Beware Of What You Think, Do, and Say

WLC 113 on the sins forbidden in the third commandment, "The sins forbidden in the third commandment are, the not using of God’s name as is required; and the abuse of it in an ignorant, vain, irreverent, profane, superstitious or wicked mentioning or otherwise using his titles, attributes, ordinances, or works, by blasphemy, perjury; all sinful cursings, oaths, vows, and lots; violating of our oaths and vows, if lawful; and fulfilling them, if of things unlawful; murmuring and quarrelling at, curious prying into, and misapplying of God’s decrees and providences; misinterpreting, misapplying, or any way perverting the Word, or any part of it; to profane jests, curious or unprofitable questions, vain janglings, or the maintaining of false doctrines; abusing it, the creatures, or anything contained under the name of God, to charms, or sinful lusts and practices; the maligning, scorning, reviling, or any wise opposing of God’s truth, grace, and ways; making profession of religion in hypocrisy, or for sinister ends; being ashamed of it, or a shame to it, by unconformable, unwise, unfruitful, and offensive walking, or backsliding from it."

Beware, why?  Because the Lord is a Warrior (Exodus 15:3).  He the God Almighty!  Let us seek Him at the cross and His mercy.

Tragedy Strikes Hard And Fast

Psalm 90 teaches us that we need to number our days.  But why?  Because life is short and presious.  Due to sin, each one of us will perish in our earthly bodies.  I have seen those who are older, who have lived seventy or eighty years pass from this life, death comes to their bodies.  I have also seen small children, some not even out of the womb yet die.  Yet as each of us who are older looks back on life, we know that life is short.  There is only a short time we are given to serve the Lord our God. 

When tragedy strikes, we are caught off guard, some become numb, some become overly and understandably emotional.  Some scared, some fearing, some sorrowful, few joyful in the Lord.  How long will tragedy occur in this life to our friends and family?  Until you enter into glory.  Trials are part of our lives.  But now we must ask the question, how do we move on?  It is easy to look at tragedy and think, "Oh these things just happen, yes perhaps I was stupid, it was an accident."  But then you just go on with life like nothing happened.  I've been there and done that.  I have wasted the great opportunity to be spurred on towards holiness.  Don't let that be you now.  Look at what happend, see the mercy of God, though you deserve death, you have been given more time.  Why?  So you can glorify Him!  Take this opportunity and deal with your sins with much sorrow, turn back to Him and repent.  Turn back to your Savior, the One who you have abandoned.  This life is precious, let us not make it all about vanity, pursuing the fleeting desires of this world, let us make it all about the precious Gospel of Jesus Christ and service to Him for His exaltation.

Let us number our days.  Psalm 90:

"1Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. 2Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God. 3You turn man back into dust and say, "Return, O children of men." 4For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it passes by, or as a watch in the night. 5You have swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep; in the morning they are like grass which sprouts anew. 6In the morning it flourishes and sprouts anew; toward  evening it fades and withers away. 7For we have been consumed by Your anger and by Your wrath we have been dismayed. 8You have placed our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence. 9For all our days have declined in Your fury; we have finished our years like a sigh. 10As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away. 11Who understands the power of Your anger and Your fury, according to the fear that is due You? 12So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom. 13Do return, O LORD; how long will it be? And be sorry for Your servants. 14O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. 15Make us glad according to the days You have afflicted us, and the years we have seen evil. 16Let Your work appear to Your servants and Your majesty to their children. 17Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; and confirm for us the work of our hands; yes, confirm the work of our hands."

How (Not) To Be An American Missionary In Scotland

Over at The Aquila Report, a little article entitled How (Not) To Be An American Missionary In Scotland by David Robertson was recently published that I had read before on Robertson's church website.  It is really good.  Anyone who does missionary work, short term or long term should really read it.  It is also applicable to all in the Church.  You must read it!  I will put the text below.

Scotland is not the land of Mel Gibson, Brigadoon, quaint wee redheaded Highland lasses, Eric Liddell running in the Glens and John Knox preaching in the pulpits.

This is an updated version of an article I wrote a number of years ago on the Free Church website. It received a lot of comment, especially from some Southern Baptists friends, whose website was critiqued in the article. They were very gracious and said it had helped them. I am very thankful for those Americans who have come to help us in Scotland. I want to see more - which is why the comments below still apply. Feel free to make your own comments.

"Over paid, over sexed and over here" was one common saying concerning the American GI's during the Second World War. I doubt that this is the appropriate description for the growing number of American missionaries who are coming to Scotland today in order to take part in a different kind of warfare - the spiritual battle for Western Europe.

This is a subject dear to my heart - I have been involved with American missionaries for over ten years and continue to encourage them to come to Scotland. Bear that in mind as you read the rest of this article. I am writing from the perspective of someone who wants American missionaries here and who believes moreover that we need American missionaries here.

Cross cultural mission is difficult. There are dangers as well as opportunities. I believe that for American missionaries to be effective over here they need to have a passionate realism, a people centered ministry, a Biblical God centered theology and a willingness to work in partnership.

1) A Passionate Realism - Avoid the danger of Romanticism.
Scotland is not the land of Mel Gibson, Brigadoon, quaint wee redheaded Highland lasses, Eric Liddell running in the Glens and John Knox preaching in the pulpits! Equally Scots going over to America sometimes get the 'grass is always greener on the other side of the fence' syndrome.

To be in large churches, with extensive programs and great wealth, who also seem to be making a significant impact upon their community - that is quite an experience and one which sometimes leaves the Scot feeling a) inferior and b) thinking ‘this is it. This is the way God wants us to work'. The result is that some of us come back with the notion that the Americanisation of the Church will be its salvation. That is patently not true. Likewise American missionaries who come over here thinking that all Scotland needs for revival is for things to be done the way they are back home, will not get very far.

Having that attitude will do a great deal of harm - not least by causing an opposite reaction whereby anything new is seen as American and thus de facto to be rejected. Cultural sensitivity is a basic requirement for any missionary.

Another aspect of realism is to avoid stereotyping and to seek to understand the culture you are coming to. A few years ago I looked at the Southern Baptists missionary website on Scotland (it has considerably improved since then!) - it was appallingly inaccurate - almost to the point of being offensive and laughable. The scary thing is that this information is what Southern Baptist missionaries come armed with. According to the website – Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism are infiltrating the country through 'ambitious East Indian businessmen'. - Mormonism and the religion of the JW’s are taught in public schools - 'Scots enjoy football (soccer), rugby, cricket, golf and Highland Games. On a sunny day beautiful parks are filled with families and their dogs..'

All this is fairly patronizing and harmless but when it comes to the report of the Celtic Languages team it becomes farcical – according to this report Scotland’s population is 7 million of whom 150,000 are potential Gaelic speakers. "The Celtic languages team targets the minority population of Scotland who speak Gaelic, an ancient Celtic language...At present there are few (literally to be counted on one hand) or no evangelical Gaidhlig-speaking churches with a Gaidhlig outreach in Scotland. It would be estimated that there are probably fewer than 50 fluent Gaidhligh- speaking evangelicals in Scotland" - lest those of you from Back (with several hundred Gaelic speaking believers) cry foul at this it is only fair to point out that the Missionary organisation go on to helpfully inform us that that there are currently no Gaelic speaking Baptist churches in Scotland. The implication is obvious. Real Christians are Baptist. Pity that no-one told Knox or Chalmers or Eric Alexander or Iain D. Campbell (one of the 50?).

As well as avoiding romanticism and stereotyping, realism means grasping and understanding the spiritual state of the nation. Scotland is in a bad way spiritually – but it is not helpful to act as though there were no evangelical Christians in the country nor is it helpful to come across with a superior mindset which screams ‘I am here to tell you how it should be done’. There is a distinct lack of humility in some of the presentations I have seen.

I once looked at a missionary team where young girls hardly out of high school were described as providing ‘church leadership’. Everyone wants to have a ministry that is considered ‘significant’ by their peers (It is a good job that Christ was not like that – he emptied himself). A worthwhile ministry is not achieved by down playing or ignoring the number of fine native Christians who are already labouring in this part of the vineyard.

It is also helpful to be realistic about what you can do. I have met men who tell me with a straight face that their mission is to bring revival to Scotland and Ireland; to unite the churches, to ‘disciple tomorrows leaders today’, ‘develop a CPM (church planting movement) that will envelop the whole nation for Christ’. Much of this is the Christian equivalent of spin and corporate business talk. Meaningless except to those schooled in the jargon. It is better to be honest. I know that saying you are running a pensioners club in a rundown area of an inner city is not quite the same as ‘bringing revival to Scotland’, but it is more realistic.

Of course your work could result in far greater blessing but you cannot promise that and you do not know that. The trouble is that American missionaries are often funded by individuals or churches who want to know what their money is achieving. Plus there is a lot of competition for a limited amount of cash – and when there is any kind of recession it is missionary work that often gets hit first – so each missionary is in the unenviable position of having to sell their work in order to obtain funds to continue it. In such circumstances it is not surprising that jargon and exaggeration come into play.

And the passion? Realism can sometimes come across as lifeless defeatism. That is not what we need. We need people who recognise the need, who have moved beyond the ‘Braveheart’ kilt and heather view of Scotland, who know their own weaknesses but who are passionate about Jesus Christ, his Gospel and the people of Scotland. And who are self-effacing.

2) People centred ministry.
Which brings us on to the question of methodology. Why are the Southern Baptists seeking to plant churches in Dingwall and Tain? These are hardly unchurched places – both small towns having good Free Churches, evangelical Church of Scotland’s, the APC and charismatic groups etc? What is the thinking and the strategy behind that? The thinking is betrayed in their websites view of other churches – real Christians are Baptist, (and real Baptists are Southern) or at least they should be because their churches are dead. At best the strategy seems to be non-existent. At worst it is a blatant attempt to plant a church, not in one of the many urban housing schemes where there is little or no gospel, but rather in an area where it is easier to get disaffected ‘Christians’ from the already established churches.

In terms of methodology - combine the system of raising finance; with Arminian theology, cultural insensitivity and a business 'success' model and you have real potential for a disaster. Why? Because these factors combined together mean that there is an enormous pressure on the missionary to be seen to be successful. Those who are funding you demand results - that means bottoms on seats. It means numbers. In order to be able to report home that God is at work through you and therefore people should be supporting you, you need to highlight the growth and the numerical increase. For that to happen in postmodern Scotland the easiest way is to go to an area where there are a significant number of churches (which you consider to be pretty dead) and poach.

Given the manpower and money it only takes a modest level of competency to gather 50 plus people. You can then send reports of how you have established a church (or to use the jargon - 'how God is working through you') and your supporters back home will be happy. But at what cost? I do not deny that the Lord can and does bless even through such methods. Of course there are people who are genuinely converted but there is also harm done - some churches are weakened, others are tempted to try such short-termism and overall the impact of the gospel on the community is severely weakened.

The methodology adopted should not be that of the commercial venture but rather that of the Lord. He came to save people and to glorify his Father. In many ways he was a disaster in terms of what the world would regard as success. For us, following Christ means that we will be people centered rather than programe centred. And I don’t mean that just as a soundbite or a neat turn of phrase. I am tired of being offered this program for church revitalization, or that proven method of evangelism, or this program to ‘reach Scotland for Christ’.

Of course there is value in looking at different methods and strategies. Of course there are new ways of doing things. And of course some of these programs are excellent. But we really do need to beware of the program mentality. It is often easier to sell a method than it is to live Christ. It is also sometimes far more lucrative – especially for the author. Several people have written, phoned and even visited offering ‘their’ particular brand or program. They come with all the right words (‘we are your servants… we want to help you reach Scotland) and as far as one is allowed and able to judge these things, their motives are admirable, but their agenda is very limited. They are answerable to a higher authority and it’s not the Lord. Their church or their mission board has told them they must use this program and that any help offered is conditional upon that. So what do you do if you are a Scottish minister in desperate need of help and someone comes and offers you untold riches – the only catch being that you must do it their way? If you think that what is offered is harmful or not appropriate then you must refuse. That is not easy.

In summary then our methodology is to be people centred and focused not so much on what the ‘folks at home’ might think. It needs to be relevant and culturally appropriate in Scotland. And Biblical. Which brings us onto the third requirement.

3) Biblical God centred theology
There is a tendency in some of our churches to divide the world into those who are theological and those who are mission minded. That is a fatal error. For both theology and mission. In terms of the latter it often leads to people saying that theology does not really matter – all that matters is getting the gospel/Jesus to people. The problem with that statement is that the gospel is theology and theology is Jesus. When theology becomes a dry academic discipline, used only to justify church division then it becomes blasphemous. When it is full of Christ then it is essential.

In terms of mission in Scotland we do not need any more Arminian evangelism. I do wish Reformed Christians would stop being emotionally bullied into supporting any and every work that claims to be Christian (providing it only sells itself well). I know the Lord can and does use it (I met a lovely Arminian Baptist from Alabama the other day – I am sure that the Lord will continue to use him. His grace and humility shone threw) but that does not mean that we should give into the notion that Reformed evangelism is a misnomer. There are far too many ‘Reformed’ Christians who think that we can evangelise like Arminians and then teach like Calvinists. Again the success model and the pressures thereof sometimes force us to act in that way.

I find it ironic that you will get mission teams ‘bringing the gospel to Scotland’ who think that they have done so by going and singing in St Giles in Edinburgh. St Giles is a bastion of theological liberalism. It is the church where Jenny Geddes flung her stool at the preacher when he tried to use Laud’s liturgy. Yet now her Presbyterian descendants celebrate their Scottishness and their Knoxian heritage by supporting a church which Knox would not be seen dead in!

I question how theologically valid it is to send mission teams over to ‘prayer walk’ the Highlands. Why not just come on a walking holiday and don’t use the ‘mission tag’? I have been offered clowns and drama groups, choirs and basketball players. Again don’t get me wrong – I actually believe there is a place for clowns and drama groups. That place is the circus and the theatre – or perhaps the school and the market place. I don’t say that to be facetious. We need more Christians involved in the popular arts. My objection is to calling that mission or evangelism – just because it is done in ‘a Christian way’ or tracts are handed out.

I believe that Christians should be involved in the wider culture and that there is a place for the fine Christian groups in the US who are involved in these things to come over here on culture trips.. But we need a lot more than that.

We also need a lot more than short term mission teams – which are often more for the benefit of the people who come and the sending church than they are for the recipients. Sometimes Congregational Mission Committees even use these as ‘vision’ trips to stimulate interest. But mission should not be sold like that. Certainly let people come on ‘vision’ trips to see what the need is and what might be done – but again please do not call that mission.

For any sending Church the criteria must not be – what can we get out of it, but rather what can we put in? Again let me stress that I support the idea of short term mission teams. We have had several very beneficial ones in St Peter’s. I have led about 12 to other churches. However the ‘hit and run’ type of outreach as so often exemplified by these teams is one of the least effective form of outreach one can do. Or at least it is if it is not part of a longer term relationship which gives a boost to the ongoing work and which can therefore be continued and followed up. Which brings us on to the last point.

4) Partnership
The key to work in Scotland is for the American Presbyterians/Baptists/Pentecostals to come and partner with us. Scots must resist the temptation to think that we do not need help and we must also resist the temptation to see the American Church as some kind of cash cow – that we have to woo or sell the ‘vision to. We must also avoid any kind of cultural or spiritual superiority or snobbery (we need to take the beam out of our own eyes before the take the spec out of our brothers).

Americans on the other hand must avoid seeing us as a ‘project’. And they too must avoid cultural or spiritual superiority. It does not really matter if Europeans did not think that George W was the best thing since sliced bread or do not want to eat hormonised beef. American missionaries are not here to defend or proclaim American culture – they are here to proclaim and live Christ. The fact of a MacDonald’s opening in Moscow should not be seen as an advance for the gospel! What is more important is that we can work together in partnership in the cause of the gospel. We can learn from each other as we proclaim Christ together and who knows , perhaps we Scots may be able to be of some help to our American brothers and sisters as well?

American Presbyterians owe us a debt of love. It was the Scots who took Presbyterianism over to the US and it was the Scots who helped fund and plant Presbyterian churches in the US. Now we need the favour returned. Not just by romantic ‘Scots celebration’ services in memory of Knox, nor by reading lots of books about the Covenanters, nor just by sending the occasional holiday tour/mission trip, but we need your help. We need commitment, sacrifice, prayer and trust.

In the years since I first wrote this article I am aware of several Scottish ministers, theologians and students who have been 'called' to the US. I am not aware of any experienced American minister coming over here. Can I make a plea to the American church – if you are going to continue to cherry pick our best people could you in return heed the Macedonian cry to come over and help us? And please send us your best – no other sacrifice is good enough for the Lord.

PS. I have to add this - given the reaction already. Firstly this was not written about any specific individual (that should be obvious) - secondly it is not just about any particular group (the Southern Baptists are only mentioned as one example) whether MTW, PCA, ARP's new work in Leith, etc. I am talking about general trends and patterns.

Thirdly it should also be obvious that I am very grateful for those Americans (like John Wagner now an FC minister doing a great job in Inverness, or Terry Carlton who did a power of work here in Dundee, and several others too numerous to name) who have worked hard and sacrificially for the Lord here. However I am also aware that we have a reputation of sending home missionaries from Europe in general and Scotland in particular, in 'body bags'.

Unrealistic expectations, pressures from home, inexperience, the tough spiritual climate, lack of understanding are some of the many reasons why this happens. As we say in Scots 'its a sair fecht' (its a tough fight), but then as Christians what do we expect? I thought we were to take up our cross - not just go to the places and people that seem to be more attractive.

I don't think this is a problem that is particular to one nationality - it seems to me endemic in Western Christianity that our own personal comfort and situation is the priority (and I include myself in this). How can we do mission like that? Perhaps we need a deeper awareness of Christ and ourselves, before we think we can change the world?

Another PS....here is an example of what I was writing about....just came across this today..."Scotland, we have found to be a spiritually cold nation. Many of its churches are practically empty with many of them being occupied by Muslims. Secularism is the modern day God. We have been preaching and taking mission teams there since 2002. The Baptist Union has become quite liberal. It is also completely Armenian. There is no Reformed witness or churches within the Baptist Union. The state churches, Church of Scotland, etc. are very liberal. There is a Presbyterian presence, mostly thru the Free Church of Scotland. But there is a very small Reformed Baptist presence in Scotland. We feel led to ask God to raise up Reformed Baptist Churches across Scotland, the U K and Europe according to His Will."

It is really important that people get facts right....'many' of Scotland's churches are not occupied by muslims, there ARE reformed churches and witness within the Baptist Union, the Presbyterians churches are not mainly through the Free Church, and not all the State churches are 'very liberal'. ( on a slightly more amusing note I am intrigued that the Baptist Union is completely Armenian....personally I thought it was full of Turks!).

There also seems to be the usual problem of equating the church of Jesus Christ with one particular group. Of course there then follows an appeal for money. Now I have nothing against this particular group and we do pray that the Lord will bless them in the particular situation they are in. But a great deal more humility, awareness of the situation, and a greater vision for the Gospel in Scotland (rather than just their own particular group) would be helpful. As indicated above we need more churches and groups committed to evangelism in Scotland....but this is not the way to win friends and influence people!

The views expressed in this article are not necessarily those of The Aquila Report.

Pray Without Ceasing!

"Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." - 1 Thessalonians 5:17

"Christians who are much in secret prayer, and in meditation and contemplation, rather than they who are more in hearing, reading and conference, are men of greatest life and joy, because they are nearer the source of the fountain, and have all more immediately from God Himself." - Richard Baxter

My brothers and sisters, do not let up in your prayers but pour more of yourself to it.  Do you know how prideful you are?  That you, in your practice, live as though you are a god.  Because you lack in falling to your knees and crying out to the Lord, you act as one who is superior and lord, and yet quite the opposite is true.  You are weak, sinful, and unworthy and thus in all we do, we need to come before the Lord, seeking Him and His wisdom, righteousness, love, and grace.  When you get into your car to drive somewhere, who is governing your vehicle and your body?  Who sends the weather and maintains the roads?  The same questions can be posed for all of life.  The answer is the Lord God Almighty, maker of the heavens and the earth. Fly to Him often and you will be carried along by His grace. 

38th PCA General Assembly (2010): Overtures 3-5, 8

Already, we have covered Overtures 1 and 2, but now we turn to some more overtures which have just made an appearance on the PCA General Assembly website. 

Overtures 3 and 4 concern the desire to expand or revise boundaries of presbyteries.  These overtures won't even go before the Overtures Committee, but sometimes it is interesting to look at.  Overture 4 comes from Central Georgia Presbytery and doesn't seem like anything out of the ordinary to receive two more countries from Savannah River Presbytery, who also overtured the General Assembly with Overture 8 to confer with  Overture 4.  Overture 3 though is of some interest to me.  The Pacific Northwest Presbytery is asking that all of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho be included in their presbytery. Sometimes I wonder why presbyteries like Pacific Northwest don't break up into two different presbyteries, especially considering the distance needed to travel and the number of churches already in the presbytery (currently given that this overture will probably be approved, there will be 29 churches, including mission works, in the presbytery).  

Now you see presbyteries this large in other parts of the country like my own, Mississippi Valley Presbytery, which has over 30.  However, my presbytery is very small in size geographically, which allows everyone to be able to drive not too far to get to each presbytery meeting.  Rocky Mountain Presbytery has 28 churches in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana.  Logically, you would think that Montana having 5 churches, Wyoming having 3 churches, and Idaho having 1 that they would want to become their own presbytery.  I wonder why that wasn't what happened.  

But that is very minor compared to Overture 5.  Let us move on...quickly!  Stepping off my soapbox onto another, we come to Covenant Presbytery's Overture that will go before the Overtures Committee.  Here is the overture:

Whereas, the 37th General Assembly amended the language of BCO 59-1 and 59-6 to read:

59-1. Marriage is a divine institution though not a sacrament, nor peculiar to the Church of Christ. It is proper that every common wealth, for the good of society, make laws to regulate marriage, which all citizens are bound to obey insofar as they do not transgress the laws of God (Acts 5:29).

59-6. Marriage is of a public nature. The welfare of society, the happiness of families, and the credit of Christianity, are deeply interested in it. Therefore, the purpose of marriage should be sufficiently published a proper time previously to the solemnization to it. It is enjoined on all ministers to be careful that, in this matter, they obey the laws of the community to the extent that those laws do not transgress the laws of God as interpreted by the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church in America; and that they may not destroy the peace and comfort of families, ministers should be assured that, with respect to the parties applying to them, no just objections lie against their marriage;

and

 Whereas, the BCO 26-2 currently reads:

26-2. Amendments to the Book of Church Order may be made only in the following manner:

1. Approval of the proposed amendment by majority of those present and voting in the General Assembly, and its recommendation to the Presbyteries.
2. The advice and consent of two-thirds (2/3) of the Presbyteries.
3. The approval and enactment by a subsequent General Assembly by a majority of those present and voting; and

and

Whereas, the General Assembly voted to change the language of BCO 59-1 and 59-6 contrary to the specifications laid out in BCO 26-2; and

Whereas, the General Assembly made such changes on the grounds that BCO 59-1 and 59-6 were non-binding sections of the BCO; and

Whereas, our desire is for unanimity and clarity in the manner by which we amend our Book of Church Order;

Therefore be it resolved that BCO 26-2 be amended as follows (new text in bold and underlined):

26-2. Amendments to any portion of the Book of Church Order, whether constitutionally binding or not, may be made only in the following manner:

1. Approval of the proposed amendment by majority of those present and voting in the General Assembly, and its recommendation to the Presbyteries.
2. The advice and consent of two-thirds (2/3) of the Presbyteries.
3. The approval and enactment by a subsequent General Assembly by a majority of those present and voting.

Rationale:
The definition of which portions of the Book of Church Order must be amended according to the procedure outlined in 26-2 is clearly ambiguous, as demonstrated by the actions of the 37th General Assembly. Therefore, the above overture seeks to remove this ambiguity, and give clarification and re-affirmation to the manner by which any portion of the Book of Church Order may be amended.

Look now at the Rationale.  This amendment to the BCO is being called for because of actions of the 37th General Assembly.  I hope this is a good post for elders because of what happened last year.  Last year, the Moderator made a mistake.  And to clarify, I am not thinking the Moderator did it on purpose.  I personally think he didn't know what he was doing and/or had done when the overture from Central Carolina Presbytery came a second time to the floor after having been sent back to the Overtures Committee to amend BCO 56 on marriage.  The overture called for the 56th chapter to become constitutionally binding and not just 'a suggestion'.  Because of this, there were some who wanted the language fined tuned more before it became constitutionally binding.  There were others who thought the language was already fine.  And yet still others, who thought that the Assembly needed to act now because of BCO 26-2 that would at least take one more year to get this to become a reality.  

But in the midst of it all, we as an Assembly, acted contrary to BCO 26-2.  You see BCO 26-2, sections 2 and 3?  Yeah, we basically bipassed those and when the overture came back from the Overtures commitee we approved it.  If memory serves me, the vote we had somehow made the BCO change right then and not go to the presbyteries (section 2) and not come back this year at the 38th GA (section 3).  And it was because of one little mistake by the Moderator. 

And so this year, Covenant Presbytery is coming with an overture to change the BCO where the mistake was made to make it more clear.  I don't know what I think about this overture, to change BCO 26-2.   I'm not a lawyer or anything but I like what Covenant Presbytery wants out of this, to have the General Assembly do what it is supposed to when it comes to BCO amendments.  However, right now I think the BCO is already clear.  In the Rationale, it says that it is clearly ambiguous, but I will have to disagree.  I think it is very easy to understand.  That's why there were many after the decision of the Moderator last year who were in a hub-bug.  Because they knew BCO 26-2 (that is one of the main things you learn before ordination for your exams).  Everyone knew it was wrong because the BCO is clear. 

It says, "Amendments to any portion of the Book of Church Order, whether constitutionally binding or not, may be made only in the following manner:"  To add the Bold and Underlined portions, really doesn't add much of anything.  That is already clear in the fine print.  So I think at this time, I would have to vote against this Overture even though I agree with what the people of this overture want out of it.  What needs to happen is for elders to stand up and make a complaint (BCO 43) when a court makes a mistake.  We can do something when we see mistakes and yet last year no one did anything.  May this be a learning experience for us all.  Whether you are a member of your church, an elder, member of presbytery, or a delegate to General Assembly, know what is supposed to happen and what you are able to do in your Church, at Presbytery, and at General Assembly.  In other words, read and know the Book of Church Order.  In doing so, you will be faithfully maintaining the peace and purity of the Church.

Hello, World

It's good to join a team with like-minded Reformed pastors, and I'm grateful to Andrew for the invitation to participate. My main concern in posting here will be the organic connection between doctrine and practice. One cannot have the one without the other. I intend to show that doctrine is practical, and good practice cannot help but be doctrinal. The gap between doctrine and practice is due mostly to the Enlightenment, not to anything biblical, and certainly not to anything Reformed. The Enlightenment, especially as Kant saw it, produced a separation of the mind and the heart, or between the spiritual and the physical. As a result, everything has become more and more fragmented in our societies. And one of the biggest and baddest separations has been the one between doctrine and practice.

A Call To Attend The Prayer Meeting

Take great heed to these words, which come from a sermon by Charles Spurgeon on Zechariah 8:21.

"And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts: I will go also." - Zechariah 8:21

One of the first signs of God’s Presence among a people is that THEY TAKE GREAT INTEREST IN DIVINE WORSHIP. “The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of Hosts.” It is clear from this that they no longer despise assemblies for worship and no longer count Divine service to be a weariness. On the contrary, they begin to value the means of Grace and desire to make good use of them. The first solemn assembly mentioned here is the Prayer Meeting and certainly one of the surest tokens of a visitation of God’s Spirit to a community is their delighting to meet for prayer.  The first cry of the people mentioned in our text was, “Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord.” It is no statement of mine, suggested by unreasonable zeal, but it is the result of long-continued observation when I assert that the condition of a Church may be very accurately gauged by its Prayer Meetings. 

If the spirit of prayer is not with the people, the minister may preach like an angel, but he cannot expect success. If there is not the spirit of prayer in a Church there may be wealth, there may be talent, there may be a measure of effort, there may be an extensive machinery, but the Lord is not there. It is a sure evidence of the Presence of God that men pray as the rising of the thermometer is an evidence of the increase of the temperature.

As the Nilometer measures the rising of the water in the Nile, and so foretells the amount of harvest in Egypt, so is the Prayer Meeting a “Graceometer,” and from it we may judge of the amount of Divine working among a people. If God is near a Church it must pray. And if He is not there, one of the first tokens of His absence will be slothfulness in prayer. God’s people, by their saying one to another, “Let us go speedily to pray,” manifest that they have a sense of their needs—they feel that they need much, much that Nature cannot yield them—they feel their need of Divine Grace, their need of quickening, their need of God’s help if sinners are to be converted. They feel their need of His help if even those who are saved are to be steadfast—their need of the Holy Spirit that they may grow in Grace and glorify God. He who never prays surely does not know his own needs and how can he be taught of the Lord at all? God’s people are a people sensible of their needs and therefore the absence of a sense of poverty is a sad token.

Moreover, the love which God’s people have for prayer shows their desire after heavenly things. Those who frequently meet together for importunate, wrestling prayer, practically show that they desire to see the Lord’s Kingdom come. They are not so taken up with their own business that they cannot afford time to think of God’s business. They are not so occupied with the world’s pleasures that they take no pleasure in the things of God. Believers in a right state of heart value the prosperity of the Church and, seeing that it can only be promoted by God’s own hand, they cry mightily unto the Lord of Hosts to stretch out His hand of mercy and to be favorable to His Church and cause.

Church members who never pray for the good of the Church have no love for it. If they do not plead for sinners they have no love for the Savior and how can they be truly converted persons? Such as habitually forsake the assembling of themselves together for prayer may well suspect the genuine character of their piety. I am not, of course, alluding to those who are debarred by circumstances, but I allude to those who, from frivolous excuses, absent themselves from the praying assemblies. How dwells the love of God in them? Are they not dead branches of the vine? May they not expect to be taken away before long? Earnest meetings for prayer, indeed, not only prove our sense of need and our desire for spiritual blessings, but they manifest most our faith in the living God, and our belief that He hears prayer, for men will not continue in supplication if they do not believe that God hears them. Sensible men would soon cease their prayers if they were not convinced that there is an ear which hears their petitions. Who would persevere in a vain exercise?

Our united prayers prove that we know that God is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. We know that the Lord is able to work according to our desires and that He is willing to be entreated of us. I have never known a thirsty man by a well who would not use the bucket which was there ready to hand unless, indeed, he was of the opinion that the well was dry. I have never known a man who wanted wealth and had a good trade, who would not exercise his trade. And so I have never known a man who believed prayer to be really effectual and felt his great needs who did not engage in prayer.

It is an ill token to any community of Christians when prayer is at a low ebb, for it is clear evidence that they do not know their own needs, they are not anxious about spiritual things and neither do they believe that God will enrich them in answer to their petitions. Beloved, may we never, as a Church, deserve censure for neglecting prayer! Our meetings for prayer have excited general astonishment by their number, but they are not all they might be. I shall put it to the conscience of each one to say whether you are as prayerful as you should be. Did you ever hear of a Church member who had not attended a Prayer Meeting for a month? Do you know of Church members who never assemble with the Brethren so much as once in a quarter of a year? Do you know of any who have not been to a Prayer Meeting in this place for the last six months? Do you know such?

I will not say I know any such. I will do no more than hint that such people may exist. But if you know them will you give them my Christian love and say that nothing depresses the pastor’s spirit like the absence of Church members from the public assemblies of prayer, and that if anything could make him strong in the Lord, and give him courage to go forward in the Lord’s work, it would be if all of you were to make the prayer meeting your special delight? I shall be satisfied when I see our prayer meetings as crowded as the services for preaching. And it strikes me if ever we are fully baptized into God’s Spirit, we shall arrive at that point. A vastly larger amount of prayer ought to be among us than at present and if the Lord visits us graciously He will set us praying without ceasing.

But next, these people also took an interest in meetings for instruction. I find that the Chaldee translates the second sentence, “Let us seek the doctrine of Jehovah of Hosts.” The Lord’s coming near to any people will be sure to excite in them a longing to hear the Word. God sends impulses of enquiry over men’s minds and suddenly places of worship become crowded which were half empty before. Preachers, also, who were cold and dead become quickened and speak with earnestness and life. No doubt waves of religious movement pass over nations and peoples—and when God comes to a people the crest of that wave will be seen in this form—that the kingdom of Heaven becomes an object of interest and men press unto it!

During the revival under John the Baptist, the people went in crowds into the wilderness to hear the strange preacher who bade them repent. The revival under the Apostles was marked by their everywhere preaching the Word and the people listening. This was the great token of the Reformation—meetings were held under Gospel Oaks, out upon the commons and away in lone houses—and in glens and woods men thronged to listen to the Word of God! The professionals of popery were forsaken for the simple preaching of the Truth of God! This also marked the last grand revival of religion in our own country under Whitfield and Wesley. The Word of the Lord was precious in those days.  And whether the Gospel was preached among the colliers of Kingswood or the rabble of Kennington Common, tens of thousands were awakened and rejoiced in the joyful notes of Free Grace.

Men loved to hear the Word—they said to one another, “Let us seek the Lord.” It is said that Moorfields would be full of light on a dark winter’s morning at five o’clock when Mr. Whitfield was to preach because so many people would be finding their way to the rendezvous, each one carrying a lantern. And so also over there in Zoar Street, in Southwark, when Mr. John Bunyan was out of prison and was going to preach, a couple of thousand would be assembled at five o’clock in the morning to enjoy his honest testimony.

Master Fox in his, “Acts and Monuments,” speaking of the time when the Reformation was breaking out, uses language something to this effect—“It was lovely to see their travels, earnest seeking, burning zeal, Bible reading, watching, sweet assemblies, resort of one neighbor to another for conference and mutual confirmation.” And, he adds, “All which may make us now to blush for shame in these, our days, of free profession.”

We may take the good man’s hint and feel shame for neglected opportunities, cold devotions and disregard of the Word of God. Our fathers loved to meet for prayer and to hear the preaching of the Truth of God. And when they came together it was with an intensely earnest desire to obtain the Divine blessing. To get this they risked life and liberty, meeting, even, when fine and imprisonment, or perhaps the gallows might be their reward. O to see the like earnestness among ourselves as to the means of Grace! May the Lord Jesus send it to us by the working of His Holy Spirit.

Another sign of God’s visiting a people in mercy is that THEY STIR EACH OTHER UP TO ATTEND UPON THE MEANS OF GRACE, for “the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord.”

That is to say, they did not merely ask one another to go if they casually met. They did not bring in the subject accidentally if they could do so readily in common conversation—but the inhabitants of one city went to another on purpose to exhort them! They made a journey about it. As men go to market, from town to town, so did these people try to open a market for Christ—and not only one messenger, but many of the inhabitants of one city went on purpose all the way to another city, with set design, to induce them to join in worship, saying, “Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord.”

They put themselves out of the way to do it. They had such a desire that great numbers might come together to worship the Most High that they took much trouble to invite their neighbors. God will be with us, indeed, if each one of us shall be anxious to bring others to Jesus, and to that end shall try to bring them to hearken to the Word of God. Why were these men so earnest? The reply will be, they persuaded others to come to the meetings for worship out of love to God’s House, to God’s cause, and to God Himself. God’s House is honored and beautified when great numbers come together. The ways of Zion do mourn and languish when but few assemble for prayer. Christ has promised to be where two or three are met together in His name. Still, it is not helpful to comfortable fellowship for a mere handful to meet in a large house. We feel like sparrows alone on the housetop when such is the case.  

Observe in our text there does not appear to have been any minister or missionary employed to go from one city to another, and to say, “Let us go and pray,” but the inhabitants, themselves, undertook the duty of invitation and persuasion, and said, “Let us go and pray unto the Lord.” The people, themselves, attended to mutual provocation to love and to good works! How I wish they did so now! They did not wait for the exhortations of one specially set apart to be a prompter and an organizer. But their own hearts were so warm that they did it spontaneously among themselves! My Brothers and Sisters, may you thus be pastors to one another! There are far too many of you for me to look after personally, therefore I pray you stir one another up to every good word and work.

I believe that when a man stirs others up it is good for himself, for a man cannot, in common decency, be very cold, himself, who bids others be warm. He cannot, surely, unless he is an arrant hypocrite, be negligent of those duties which he bids others attend to! Beloved, I commit this charge to you, and then I have done with this point. This morning I ask you to visit one another and to say, “Come, let us not as a Church lose the Presence of God after nearly 20 years’ enjoyment of it. Let not our minister’s hands grow weak by our neglect of prayer. Let not the work of the Church flag through our indifference, but let us make a brotherly covenant that we will go speedily to pray before the Lord and seek the Lord of Hosts, that we may retain His Presence and have yet more of it, to the praise of the glory of His Grace.”

I must pass on to notice that it appears from our text that it is a sure mark of God’s visiting a people, when THEY ARE URGENT TO ATTEND UPON THESE HOLY EXERCISES AT ONCE. The text says, “Let us go speedily to pray,” by which is meant, I suppose, that when the time came to pray, they were punctual, they were not laggards. They did not come into the assembly late. They did not drop in, one by one, long after the service had begun—but they said, “Let us go speedily.” They looked up to their clocks and said, “How long will it take us to walk so as to be there at the commencement? Let us start five minutes before that time lest we should not be able to keep up the pace and should, by any means, reach the door after the first prayer.”

I wish late comers would remember David’s choice. You remember what part he wished to take in the House of God? He was willing to be a doorkeeper and that not because the doorkeeper has the most comfortable berth, for that is the hardest post a man can choose. But he knew that doorkeepers are the first in and the last out and so David wished to be first at the service and the last at the going away! How few would be of David’s mind! It has been said that Dissenters in years gone by placed the clock outside the Meeting House so that they might never enter late. But the modern Dissenters place the clock inside, that their preachers may not keep them too long! There is some truth in the remark, but it is not to our honor.

This was, however, a fault with our forefathers, for quaint old Herbert said—“O be drest, stay not for th’ other pin: why you have lost a joy for it worth worlds.” Let us mend our ways and say, one to another, in the language of the text, “Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord.” Let us go with quick feet. If we go slowly to market, let us go quickly to Prayer Meeting. If we are slow on week days, let us go quickly on Sunday. Let us never keep Jesus Christ waiting and we shall do so if we are not on time, for He is sure to be punctual, even if only two or three are met together in His name. The expression, however, means more than this. “Let us go speedily” means, let us go heartily—do not let us crawl to prayer, but let us go to it as men who have something before them which attracts them.

When the angels serve God they never do it as though they were half asleep. They are all alive and burning like flames of fire. They have six wings and, I guarantee you, they use them all! When the Lord says, “Gabriel, go upon My bidding,” he outstrips the lightning! O, to exhibit some such ardor and zest in the service of God! If we pray, let us pray as if we mean it! If we worship, let us worship with our hearts. “Let us go speedily,” and may the Lord make our hearts to be like the chariots of Amminadib for swiftness and rapidity—glowing wheels and burning axles may God give to our spirits—that we may never let the world think we are indifferent to the love of Jesus. “Let us go speedily.”

The words, “Let us go speedily,” mean—let us go at once, or instantly. If any good thing has been neglected and we resolve to attend to it better, let us do it at once. Revivals of religion—when is the best time for them? Directly! When is the best time to repent of sin? Today! When is the best time for a cold heart to grow warm? Today! When is the season for a sluggish Christian to be industrious? Today! When is the period for a backslider to return? Today! When is the time for one who has crawled along the road to Heaven to mend his pace? Today! Is it not always today?

And, indeed, when should it be? “Tomorrow,” you say. Ah, but you may never have it! And, when it comes, it will still be today. Tomorrow is only in the fool’s almanac—it exists nowhere else. Today! Today, let us go speedily! I beseech the Church of God here to be yet more alive and at once to wake up. Time is flying—we cannot afford to lose it. The devil is wide awake, why should we be asleep? Error is stalking through the land, evil influences are abroad everywhere! Men are dying, Hell is filling, the grave is gorged and yet is insatiable—and the man of destruction is not yet satisfied. Shall we lie down in wicked satisfaction, yielding to base laziness? Awake, arise, you Christians! Now, even now, lest it be said of you, “Curse you Meroz, says the Lord, curse you bitterly the inhabitants thereof, because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.”

I know we are all apt to think that we live in the most important era of history and I admit that under certain aspects every day is a crisis, but I claim liberty to say that there never was a period in the world’s history when Christian activity, and prayerfulness, and genuine revival were more needed than just now. Where is our nation? Is it not on the very verge of becoming, once again, a province of the Pope’s dominion? Are not the modern Pharisees compassing sea and land to make proselytes? Does it not seem as if the people were gone mad upon their idols and were altogether fascinated by the charms of the Whore of Babylon, and drunken with her cup? Do you not see everywhere the old orthodox faith forsaken, and men occupying Christian pulpits who do not believe, but even denounce the doctrines which they have sworn to defend?

Might I not say of Christendom in England, that “her whole head is sick and her whole heart faint”? The daughter of Zion staggers in the street for weakness—there is none to help her among all her sons—all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they have become her enemies. Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper. Her Nazarites were purer than snow and their separation from the world was known of all men—but now they are defiled with worldliness until they are blacker than a coal! From the daughter of Zion her beauty is departed. O you that love her, let your hearts sound as a harp for her! O you that love her, weep day and night for her hypocrisy, for unless the Lord returns unto her the time of her sore distress draws near. Thus says the Lord, “Arise, cry out in the night season, pour out your hearts like water before the Lord, and then the Lord will return and be gracious to His inheritance.”

When God visits a people they will not only attend to prayer and preaching, and stir each other up to do so at once, but THEY WILL HAVE A SPECIAL EYE TO GOD IN THESE DUTIES. Observe, they shall say, “Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of Hosts.”  Beloved, how different is my text from that formal worship into which it is so easy to fall. “I have been to the Prayer Meeting. I have done my duty and I can go home satisfied. I have taken a seat at the Tabernacle and listened to two sermons on Sunday—I feel I have done my duty.”

Oh, dear Hearer! That is a poor way of living! I need a great deal more than all that or I shall be wretched. At the Prayer Meeting I must see God, I must pour out my soul before Him! I must feel that the spirit of prayer has been there and that I have participated in it, otherwise what was the good of my being there? I must, when in the assembly on Sunday, find some blessing to my own soul! I must get another glimpse of the Savior! I must come to be somewhat more like Him! I must feel my sin rebuked, or my flagging Graces revived! I must feel that God has been blessing poor sinners and bringing them to Christ! I must feel, indeed, that I have come into contact with God, or else what is my Sunday  worth, and what is my having been in the assembly worth? If God shall bless you, indeed, you will worship spiritually and you will count nothing to be true worship which is not of the spirit and of the heart and soul.

It is a blessed sign of God’s visiting a people when  EACH ONE OF THEM IS RESOLVED, PERSONALLY, THAT HE WILL, IN A SPIRITUAL MANNER, WAIT UPON GOD. Notice the last four words. “I will go also.” “Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of Hosts: I will go also.” That is the point—“I will go also.” The Christian man should neither be content, when he goes to worship, to leave others behind, nor should he be content to drive others before him and stop behind himself. It is said of Julius Caesar that he owed his victories to the fact that he never said to his soldiers, “Go,” but always said, “Let us go.” That is the way to win. Example is mightier than precept!

We read of the Pharisees of old that they laid burdens on other men’s shoulders, but they themselves did not touch them with one of their fingers—true Christians are not so. They say, “I will go also.” Was not that bravely spoken of poor old Latimer, when he was to be burnt with Ridley. Ridley was a younger and stronger man, and as he walked to the stake, old Latimer, with his quaintness about him to the last, cried to his Brother, Ridley, “Have after, as fast as my poor old legs can carry me.” The dear old saint was marching to his burning as fast as he could—not at all loath to lay his aged body upon the altar for his Lord! That is the kind of man who makes others into men—the man who habitually says, “I will go also; even if I am called to be burned for Christ. Whatever is to be done or suffered, I will go also.”

I would be ashamed to stand here and say to you, “Brothers and Sisters, pray. Brothers, preach. Brethren, labor,” and then be an idler myself. And you, also, would be ashamed to say to others, “Let us pray. Let us be earnest,” while you are not praying and not earnest yourselves. Example is the backbone of instruction! Be, yourself, what you would have others be and do, yourself, what you would have others do. “I will go also,” because I need to pray as much as anybody else. I will go to hear the Word, for I need to hear it as well as others. I will go and wait upon God, for I need to see His face. I will cry to Him for a blessing, for I need a blessing. I will confess my sin before Him, for I am full of sin. I will ask mercy through the precious blood of Jesus, for I must have it or perish.

“I will go also.” If nobody else will go, I will go. And if all the rest go I will go also. I do not want to pledge any of you this morning. I shall not, therefore, ask you to hold up your hands, but I should like to put it very personally to all the members of this Church. We have enjoyed the Presence and blessing of God for many years in a very remarkable manner and it is not taken from us. But I am jealous, I believe it is a godly jealousy and not unbelief—lest there should be among us a slackness in prayer and a lack of zeal for the Glory of God. I am fearful of a neglecting of the souls of our neighbors, and a ceasing to believe to the full in our mission and in the call of God to be, each one of us, in this world as Christ was, saviors of others.

My Brothers and Sisters, knit together as we are in Church fellowship and bound by common cords to one blessed Master, let each one say within himself, “I will go also.” The Church shall be the subject of my prayer. The minister shall share in my petitions. The Sunday school shall not be forgotten. The College shall be remembered in supplication. The Orphanage shall have my heart’s petitions. I will plead with God for the Evangelists. I will consider the congregation at the Tabernacle and pray that it may gently melt into the Church. I will pray for the strangers who fill the aisles and crowd the pews that God will bless them. Yes, I will say unto God this day, “My God, You have saved me, given me a part and lot among Your people and put me in Your garden where Your people grow and flourish. I will not be a barren tree, but abound in fruit, especially in prayer. If I cannot do anything else I can pray. If this is my one mite, I will put that into the treasury. I will put You in remembrance and plead with You, and give You no rest until You establish Your cause and make it praise in the earth.”

I am not asking more of you than Jesus would ask, nor do I exact anything at your hands—you will cheerfully render that which is a tribute due to the infinite love of your Lord. Now, do not say, dear Brother, “I hope the Church will wake up.” Leave it alone and mind that you wake up yourself. Do not say, “I hope they will be stirred up this morning.” Never mind others! Stir up yourself. Begin to enquire, “Which Prayer Meeting shall I go to, for I mean to join the people of God and let them hear my voice, or at least have my presence. And if I cannot go to the Tabernacle I will drop in near my own house. And if there is no meeting there I will open my own house—the largest room of any cottage shall be used for a Prayer Meeting—or my parlor if I have one. I will have a share in the glorious work of attracting a blessing from the skies. I will send up my electric rod of prayer into the clouds of blessing to bring down the Divine force.”

Do it! Do it! Let each one say, “I will go also.” May God bless this Word to His people, and I am sure it will result in benediction to sinners.

PCA 38th General Assembly Overture 2

The deaconess issue will occupy a prominent place in General Assembly deliberations once more this summer thanks to a pre-emptive strike by Central Carolina Presbytery (CCP). The overture (number 2) heads off a very different overture that is expected to come before the Assembly from Metro-Atlanta Presbytery (MAP). [Editorial Note: a similarly worded yet very distinct overture was just approved by Evangel Presbytery on February 9, Overture 7. Also Overture 9 from Eastern Carolina Presbytery has been submitted and is exactly like CCP's Overture 2.]  The two could not be more diametrically opposite. The proposed MAP overture reads:

WHEREAS, the biblical office of elder was instituted by a divine commandment, “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Gather for me seventy men whom you know to be elders of the people and officers over them and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand with you. And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you so that you may not bear it yourself alone.’” (Numbers 11:16-17) See also 1Timothy 5:17 and Hebrews 13:7-17; and,

WHEREAS, this plurality of elders was continued in the development of synagogues into the Second Temple Era and into the New Testament; and,

WHEREAS, Scriptures specify that Elders are set apart and necessary for every local church and the broader Church,

1.Acts 14:23: “And when they [Paul and Barnabas] had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”

2.Titus 1:5: “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you…” (See also Acts 11:30; 13:1; 15:2, 4, 22; 20:17; 1Timothy 4:14; James 5:14; 1Peter 5:1-2; and Philippians 1:1); and,

WHEREAS, the Presbyterian Church in America Book of Church Order, in obedience to Scripture, therefore, requires a plurality of elders for the particularization of a local church (BCO 5-9) and for the ongoing functioning of a local church (BCO 12-1); and,

WHEREAS, the office of elder is that of spiritual and ecclesiastical governance, “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching” (1Timothy 5:17). (See also Acts 20:28; [BCO 12-5]); and,

WHEREAS, the New Testament office of deacon was established, not by the direct revelation of a divine command, but by apostolic prudence, and not in a governing office but as an office of service, Acts 6:2 – 4 “‘It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.’”; and,

WHEREAS, Scripture establishes standards for deacons, 1Timothy 3:8: “Deacons likewise, must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.”; and,

WHEREAS, Scripture reveals that only the churches of Philippi (Philippians 1:1), Ephesus (1Timothy 3:8-13) and Jerusalem (Acts 6:1-6) are specified as having deacons, though Phoebe in the church at Cenchreae was called a deacon by Paul in Romans 16:1: “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant [Greek: diakonos] of the church at Cenchreae…”; and,

WHEREAS, the diaconal ministry is that of sympathy and service, not of spiritual and ecclesiastical governance, and any authority that may be attached to the office of deacon is a derivative authority, with plurality of elders serving as the final authority in a local church (BCO 9-1; 9-2; 9-6); and,

WHEREAS, though the office of deacon is “ordinary and perpetual,” (BCO 9-1) it is not one that is an absolute necessity for the particularization (BCO 5-10) or ongoing ministry (BCO 9-2) of a local church; and,

WHEREAS, in the PCA, individuals at all levels of the church, including missionaries, vacation Bible school workers, Sunday school teachers, Women in the Church officers, and countless other church workers (both men and women) have been commissioned throughout the entire history of the PCA and the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod; and,​

WHEREAS, upon completion of Joining and Receiving (J & R), the RPCES practice of commissioning deaconesses was carried over to the PCA, (Minutes of the Ninth General Assembly, PCA, 1981, p. 305); and,

WHEREAS, the RPCES had conducted a detailed study of the issue of deaconesses during the period 1974-8 and adopted the following resolution:

“Resolved: that in light of the action of the 155th General Synod, we do not recommend allowing each particular church within the domination to determine whether its diaconate shall include men as well as women, nor that they be allowed to ordain a woman as a deacon. We also remind churches that they are free to elect Spirit filled women as deaconesses and to set them apart by prayer (156th General Synod Minutes of the RPCES, 1978, pp. 133-134). (A copy of the full study report is attached); and,

WHEREAS, in connection with J & R, the PCA acknowledged the practices of denominations so received by stating, “In receiving these denominations, the Presbyterian Church in America recognizes the history of the respective denominations as part of her total history and receives their historical documents as valuable and significant material which will be used in the perfecting of the Church (Minutes of the Ninth General Assembly, PCA, 1981, p. 305); and,

WHEREAS, the PCA Book of Church Order, (since its First Edition, published in 1975, and continuing to the present in the Sixth Edition) authorizes its church Sessions to appoint “godly men and women of the congregation to assist the deacons in caring for the sick, the widows, the orphans, the prisoners, and others who may be in any distress or need.” (Emphasis added)

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Metro Atlanta Presbytery hereby overtures the 38th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America to amend Book of Church Order 9-7 to include the following sentence to be placed at the end of the section

“These assistants to the deacons, selected by means determined by each Session, may be commissioned, but not ordained.

The entire section 9-7, therefore, would read:

“9-7.​It is often expedient that the Session of a church should select and appoint godly men and women of the congregation to assist the deacons in caring for the sick, the widows, the orphans, the prisoners, and others who may be in any distress or need. These assistants to the deacons, selected by means determined by each Session, may be commissioned, but not ordained.”

Without all the "whereas" statements, this overture might not initially appear to be about deaconesses. It is in fact the practice of many PCA churches to have commissioning services for missionaries, teachers, etc. The problem with the overture lies not so much in what it is asking the Assembly to do (i.e. permit the commissioning of diaconal assistants), but in fact lies with the "whereas" statements, statements which are rife with poor exegesis and theology and clearly have the eventual ordination of women to the diaconate in mind. Let's look at some of the worst.

WHEREAS, the New Testament office of deacon was established, not by the direct revelation of a divine command, but by apostolic prudence, and not in a governing office but as an office of service, Acts 6:2.

This statement has a couple of problems. First it is simply a poor statement of apostolic authority. While it is true that no direct divine command was ever given regarding the establishment of the diaconate, if we reject apostolic authority in the church as part of the culmination of God's revelation in Christ, then we really have to tear all of the epistles out of our Bibles, don't we? But since the church is built on the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20), then we have believe that the divinely inspired record of their first command to the church was correct and authoritative.

Second, saying that the Seven of Acts 6 only engaged in a ministry of service ignores the rest of the biblical record. Acts 6:8 tells us that Stephen was working "great wonders and signs." In Acts 8, Philip, one of the Seven, taught, preached, worked miracles, and even baptized! (C.f. Acts 21:8) One can only say that the biblical model for deacons is merely one of service if one is selective in his exegesis.

WHEREAS, Scripture establishes standards for deacons, 1Timothy 3:8: “Deacons likewise, must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.”

Again, if apostolic command is not divine command...well, we have more problems than one of polity.

Phoebe in the church at Cenchreae was called a deacon by Paul in Romans 16:1: “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant [Greek: diakonos] of the church at Cenchreae…”;

Ah, Phoebe, who is supposed to prove that the early Christian church had deaconesses. In reality, Phoebe does not help the position. Let's talk about her.

First she is  in fact called a diakonon, the Greek word from which we get our word "deacon." The noun is feminine, so it is lexically possible to translate the word "deaconess," but is that a valid translation? Not clearly.

First, the Greek word does not necessarily mean "deacon" in the sense that we do. It appears 28 times in the New Testament (outside of this passage). Eight times the word refers to household servants. Twice it refers to pagan government officials. Twice it refers to Christ himself. Seven times it refers to pastors. Three times it refers to false apostles. Paul uses it of himself four itmes. Only twice does it refer to an office of the Church. Think about that, Gentle Reader. Only 7% of the times that diakonos appears in the Scripture, does it actually refer to the office of deacon. Since the only infallible interpreter of Scripture is Scripture and since we interpret obscure passages by clear ones, why do egalitarians hang so much on Phoebe? Because she serves their purposes. Coveniently ignored are the usages that refer to unbelievers, apostles, pastors, and Christ himself.

Second, the fact that the feminine form is used (diaknonon) really proves nothing. English does not apply gender to words for the most part, but Greek did. Phoebe was a woman, so we can only say for certain that it was grammatically proper to refer to her in the feminine. More than that is sheer speculation.

But, it is objected, Phoebe is called a "diakonon of the church in Cenchrea." That MUST mean she served the church in an official capacity. But all the phrase proves was that she was associated with and served that church, not that she was an officer of it.

Next, consider the qualifications of the office of deacon in 1 Timothy3:8-12. While not obvious in English, the Greek employs masculine nouns/verbs nine times in these verses. (The identification of the "women" in verse 11 does not clearly point to deaconesses. Rather, since verse 12 says that deacons should be "one woman men," employing the same word for "women" as in verse 11, it seems much more likely that verse 11 refers to the wives of deacons and not deaconesses.)

Given the flexibility of the term diakonos in the Bible and the clearer statements of 1 Timothy, it seems reasonable to conclude that Phoebe was not a deacon in the sense that we use the word. In short, Phoebe provides very weak evidence, if any at all, that the early church had deaconesses.

WHEREAS, upon completion of Joining and Receiving (J & R), the RPCES practice of commissioning deaconesses was carried over to the PCA, (Minutes of the Ninth General Assembly, PCA, 1981, p. 305); and,

WHEREAS, the RPCES had conducted a detailed study of the issue of deaconesses during the period 1974-8 and adopted the following resolution:

“Resolved: that in light of the action of the 155th General Synod, we do not recommend allowing each particular church within the domination to determine whether its diaconate shall include men as well as women, nor that they be allowed to ordain a woman as a deacon. We also remind churches that they are free to elect Spirit filled women as deaconesses and to set them apart by prayer (156th General Synod Minutes of the RPCES, 1978, pp. 133-134). (A copy of the full study report is attached); and,

WHEREAS, in connection with J & R, the PCA acknowledged the practices of denominations so received by stating, “In receiving these denominations, the Presbyterian Church in America recognizes the history of the respective denominations as part of her total history and receives their historical documents as valuable and significant material which will be used in the perfecting of the Church (Minutes of the Ninth General Assembly, PCA, 1981, p. 305);

This is a pure ad populum argument that proves nothing. While the PCA did allow the RPCES to keep their deaconesses, the RPCES agreed to submit to our polity, which specifically forbids deaconesses from being ordained.

Finally,

WHEREAS, the PCA Book of Church Order, (since its First Edition, published in 1975, and continuing to the present in the Sixth Edition) authorizes its church Sessions to appoint “godly men and women of the congregation to assist the deacons in caring for the sick, the widows, the orphans, the prisoners, and others who may be in any distress or need.” (Emphasis added)

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Metro Atlanta Presbytery hereby overtures the 38th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America to amend Book of Church Order 9-7 to include the following sentence to be placed at the end of the section

“These assistants to the deacons, selected by means determined by each Session, may be commissioned, but not ordained."

Now we come to the rub. By the overture's own admission, it is the practice of churches to commission people for various endeavors without ordaining them. The "whereas" statements make it clear, however, that the over-arching motivation here is to publicly set women apart as deaconesses. (One is forced to wonder what male assistants to the deacons would be called.)

And this is really the challenge. Post-moderns would have us believe that words essentially are meaningless, but that is manifestly not so. Words communicate ideas and ideas have consequences.

Take for instance an unfortunate choice of words I made in a theology class once. I referred to the Person and work of God. My theology professor jumped all over the phrase, reminding me that God is three Persons, not one. Now I am no modalist, so I hastily changed my language because words...ideas...have consequences. They really do here. To call female assistants to the diaconate "deaconesses" (leaving the poor male assistants in the cold), is to obfuscate the meaning of the word "deacon" and can only lead to further confusion, disorder, and theological decline in our denomination.

Now, consider the text of Overture 2 from Carolina Presbytery, which has at its heart, the concept that words do actually have meaning:

Whereas, the PCA is grateful to God for the outstanding and selfless work done by the women of PCA congregations and freely acknowledges that the ability of the church to minister to a lost and dying world depends in large part on the self-sacrificing volunteer spirit of our female members; and

Whereas, the PCA also believes that, the officers of the Church, by whom all its powers are administered, are, according to the Scriptures, teaching and ruling elders and deacons (BCO 1-5) and that in accord with Scripture, these offices are open to men only (BCO 7-2); and

Whereas, the PCA believes that scripture teaches that the officers of the church are to be ordained not commissioned. (BCO 17, 12-5, 8-6); and

Whereas, while some RPCES congregations had women on their diaconates, the RPCES resolved as part of the J&R agreement with the PCA to "Amend the existing doctrinal standards and Form of Government of the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod, by substituting for them the doctrinal standards and Book of Church Order of the Presbyterian Church in America" * ; and

Whereas, several churches in the PCA currently elect and commission women to the office of deacon and call them by the title deacon or deaconess and allow them to serve on the diaconate; and

Whereas, BCO 9-7, which states that women may be selected and appointed by the session of a church to serve as assistants to the deacons, is often cited as pretext for this practice of electing and commissioning female deacons;

Therefore, Central Carolina Presbytery hereby overtures the 38th General Assembly to amend BCO Chapter 9-7 by adding the words:

These assistants to the deacons shall not be referred to as deacons or deaconesses, nor are they to be elected by the congregation nor formally commissioned, ordained, or installed as though they were office bearers in the church.

So that the revised version would read:

9-7. It is often expedient that the Session of a church should select and appoint godly men and women of the congregation to assist the deacons in caring for the sick, the widows, the orphans, the prisoners, and others who may be in any distress or need.  These assistants to the deacons shall not be referred to as deacons or deaconesses, nor are they to be elected by the congregation nor formally commissioned, ordained, or installed as though they were office bearers in the church. 

Central Carolina's Overture nails the issue and what is at stake here. If you want to commission the assistants to the diaconate, male and female, do so. But let's be clear in our terms, shall we?

Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching (Review)

Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching is a must read for every Pastor and those aspiring to the office.  

There is not that much to say about this book because of its makeup, except to say that it is split up into eleven different chapters with a different author for each chapter. To understand what a goldmine there is here, just check out the Table of Contents:

1. The Primacy of Preaching (R. Albert Mohler Jr.)

2. The Foolishness of Preaching (James Montgomery Boice)

3. Expository Preaching (Derek W. H. Thomas)

4. Experiential Preaching (Joel R. Beeke)

5. The Teaching Preacher (R.C. Sproul)

6. Preaching to the Mind (R.C. Sproul Jr.)

7. Preaching to the Heart (Sinclair Ferguson)

8. Preaching with Authority (Don Kistler)

9. Evangelistic Preaching (Eric Alexander)

10. Preaching to Suffering People (John Piper)

11. A Reminder to Shepherds (John MacArthur)

Enjoy!

Are Teaching Elders More Important Than Ruling Elders?

Well, Ruling Elders is that what you think?  Or Teaching Elders is that what you believe?  It is time for the Ruling Elder to take his place as a shepherd of Christ's Church not only in position/office but in reality.  Here is a great post dealing with the on-going problem of the Federal Vision in the PCA and the role of the Ruling Elder in Presbyterianism.   

Does It Happen That You Forget Jesus?

How often is it that we forget Jesus?  Every day some person takes your heart.  Your husband, your wife, you child, a loved one, a friend...  Every day some material possession steals your focus away.  Your money, your house, your car, your toys, your pet...  Every day some earthly pleasure comes to be the center of your universe.  You become fixated on this world, when it is this world that leads you down to the very pits of hell.  It is the world which puts before you such things which seem so succulent, chocolate, candy and other goodies, when in reality those things contain the hidden razor blades. 

But don't you know that you have not received a spirit from this world, but the Spirit who is from God?  Don't remain enslaved to this world any longer.  You are not slaves of this world and sin, but of the Lord Jesus Christ and His righteousness.  How can you forget the One who humiliated Himself so you could be exalted?  How can you forget the One who sacrificed Himself so you could live?  How can you forget the One who became sin on your behalf so you would be the righteousness of God in Him?  How can you forget the One who loved you with an unending love?   O this beloved is Jesus, your Master, Your Savior, Your King, Your Redeemer, Your Life.  Forget Him not!

Please Consider Modesty

A friend recently referred me to a great article on Modesty by Terry Johnson.  It is a must read for everyone.  Especially considering what I have experienced in the past, just in two churches (certainly, in almost every church I have gone to there has been some kind of issue with modesty).  The first was last week in worship in Jackson, Mississippi.  A girl with a see-through shirt. Good thing she was sitting in front of me.  Then I remember the teenager showing off her cleavage because of a low-cut shirt she wore during worship at a church in Northeast Misssissippi.  When I got up to exhort the congregation, she sat on the back left side of the meeting room.  Consequently, I preached primarily to those on the right side of the meeting room!  Now I understand, having lived with my wife, that all women aren't necessarily trying to get men to look at them when they wear such clothes.  But they have been influenced by the culture and as Christians are ignorant as it has to do with what men really see.  

So please let us think about our clothing.  One quote from the article is helpful for both males and females, "Given the strength of Jesus' warning about lust (it violates the 7th Commandment prohibiting adultery), the extreme measures that He urges to avoid it (plucking out our eyes, cutting off our hands), the direct Apostolic command to women to "adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly" (1 Timothy 2:7), and given that one comes to worship in order to promote sanctification and piety, it is remarkable that girls and women show up at churches dressed as they do (Matthew 5:30)."  Please consider modesty.

Jonathan Edwards' Resolutions (Part 1)

Many of you are familiar with the resolutions Jonathan Edwards made.  In the preface to his resolutions he said, "Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God's help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ's sake." 

Let us look at four of them individually:

"Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but to improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

Resolved, to maintain the strictest temperance in eating and drinking.

Resolved, never henceforward, until I die, to act as if I were any way my own; but entirely and altogether God's.

Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to act as I think I would do, if I had already seen the happiness of heaven, and the torments of hell."

The first resolution above concerns loving our Lord by keeping the eighth commandment.  That we wouldn't steal the time God has given to us or waste it.  Our Lord has given us His Word which says in Proverbs 18, "He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster." and in 2 Thessalonians 3, "For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies."  Let us not live as slothful or lazy, we do this all the time in our work, within our families.  But we can't lose one moment of time.  Our Lord and Savior has given each second to us, do not waste your life with frivolous pursuits.  What will it gain you?  More importantly, what will it gain for the Kingdom and His glory?  Nothing!  But to you have been revealed and taught the mysteries which in ages past were hidden from wise men, even the prophets.  You know who your Messiah is, you know who delivered you from all your sins. It was Jesus who is your propitiation (bearing the wrath you very much deserved for your sin).  O let us live for Him, serve Him, give up the pleasures of this life for Him, suffer for Him.  And the promise, if we endure, we will reign with Him, we will receive a righteous man's reward, we will receive eternal blessings in Christ Jesus that cannot be conceived of in our little minds.  Let us improve the time we are given in the most profitable way possible for His glory.  You will not be disappointed, but you will store up treasures in heaven.