past couple of weeks:

This past Lord's Day we experienced a time of tremendous blessing at the Mangar Akuac Mission Church. Forty-four people were baptized in the name of the true and living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It was particularly exciting to see elderly men and ladies come forward to consecrate their lives to God through faith in Jesus Christ. I remember surveying the congregation at one point toward the end of the service and catching a sight of glory - beaming faces, glistening heads. The sunlight was streaming into the church through a large gap at the apex of the thatched roof of the country church. It made the residual beads of water from baptism look like studded jewels and diamonds on the ebony black skin of my new brothers and sisters in Christ. Ministry is full of hardships, heartaches and setbacks. There are frustrations and concerns that perpetually burden our hearts. But this sight of God's glory over the lives of His recently redeemed people infused something into my heart, a strangely polarized emotion, something between a sigh of relief and a booster cable jolt. As I think about it now, I believe the Lord was communicating divine truths to my tired heart: "Relax, rest, I will bring to completion the good work I have begun in My people. Andrew, I will cause My name to be glorified in all the earth!" Dear prayer partners, isn't it comforting to know that God will succeed in His kingdom causes, to know that the risen Christ, who is King over all, will bring to pass all of His plans! Following the worship service we marched over to three different compounds to uproot and destroy long-standing family idols.

I'm reminded of Paul's words to the believers at Thessalonica: "They report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God." It' hard to describe the step of faith it is for new believers to turn from their idols, to actually yank them out of the ground and toss them into the fire. At the first compound I spoke to the people about the exceedingly great power of our God who cast Satan down and triumphed over him through the cross of His Son. To make things clear, I felt led by the Spirit to do something somewhat Elijah-like. I sat my rump down on the biggest and most obvious of the compound idols (a 5 inch-wide, 30 inch high carved stick with a notched knob at the top). The people were shocked as I addressed them from my perch. I said, "If the god of this stick is stronger than the true God of heaven and earth, let him come and strike me down! Let him come and defend his idol." Well, I waited... and nothing happened! Then in the suspense of the moment it dawned on them: "The God of the Bible is the real God!" The silence erupted into spontaneous clapping and singing and dancing. I must say, I was praising God, too! Then the men of the church (and not a few zealous ladies!) laid their hands on the idol and cast it down. The idols and charms were removed from the compound, including a goat's head and various amulets, and cast into a raging fire, symbolic of Satan's eternal and infernal demise. After more singing and a word of exhortation, we returned to the compound for prayers of consecration and protection. And so it went from compound to compound. By the end of the day, I was thoroughly exhausted, the people tremendously encouraged and, I believe, our Lord and Saviour wonderfully glorified in the expansion of His kingdom.

On behalf of the Team, Pastor Andrew (Madingdit)

PS. Pray for all the new believers in Mangar Akuac that they would grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ; that they would be rooted and grounded in Him who alone can sanctify them entirely and preserve them complete until the day of His return (1 Thess.5:23,24).

Culture Wars: Is It Really New?

We hear a lot about the so-called 'culture wars' today and a great deal of us think that this is a relatively new thing. The truth is that since God first pronounced judgment on the serpent of old in the Garden, there has been a culture war. From this time there have been two cultures emerging. The first is the culture of the serpent. His culture is that of this world strives for power, popularity, and fame. The second is the culture of 'the seed'. This is the culture that attempts to live unto the glory of God as we patiently look forward the full redemption of His creation and the consummation of all things.

But there is also a culture war, of sorts, within the 'culture of the seed'. What is role of this culture? Are we retreatists who are called to make Christian communities that are apart from the world? Are we called to create monasteries and live in pious huddles? Or are we called to be transformers of culture and have dominion as God has commanded? Are we salt and light in the midst of darkness or are we something else? Something that God has not commanded?

The 20th century hero amongst Presbyterians, JG Machen, spoke to this issue in 1913 at Princeton Theological Seminary. It illustrates that we are not in a new battle; we just have forgotten those who were fighting before our time. Machen said,

In the first place, Christianity may be subordinate to culture. That solution really, though to some extend unconciously, is being favored in a very large and influential portion of the Church today. For the elimination of the supernatural in Christianity- so tremendously common today- really makes Christianity merely natural. Christianity becomes a mere human product, a mere part of human culture... The second solution goes to the opposite extreme. In its efforts to give religion a clear field, it seeks to destroy culture. This solution is better than the first. Instead of indulging in a shallow optimism or deification of humanity, it recognizes the profound evil of the world, and does not shrink form the most heroic remedy... Therefore, it is argued that the culture of this world must be a matter at least of indifferene to the Christian... Are then Christianity and culture in a conflict to be settled only by the destruction of one or the other of the contending forces? A third solution, fotunately, is possible- namely consecration. Instead of destroying the arts and sciences or being indifferent to them, let us cultivate them with all the enthusiasm of the veriest humanist, but at the same time consecrate them to the service of our God.

Puritan Reformed Seminary Graduation

Puritan Reformed Seminary will broadcast their graduation LIVE at 7:30 PM Eastern Time on Friday, May 15th.

You can watch it here. Click Students. Then Graduation. You need to wait a moment as it loads.

I will waive to you all!

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)