Dead Theologian's Society: Entrusting to Faithful Men

Paul says to Timothy, "You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Jesus Christ, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2:1-2)."

Paul commands Timothy to have a reproducing ministry. He calls Timothy to take the training that he has received from Paul and make sure that some of that training is passed on to faithful men who will be able to teach.

The core of what we have here is Pastors training men who desire to be pastors. With that call from the Scripture, the Los Angeles RPC Dead Theologian's Society is making a beginning. Currently there are three men who sense a call to pastoral ministry in the LA Church. We will begin to meet twice a month to discuss theology, the Scriptures, and especially begin the training that will continue when they enter Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

Please be in prayer as we begin in October. We are beginning with William Symington: Penman of the Scottish Covenanters. The reason that we are beginning here is that we will explore two successful ministries (Roy Blackwood and William Symington); see the foundation for Christian faith and life (the atonement); as well as explore the foundation to any good church planting endeavors (the kingship of Jesus Christ).

May the Lord Jesus bless this new aspect of the ministry of the Los Angeles Reformed Presbyterian Church. May his kingdom expand from shore to shining shore!

Your IPod and Communion Preparation

Here is a series of sermons that I have been preaching before the Lord's Supper every other month. The duty to prepare your heart for the Lord's Supper is a biblical requirement for all who would commune with Christ in the Supper. Let a man examine himself that he may discern the Lord's body.

I pray that these sermons will prove to be helpful to your spiritual life:

Communion Sermons: The Suffering Servant

Open Pulpits in the RPCNA

Twice per year, I add the updated list of open pulpits in the RPCNA. Please pray that the Lord Jesus would fill these pulpits with the men of his choosing. Pray also for the committees, sessions, and congregations that are searching for pastors. Also lift up the men who are able to receive a call; ask that God would aid them in their patience, trust, and waiting upon his call.

The list is by presbytery.

Midwest:
Washington, IA
Sharon, IA
Manhattan, KS

Great Lakes/Gulf:
Orlando, FL
Prairie View, IL (Westminster RP)
Indianapolis, IN (Second RP)
Hetherton, MI (stated supply is there)

Alleghenies:
Aurora, OH (Covenant RP)
Beaver Falls, PA (College Hill)

Atlantic:
Cambridge, MA

St. Lawrence:
Owego, NY
Endicott, NY (Christian Heritage)
Walton, NY
Rochester, NY

Japan:
Kasumigoka, Japan

Update: October 5, 2010:

There is one pulpit that I forgot to list and one that has just come open:

Atlantic Presbytery: Berkshire, MA

Great Lakes/Gulf Presbytery: Grand Rapids, MI (my alma mater)

Carb Addict Spirituality

The book, War of Words by Paul Tripp has been a valuable read. Here are some of his ideas on the lies that physical bread tells. We are to seek the bread which comes down from Heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 6: 22-69

Physical Bread and Spiritual Deception

Jesus provides the people with physical bread. They are amazed and decide that this must be the Messiah- let's make him king, he provides a free meal.

“What was behind these people's pursuit of Christ? What did they really want? I do not believe that they pursued Christ out of a humble submission to his messiahship and willingness to follow him wherever he would lead. Their pursuit of Christ was born instead out of a love for self and the hope that Christ would meet their felt needs. They were excited about following the king- but for all the wrong reasons.” p.88

The struggle of physical bread versus spiritual bread is a core struggle in the Christian life. It is the core struggle of human life. p.89

Physical Bread is Permanent

We believe that working for physical bread is of the utmost importance because deep down inside we believe that it lasts forever. The Scriptures tell us that this world is passing away. Psalm 73 says that this world is like a dream that quickly passes away. Why “invest” in bread that will not last?

Physical Bread is the Only Bread

We need to take hold of the idea that the only “bread” that is permanent is spiritual (Matthew 6:19-34).

“And this is why we are told to live as pilgrims, as tent dwellers, not giving ourselves over to the accumulation of material things as if they aware the only bread that really counts. The person who believes this lie is a fool (Lk 12.20).” p.91

Physical Bread Defines Human Success

We all fall into the trap of coveting those with the best bread. We believe that bread will make us happy. Bread will satisfy the voids. (Think of Beverly Hills, The Grove, Muholland Drive- we all enjoy seeing how “they” live.) Matthew 16.25- What good will it be if a man gains the whole world and loses his soul?

“Jesus defines human success in terms of two fundamental commitments: to love God above all else and to love your neighbor as yourself. TO live this way is to be rich no matter how small your collection of worldly things.” p.91

Physical Bread Will Give You Life

“This is the lie of the lies- that somehow, some way, life can be found outside a relationship with God. This was the lie told by the deceive in the Garden, and it is the lie told countless times again every day. Feeding on physical bread only leads to more hunger. It is only as you feed on Christ by faith, receiving his life, that you can ever be satisfied.” p. 92

When we find ourselves in the same spot as the followers who followed Christ for physical bread- we must as ourselves- will we go away also? We must question and reexamine and recommit our vows unto Christ. And we must stand with Peter when Jesus asked...

Will you go away also?

Peter got it. “Where else shall we go? You have the words of eternal life?”

What's It Means to be RPCNA

The Hypocrisy of the Agnostic and His Atheistic Twin

It seems that many agnostics and atheists are willing to wax eloquent about what God is not. "God could not possibly _____." Where do they get this knowledge? What is their source? What about an "unknown god" do they know? It seems that the Scriptures tell us that man has a knowledge of God and they repress it (Romans 1). Have they considered that their understanding of God is actually a repressed understanding so that they can worship the creature (themselves, reason, feelings, etc) rather than the Creator? Herman Bavinck leaves the atheist and his twin the agnostic with their jaws on the floor:

Hear this:

"The position that we know nothing of God already presupposes a lot of knowledge of God and therefore that what we have here is a contradiction in terms. For when we call God inexpressible, we are at the same time saying a lot about him, so that in fact he is not inexpressible. For it is no small amount of knowledge... if before we know what God is we already know what he is not. Not knowing is itself extensive and positive: it amounts to no small beginning of the knowledge of God. It is already quite significant to know that God is in no way creaturely." Reformed Dogmatics, v.1 p.51.

Truth, truth, and truths: Which is it?

We have all heard that truth is relative. I have truth for me and you have truth for you. This is a logical fallacy. Something cannot be true and false at the same time. Christianity cannot be true for me and not true for you. If Christianity is true, then it must be embraced by all. In Mere Christianity, a book that has its high points and low points, CS Lewis argues, "Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."

Have you taken time to consider that you are culturally predisposed to reject the claims of Jesus Christ because our culture rejects the idea of absolute truth. You see, Jesus said that he was the only way to God- any who come to the father must come through him. Our culture is not able to swallow that! But if we take time to consider the claims of the Scripture, we see that Christianity is either true and must be embraced, or complete nonsense and must be wholly rejected. I would encourage you to read through the Gospel of John and look at the claims of Christ. He is the Truth.

The Presbyterian Thoughts Book Tour: Grand Rapids, MI

In a couple of weeks, the VanTimmeren Farm in Belding, Michigan, will be flooded with Reformed Presbyterians. Alex Tabaka (RPCNA Student of Theology) and Melissa VanTimmeran (Carnegie Melon trained French Horn major) are getting married. Those in attendance will not be just any RPs; but many theological students and a number of pastors will be attending the wedding. I told my friend, Pastor Shane Sapp, of Westminster, Colorado, that I would recommend some book stores.

Now, of course, spend a lot of money on their gifts (toasters, blenders, anything marked "As Seen on TV", and the whole nine yards), but save some money for book shopping in Grand Rapids. You will not be disappointed.

Grand Rapids, MI has been a Dutch Reformed Mecca for generations. It is the home to a number of the top Christian publishing companies in the world: Kregel, Baker, Zondervan, Eerdmans, and Reformation Heritage Books. (Baker is the nephew of Kregel, by the way.)

Here are the stores that I recommend visiting:

1. Reformation Heritage Books

2965 Leonard Ave. NE,

Grand Rapids, MI 49525

616. 977.0889

This is where you will want to spend most of your money. This bookstore is non-profit and has many deep discounts. Even when I was working at Baker Book House in college, I sent people to RHB who were looking for Reformed and Puritan publications. The Soli Deo Gloria collection is also housed here because SDG has been bought out (they wouldn't use that term) by RHB. Go here first and ask for Steve. Tell him you are a friend of mine. You may also ask to have a tour of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary while you are there. You must see the Puritan Resource Center on the second floor. There is a copy of the works of William Perkins that was owned by both Charles Spurgeon and AW Pink. There are notes taken from these men in the margins.

2. The Bookstore

2140 Oak Industrial Drive NE

Grand Rapids MI, 49505

616.234.0534

The Bookstore is a great place to find "seconds" of Eerdmans titles. Think NICNT and NICOT at 60-80% off retail? The Church Fathers for dollars per volume? Sounds good, eh? Also when you are there, ask if Jason is working. Tell him that I sent you. He will take care of you.

3. Baker Book House

2768 East Beltline SE

Grand Rapids, MI 49546

616.957.3110

Now Baker has the market on used books. The reason why is that Kregal went out of buisness a number of years ago and their inventory was divided between Baker Book House and Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary Library. Baker has around 100,000 titles in their used book department. You will have to cover your eyes as you pass the front of the store which is filled with Jesus junk and Christian chachkies. Once you pass all of that stuff you will have a wonderful collection of new and discounted theological works on the left. That would make the trip worth it- but the holy of holies lies behind the double doors.

The used book department is manned by Greg, Jim, and a number of seminary students from around Grand Rapids (there are about 5 seminaries in West Michigan). Make sure that you tell them if you are a pastor or a seminary student. There is a 20% discount on many items if you are "vocational clergy." Be warned though, Baker prices on used books is not cheap. They compete with the Amazon, Ebay, Bookfinder, Albris, Abebooks crowd. That means that if something is worth $10... it's marked at $10 or $11. But you will find many, many things that are worth taking home with you.

Baker is also the North American distributor of Cambridge Bibles. They have a nice collection of Cambridge Bibles in ESV, KJV, NASB, etc. You will want to own a Cambridge if you don't already have one. The smell of the leather alone will make you want one. So save about $75-100 for your Cambridge.

4. Credo Books

Victoria Antiques

449 Century Avenue SW

Grand Rapids, MI 49503

616.249.9291

Credo is a rather new bookseller on the Grand Rapids scene. I know the owner. He used to come into Baker and buy TONS of used books. He would read a bunch, come back to Baker and talk about what he read and buy some more. He gave me a copy of Hendriksen's lectures on "The Bible and the Life Hereafter" once. (Guess he was trying to convert me to a-mil!) As with many independent small bookstores- the love of books eventually leads to selling them. Credo's collection will be a nice variety of Reformed, Presbyterian, and Puritan works. Tell him that you saw a coupon for 20% off online (there is such an animal, and you have to mention it).

That's what I got! You will be able to spend your whole month's check at these four locations. You may even burn through your entire book allowance there for the year. Enjoy! And tell them that Nathan says, "Hello!"

Western and Christian: What's a Mission to Do?

There comes times in the life of a mission where they must ask the question, "Are we promoting Western ideals or are we preaching the Gospel?" There are ways in which the Gospel does transform culture, and thanks be to God for that! But at the same time there are cultural aspects of life where the Church needs to say- this is cultural.

This was experienced in the Chinese Mission of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in the 20th century. But it only came AFTER a number of years of work in the field. In 1884 the RP Church began plans to work in China; and it was not until 1921 when the attitude towards Chinese culture changed. The early years of the RP Mission were met with frustration that the Chinese did not want to conform to American ways of life in work or in the home.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ not only changes those being ministered to; but also those who are ministering.

"In twenty years the mission had learned that many Chinese methods were very good methods for them, well adapted to their way of life and to the physical conditions under which they lived. It was not the main purpose of this mission to teach a Western way of life; the purpose was to teach the Chinese that they, like all other humans, were sinners and that their only hope of love, joy, and peace, here or hereafter, lay in acceptance of Christ as Savior and Lord of their lives. When they accepted him and his salvation, followed his guidance and his principles, it mattered little what tools the carpenters used or what utensils the women used in cooking. When Christianity permeated their lives their social attitudes changed radically, such as the position of girls and women, their idolatry, ancestor worship, polygamous marriage, dishonesty and deceit in business, even the cleanliness of their surroundings. So long as Christians lived Christ the mission felt that they should lead their lives in their own Chinese way." Hoi Moon, 163.

Your Crooked Little Life

Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight which He has made crooked?

Ecclesiastes 7:13

RP History Mystery Solved!

When was your presbytery founded? For many Presbyterians the answer is easily accessible since many of the conservative Presbyterian bodies were not founded until the 1930s or 1980s. For the Reformed Presbyterian, things are generally less new.

At the beginning of 2010 I inherited the coveted "Clerk of Presbytery" position, and have been researching our history ever since. Last week I finally stumbled upon the jewel that I was looking for: "When did our Presbytery begin?" You see our records only go back to 1930, and I was unable to locate our older Minutes (they have since been located at RP Archives on Penn Avenue). I knew we were older than 1930!

Last week I found this in a dusty copy of the Minutes of Synod from 1911:

"Paper number (3) is a petition of the session of the Seattle congregation for the organization of a new Presbytery consisting of the congregations and mission stations on the Pacific Coast. We recommend that such a presbytery be organized and that it be call- ed the Presbytery of the Pacific Coast, that the boundary between it and the Colorado Presbytery be the Colorado River, the Wahsatch mountains and the Rocky mountains to the borders of the British possessions, thence east along that border to the western border of Ontario taking in all the British possessions west of Ontario; all the country in the United States and Canada lying to the west to be under the jurisdiction of this Presbytery; that the ministers and elders present here included in these bounds be directed to meet in this place before the final adjournment of this Court and to organize said presbytery and that PJ McDonald act as moderator and constitute that court."

That was the key to the RP History Mystery. I promptly began my search for Paper (3) from the 1911 Synod- and found it! I also was able to find the exact date of our organization of a Presbytery. The Pacific Coast Presbytery met for the first time on June 6, 1911. Amazing.

Below you will see a scan of Paper (3) from 1911. The back of the request reads: "Transferred to Synod by Colorado Presbytery, May 31, 1911." Under that it reads: "June 3: Transferred to committee on Discipline."

Enjoy!

Take the Time to Think on Him

We live busy lives. Our lives are full of activity: work, school, duties at home, family, chores, bills, entertainment. How does a Christian have time think on the things of God? Well, we make time for what is important to us, and thinking on God needs to be a priority in the Christian life. We must know God in order to be in relationship with God. We must meditate on how His Word reveals Him. But how?

JI Packer gives us some insight on the lost art of Christian meditation. He writes,

"Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God. It is an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God.

Its purpose is to clear one's mental and spiritual vision of God, and to let his truth make its full and proper impact on one's mind and heart. It is a matter of talking to oneself about God and oneself; it is, indeed, often a matter of arguing with oneself, reasoning oneself out of moods of doubt and unbelief into a clear apprehension of God's power and grace."

Homophobe: Bigot or Biblical?

Have you had to come to a biblical understanding of homosexuality, or has your understanding of its sinfulness been handed to you as a cultural more? Does the Church have a skewed view of homosexuality? Do unmarried couples living promiscuous lives get a "pass", while young men and women struggling with same sex attraction get condemned? Are churches in need of getting into the Scriptures to see what they actually say, as apposed to what we think that they say?

Carl Truman brings up some interesting points.

Sermons for Communion Preparation

During the past several communion seasons, I have been preaching through the Sufferings of Christ beginning with the his sufferings in the Upper Room. I have preached on "The Washing" from John 13, the "Korban Pesach" from Luke 22, and on Judas as a traitor in "Is it I?" in Mark 14. I commend this series to anyone who is preparing to celebrate the Lord's Supper.

The Suffering Savior

Broken Pastors are Useful Pastors

What do you look for in a pastor? Do you look for well-polished speech? Do you look for a "professional" look? Do you look for an administrator? Do you look for someone who is nice?

Jesus wants his pastors to be many things, but above all of these things, he wants his pastors to be broken. Does that sound strange to you? Jesus wants pastors that have been broken, confronted with their sin, and brought to the foot of the cross of Christ. When a pastor (or one who desires to be a pastor) is humbled before Christ and knows that his entire ministry relies on the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ, he is in a position to lead. Shepherds are sheep who have been broken, restored, and equipped as Gospel ministers.

"The first and essential quality of herald of the Gospel is ever a thoroughly broken and contrite heart. For it is only after having obtained mercy as guilty criminals, that we are in a position to strengthen the brethren. After having ourselves vitally experienced that without Christ we can do nothing, but everything with Him, we then become real evangelists, able also to bind up the broken-hearted, and to strengthen the feeble knees." FW Krummacher

How Do You Approach Christ in the Supper?

JC Ryle gives a short series of questions that serve as meditations for the communicant as he or she prepares for the Lord's Supper. In a fast paced McWorld, we need to take the time to ponder the seriousness of our relationship with Christ as we approach Him in the Sacrament. Let us meditate and then celebrate!

"Am I in the habit of coming to the Lord's Table? If so, in what frame of mind do I come? Do I draw near intelligently, humbly and with faith? Do I understand what I am about? Do I really feel my sinfulness and my need for Christ? Do I really desire to live a Christian life, as well as profess the Christian faith? Happy is the soul who can give a satisfactory answer to these questions. Go forward and persevere." (Expository Thoughts on Matthew, 360.)

Living Eaters and Dead Eaters

The Lord's Supper is a time of reflection on one's spiritual life. As we look to the Lord Jesus, the author and giver of life, we must ask ourselves, "Have we been given life; eternal life?" The one way to be given eternal life is through a saving faith in the Son of God, the only mediator between God and man.

As the Lord's Supper is before us, we must ask ourselves, "Am I a living eater or a dead eater?" To those who remain in trespasses and sin, the Sacrament has no lasting value. For those who eat and drink by faith, we have communion with the Son of God. We have communion that will be of eternal value. May we be the living, feasting on a living Christ, by faith.

JC Ryle says, "The Lord's Supper has no power to confer benefit on those who come to it, if they do not come to it with faith. The mere formal act of eating the bread and drinking the wine is utterly unprofitable, unless it is done with a right heart. It is eminently an ordinance for the living soul, not for the dead; for the converted, not for the unconverted."

Lord convert our hearts, and draw us into your presence.

Disciples of All Nations? Colonization or Indigenous Churches?

When the Lord Jesus Christ gave the Great Commission at the end of his ministry, he charged the Apostles with "making disciples of all nations". It is interesting that he chose the word nations, instead of world. The word nation is "ethnos" which means ethnicities, people groups, cultures, or nations. He could have chose the word "cosmos" which would be a generic, "Make disciples of all the world." But Jesus chose "ethnos". He wanted disciples to be made of the ethos; not just in the cosmos.

This is significant in my own ecclesiastical context because at our last Synod, our global missions agency reported that the mission work in Southern Sudan has been released from the oversight of the RPCNA and has been organized as the RPCSS (Reformed Presbyterian Church of Southern Sudan). They are part of the Reformed Presbyterian global community; but they are an indigenous church. They are not a church that is colonized; but one that was made out of discipling the ethnos of the Dinka. Praise God!

Of course, this creating an indigenous presbytery (RPCSS) was not without controversy. We have a precedence of keeping oversight for much longer. We have a presbytery of the RPCNA in Japan, which is the result of missionary endeavor. Why not follow that same model in Sudan? WIth much love and respect for my brothers in Japan, the model that Jesus gave us was disciples of all ethnos; not disciples in all cosmos.

As early as 1919 the RPCNA was wrestling with the questions of colonization versus indigenous churches. The Foreign Mission Board reported to Synod in 1919, "In recent years there has been a growing conviction that the Chinese have been, to their hurt, allowed to think that Christianity is the foreigner's religion and not their own; that the foreign religion should be supported from without, and that they, at most, are to favor it with the patronage of accepting it, and helping to spread it merely as paid employees of a foreign organization. The missionaries have been gravely and prayerfully studying this problem." (Report of Synod, 1919).

May the Lord continue to have His Church wrestle with the issues of culture and church planting. And may the Church truly understand how Jesus wants indigenous churches made up of all the ethnos of the cosmos.

Lord, build your Church!

Happy 5th Birthday Presbyterian Thoughts

This week marks the 5th birthday of Presbyterian Thoughts. Happy Birthday ol' blog.

The Hypocrisy of Our Humanity

Too often we fail in the Christian life. Too often we stumble and we fall. We use our tongue to sin. We use our facial expressions to murder. We use our posture to crush another's spirit. The Apostle James told us that this happens, even in our Christian life. "We stumble in many ways" says James. He then goes on to tell us that all kinds of animals are able to be domesticated- but we have not been able to domesticate our own tongues. We murder with our very tongues.

Thank God that he has provided His Son to free us from our own tongues, our own murdering, our own hypocrisy. Thank God that Jesus has been provided to save us from ourselves. It's not hypocrisy- it's the battle called the Christian life. Keep fighting.