Divinie Providence: Jackson Style

The Westminster Shorter Catechism question 11 is probably my favorite of all the WSC questions because it instills the greatest wonder and awe concerning our God.  It is that question dealing with the works of God's providence. 

"Question: What are God's works of providence?  Answer: God's works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions."

If only we could grasp the infinite meaning contained therein.  We cannot, but we can see outworkings of it in real life.  But first one from Scripture, when Balaam is riding his donkey and the angel of the Lord stands before the donkey where Balaam can't go any further.  Balaam thinks the donkey is acting up because he can't see the angel of the Lord.  But then the angel of the Lord appears and rebukes Balaam.  That is the way it is in our lives even when we can't see the Lord before us, he blocks us from continuing.  He is preserving and governing all his creatures and all their actions.

He did that yesterday to Kevin (where we could see it clearly).  Kevin was in from Colorado attending a funeral of a well-known man who was a member of Kevin's former church in Macon, MS.  He was scheduled to fly out of Jackson yesterday afternoon, but was providentially hindered.  Rest assured, no one here thinks Kevin was committing any sort of sin like Balaam (but maybe he was...?).  However, God, via His providence, uses things like storms in Texas (Dallas area) for His glory and our good.  Because of the circumstances, Kevin's flight now leaves today at 2pm.  This has opened up an opportunity for Ken and I to go down and meet Kevin for lunch (to bad Lane can't come). See, what a good thing that God has providentially directed.  If Kevin's flight hadn't been cancelled/delayed, Ken and I wouldn't have seen Kevin probably until next year.  But God is good.  There could be millions of other reasons Kevin had his flight canceled, but we may never know.

What is so interesting and amazing about this is that at the same time the Lord was sending storms through Texas and seeing to it that Kevin's flight was canceled, He was also preserving and governing all His other creatures (all men, women and children, all powers and authorities, the devil, angels, the souls in heaven, the bodies in the grave, animals, plants, all life, dirt, etc.) AND all their actions!  That is the omnipotent (all-powerful) and omniscient (all-knowing) God who demands your allegiance. 

PCA 38th General Assembly (2010): ALL OVERTURES

Overture 1 (addressed here) from New Jersey Presbytery concerning ministry to senior citizens

Overture 2 (addressed here) from Central Carolina Presbytery concerning amending BCO 9-7 (deaconesses)

Overture 3 (addressed here) from Pacific Northwest Presbytery concerning expanding boundaries

Overture 4 (addressed here) from Central Georgia Presbytery concerning revising boundaries

Overture 5 (addressed here) from Covenant Presbytery concerning concerning amending BCO 26 (BCO amendments)

Overture 6 (addressed here) from Evangel Presbytery concerning study of possible bi-annual GA meeting

Overture 7 (addressed here) from Evangel Presbytery concerning amending BCO 9-7 (deaconesses)

Overture 8 (addressed here) from Savannah River Presbytery concerning revising boundaries

Overture 9 (addressed here) from Eastern Carolina Presbytery concerning amending BCO 9-7 (deaconesses)

Overture 10 (addressed here) from Northern California Presbytery concerning amending BCO 1-4, 4-2, 5-10, 7-2, 9-2, 9-7 and adding BCO 9-8 (deaconesses)

Overture 11 (addressed here) from Blue Ridge Presbytery concerning amending BCO 5-3 (mission churches)

Overture 12 (addressed here) from Rocky Mountain Presbytery concerning communication with U.S. government over 'Don't ask Don't Tell' Policy

Overture 13 (addressed here) from Westminster Presbytery concerning BCO 9-7 (deaconesses)

Overture 14 (addressed here) from Westminster Presbytery concerning prohibiting intincture at General Assembly

Overture 15 (addressed here) from Potomac Presbytery concerning amending BCO 5-2, 5-3, 5-4, 5-8, 5-9, 5-10, 5-11 and adding new 5-5

Overture 16 (addressed here) from Tennessee Valley Presbytery concerning deaconesses

Overture 17 from South Texas Presbytery concerning directing MNA to petition U.S. Government over 'Don't ask Don't Tell' Policy

Overture 18 (addressed here) from Louisiana Presbytery concerning requiring last year's BCO amendment of chapter 59 to follow the procedure of BCO 26

Overture 19 from Western Carolina Presbytery concerning revising boundaries with Piedmont Triad Presbytery

Overture 20 from Susquehanna Valley Presbytery concerning possible virtual voting option for future General Assemblies

Overture 21 from Susquehanna Valley Presbytery concerning confusion of disaster efforts between MNA and MTW
Overture 22 from Savannah River Presbytery concerning communication with U.S. government over 'Don't ask Don't Tell' Policy
Overture 23 from Ascension Presbytery concerning the erection of a study committee on political and economic justice
Overture 24 (addressed here) from Northwest Georgia Presbytery concerning an 'Alternative' to the Strategic Plan
Overture 25 (addressed here) from Northwest Georgia Presbytery concerning the role of men and women in the offices of the Church
Overture 26 from Piedmont Triad Presbytery concerning revising boundaries with Western Carolina Presbytery
Overture 27 from Central Carolina Presbytery concerning revising boundaries with Eastern Carolina Presbytery
Overture 28 from South Florida Presbytery concerning a resolution on the sanctity of life

Imagine Heaven

Due to all the posts on PCA overtures, things need to be more pastoral around here.  So imagine heaven.

No mind has imagined

(Thomas Brooks, "A String of Pearls" 1657)

Surely there is no believer but who finds that sometimes
sin interrupts his joy, and sometimes Satan disturbs his
joy, and sometimes afflictions eclipse his joy. Sometimes
the cares of the world, and sometimes the snares of the
world, and sometimes the fears of the world--mar his joy.

Here on earth, our joy is mixed with sorrow; our
rejoicing with trembling. The most godly have . . .
  sorrow mixed with their joy,
  water mixed with their wine,
  vinegar mixed with their oil,
  pain mixed with their ease,
  winter mixed with their summer, etc.

But in heaven, they shall have . . .
  joy without sorrow,
  light without darkness,
  sweetness without bitterness,
  summer without winter,
  health without sickness,
  honor without disgrace,
  glory without shame, and
  life without death.

"In His presence is fullness of joy, and at His right
 hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11

Mark--
  for quality--there are pleasures;
  for quantity--fullness;
  for dignity--at God's right hand;
  for duration--forevermore.
And millions of years multiplied by millions, do
not make up one minute of this eternity of joy
which the saints shall have in heaven! In heaven
there shall be no sin to take away your joy, nor
any devil to take away your joy, nor any man
to take away your joy!

As they shall have in heaven pure joy, so they shall
have in heaven fullness of joy. Here on earth all joy
is at an ebb--but in heaven is the flood of joy! Here
shall be joy above joy, joy surmounting all joy. Here
shall be such great joys--as no geometrician can
measure; so many joys--as no arithmetician can
number; and such wonderful joys--as no rhetorician
can utter, had he the tongue of men and angels!

Sometimes great crosses, sometimes hard losses, and
sometimes unexpected changes--turn a Christian's
harping into mourning.

Here shall be joy within you, and joy without you,
and joy above you, and joy beneath you, and joy
about you. Joy shall spread itself over all the members
of your bodies, and over all the faculties of your souls.

In heaven,
  your knowledge shall be full,
  your love full,
  your visions of God full,
  your communion with God full,
  your enjoyment of God full,
  and your conformity to God full;
and from thence will arise fullness of joy.

If all the earth were paper, and all the plants of the
earth were pens, and all the sea were ink, and if every
man, woman, and child, had the pen of a ready writer;
yet they would not able to express the thousandth part
of those joys which saints shall have in heaven!

All the joy which we have here in this world is but
pensiveness--compared to that joy which we shall
have in heaven. All the pleasure which we have
here in this world is but heaviness--compared to that
joy which we shall have in heaven. All sweetness
which we have here in this world is but bitterness--
compared to that joy which we shall have in heaven.

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind
has imagined what God has prepared for those
who love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9

PCA 38th General Assembly (2010): Overture 18

Overture 18 comes to GA this year from Louisiana Presbytery.  I like the intent of this overture.  It seems to actually correct the problem that happened last year amending the BCO without following the correct procedure of BCO 26-2, where the Overture from Covenant Presbytery (of which I commented already on Overture 5) seeks to correct the BCO confusion that led to the problem last year. I am unsure if this will be in order or not, but again I do like the intent.

Overture 18 from Louisiana Presbytery states the following:

WHEREAS:

1. The 2009 General Assembly (GA) purported to amend Ch. 59 of the BCO to allow freedom of conscience to pastors.
2. The amendments added conscience clauses, to the effect that civil laws relating to marriage be obeyed only as long as they do not violate the laws of God.
3. There was a concern at the 2009 GA that with gay marriage becoming legal in several states, PCA pastors might be sued if they refused to perform such marriages.
4. The amendments in question were thought to give these pastors some protection in court by allowing them to say our BCO gives them the liberty of conscience to decline to perform such marriages.
5. The proponents of this overture supported the amendments, and believe they serve good purposes, but feel they were adopted in violation of the PCA’s Constitutional-change provisions.
6. The 2009 moderator ruled that he could just declare the BCO amended without any presbyteries consenting. The majority on the floor in 2009 wanted these amendments passed right away regardless of any Constitutional requirement to have 2/3rds of the presbyteries approve it. They supported the moderator’s illegal decision.
7. There was an explanation put forth that Ch. 59 was not “constitutional,” and therefore did not require the 2/3 presbyteries approval. That is patently not the case. The constitution is expressly defined to include the entire BCO.
8. It was bad precedent. It can and should be corrected. Otherwise, just forget the Constitution, and say any GA can do whatever a majority wants.
9. It could be corrected this way: Keep it all constitutional as it currently is, and belatedly submit the amendments to the presbyteries for, presumably, 2/3 of them to approve it.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED

Make a declaration that the 2009 General Assembly’s amendments to Ch. 59, without submission for advice and consent of two-thirds (2/3) of the Presbyteries, as required by Ch. 26-2 (2), was done improperly or improvidently, and that those 2009 amendments to Ch. 59 be forthwith submitted to the Presbyteries for their advice and consent.

PCA 38th General Assembly (2010): Overtures 11 and 15

Two overtures are coming before GA this year having to do with Church Planting and/or 'Mission Churches'.  Both of these overtures seek to change the language of BCO 5.  The first overture is more simple so I will address it first.  It comes from Blue Ridge Presbytery (Overture 11).  This overture states, 

Amend BCO 5-3 by deleting the words “of several” and adding “or more of the following” as shown below:

5-3. The mission church, because of its transitional condition, requires a temporary system of government. Depending on the circumstances and at its own discretion, Presbytery may provide for such government in one of several or more of the following ways:

1. Appoint an evangelist as prescribed in BCO 8-6.
2. Cooperate with the Session of a particular church in arranging a mother-daughter relationship with a mission church. The Session may then serve as the temporary governing body of the mission church.
3. Appoint a commission to serve as a temporary Session of the mission church.

The language change seems to be clear.  Instead of what might possibly be confusing of which a Presbytery might think they can only use one of the three ways, the change would allow the Presbytery to use any number from one to all three of the ways to establish a temporary system of government.  Seems good to me.  Do you have any qualms about this one?

The second overture comes from Potomac Presbytery (Overture 15).  It is rather lengthy dealing with amending the whole of Chapter 5 of the BCO.  To me, it seems like clarification is brought to Chapter 5 and nothing seems to be out of order.

The Overture seeks to amend BCO 5-2, -3, -4, -8, -9, -10 and -11, as shown below, and add a
new 5-5, renumbering thereafter:

Note: Strike-through for deletions; additions/revisions in bold and underlined.

CHAPTER 5

The Organization of a Particular Church

A. Mission Churches

5-1. A mission church may be properly described in the same manner as the particular church is described in BCO 4-1. It is distinguished from a particular church in that it has no permanent governing body, and thus must be governed or supervised by others. However, its goal is to mature and be organized as a particular church as soon as this can be done decently and in good order.

5-2. Ordinarily, the responsibility for initiation and oversight of a mission church lies with a Presbytery, exercised through its committee on Mission to North America, or by a Session, in cooperation with presbytery's committee on Mission to North America. However:, if the mission church is located outside the bounds of Presbytery, the responsibility may be exercised through the General Assembly's Committee on Mission to North America.

a. if an independent gathering of believers desires to form a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America, they shall submit to the appropriate presbytery a written request to be established as a mission church and, upon approval of said request, be assigned a temporary government (BCO 5-3),which government shall take steps to oversee the election of a pastor according to BCO 5-9.f.(1).

b. if the mission church is located outside the bounds of a presbytery, the responsibility may be exercised through the General Assembly’s Committee on Mission to North America or Committee on Mission to the World, as the case may be, according to the “Rules of Assembly Operation.” In such a case the powers of the presbytery in the following provisions shall be exercised by the General Assembly through its appropriate committee.

5-3. The mission church, because of its transitional condition, requires a temporary system of government. Depending on the circumstances and at its own discretion, Presbytery may provide for such government in one of several ways:

a. Appoint an evangelist in accordance with BCO 8-6.
b. Cooperate with the Session of a particular church in arranging a mother-daughter relationship with a mission church. The Session may then serve as the temporary governing body of the mission church.
c. Appoint a commission to serve as a temporary Session of the mission church. When a minister of the presbytery has been approved to serve as pastor of the mission church, he shall be included as a member of the commission and serve as its moderator.

5-4. At the discretion of the temporary governing body, members may be received into the mission church as prescribed in BCO 12. These persons then become communicant or non-communicant members of the Presbyterian Church in America.

5-4. Pastoral ministry for the mission church may be provided:

a. by a minister of the presbytery called by presbytery to serve as pastor, or

b. by stated supply (BCO 22-5, -6), or

c. by a series of qualified preachers approved by the temporary government (BCO 12-5.e.).

5-5. The temporary government shall receive members (BCO 12-5.a.) into the mission church according to the provisions of BCO 57 so far as they may be applicable. As members of the mission church those received are communing or non-communing members of the Presbyterian Church in America.

a. If there is a minister approved by Presbytery to serve the mission church as its pastor (BCO 5-4.a.), each member so received shall be understood to assent to the call of that minister and to affirm the promises made to the pastor in BCO 21-10.
b. Meetings of the members of the mission church shall be governed according to the provisions of BCO 25 so far as they may be applicable, and shall be conducted according to the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised.

5-6. Mission churches and their members shall have the right of judicial process to the court having oversight of their temporary governing body.
 

5-7. Mission churches shall maintain a roll of communicant and non-communicant members, in the same manner as, but separate from, other particular churches.

5-8. It is the intention of the Presbyterian Church in America that mission churches enjoy the same status as particular churches in relation to civil government.

B. The Organization of a Particular Church
5-8. A new church can be organized only by the authority of Presbytery. The Presbytery may proceed with the organization directly, or through an especially appointed commission, or through an evangelist to whom the Presbytery has entrusted the power to organize churches. In the organization of a church, whatever be the way in which the matter originated, the procedure shall be as follows:

1. The Presbytery shall receive and approve a petition subscribed to by those persons seeking to be organized into a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in America, appointing a time and date for a service of organization.
2. At the service and following the preaching of the Word, testimonials shall be presented to the Presbytery by such persons as are members of the church, if there be any, and applicants for admission to the church on profession of faith in Christ shall, on satisfactory examination, be received.
3. These persons shall in the next place be required to enter into covenant, by answering the following question affirmatively, with uplifted hand:

[See below – no change in wording of question]

4. The presiding minister shall then say:

[See below – only one word changed in pronouncement]

5. Action shall be taken to secure, as soon as practicable, the regular administration of the Word and Sacraments.

5-9. A new church can be organized only by the authority of Presbytery.

a. A presbytery should establish standing rules setting forth the prerequisites that qualify a mission church to begin the organization process, e.g., the minimum number of petitioners and the level of financial support to be provided by the congregation. The number of officers sufficient to constitutethe quorum for a session shall be necessary to complete the organization process.
b. The temporary government of the mission church shall oversee the steps necessary for organization.
c. When the temporary government determines that among the members of the mission congregation there are men who appear qualified as officers, the nomination process shall begin and the election conclude following the procedures of BCO 24 so far as they may be applicable.
d. The election of officers shall normally take place at least two weeks prior to the date of the organization service. However, the effective date of service for the newly elected officers shall be upon the completion of the organization service.
e. If deacons are not elected, the duties of the office shall devolve upon the session, until deacons can be secured.
f. If there is a minister approved by Presbytery to serve the mission church as its pastor, and members of the mission church have been received according to BCO 5-5, no further action with respect to the call of that pastor to the church to be organized shall be necessary. If no such minister has been appointed, or if the minister serving chooses not to continue as pastor of the newly organized church, a pastor shall be called as follows:

(1) The temporary government shall oversee the election of a pastor according the provisions of BCO 20 so far as they are applicable. If a candidate is to be proposed before the organization, the congregational meeting to elect a pastor shall take place at least two weeks before the service of organization. This may be the same meeting called for the election of other officers.
(2) The ordination and/or installation shall be according to the provisions of BCO 21 so far as they are applicable. The service may take place at the service of organization.

g. In order to proceed to organization as a particular church the members of the mission church shall sign a petition to Presbytery requesting the same.
h. Upon presbytery’s approval of the petition, presbytery shall appoint an organizing commission and shall set the date and time of the organization service.
i. At the service of organization the following elements shall be included in the order deemed by the organizing commission to be appropriate:

(1) The organizing commission shall ordain and/or install ruling elders and/or deacons according to the provisions of BCO 24-6 so far as they may be applicable.
(2) If a pastor is being ordained and/or installed at the service, the organizing commission shall act according to the provisions of BCO 21 so far as they may be applicable.
(3) A member of the organizing commission shall require communicant members of the mission church present to enter into covenant, by answering the following question affirmatively, with uplifted hand:

Do you, in reliance on God for strength, solemnly promise and covenant that you will walk together as a particular church, on the principles of the faith and order of the Presbyterian Church in America, and that you will be zealous and faithful in maintaining the purity and peace of the whole body? [note: no change in wording]

(4) A member of the organizing commission shall then say:

I now pronounce and declare that you are constituted a church according to the Word of God and the faith and order of the Presbyterian Church in America. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy GhostSpirit. Amen.

5-9. The following procedures shall be used in nominating and training ruling elders prior to organization and the election of a Session:

1. All men of the mission church (unless they decline) shall receive instruction in the qualifications and work of the office of ruling elder by the organizing commission or the evangelist.
2. These men shall be examined by the organizing commission or the evangelist concerning their Christian experience, their knowledge and acceptance of the constitutional standards of the church, and their willingness to assume the responsibility of the office of ruling elder according to the qualifications set forth in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. The organizing commission or the evangelist shallpresent a list of all who are found qualified to be nominated.
3. Not less than thirty (30) days prior to the date of election, petitioners shall submit, from the list of all those found qualified, nominations of members for the office of ruling elder to the Presbytery-designated organizing commission or evangelist.(Compare BCO 24-1)
4. The congregation will determine the number of ruling elders following proceduresoutlined in BCO 24-3 and 24-1.
5. At the organizing meeting ordination and installation shall follow the procedure setforth in BCO 24-6.
6. Those elected, ordained and installed ruling elders should meet as soon as is practicable to elect a moderator and a clerk. The moderator may be one of their own number or any teaching elder of the Presbytery with Presbytery's approval.

5-10. If deacons are elected, follow the procedures of (1) through (5) above. If deacons are not elected, the duties of the office shall devolve upon the ruling elders.

5-11. The following procedures may be used in the selection of a pastor in a newly organized congregation:

1. Not less than thirty (30) days prior to the date of organization the petitioners shall elect from their own body a Pulpit Nominating Committee. This election shall take place at a meeting of the petitioners announced at least one week in advance. Only those who have made a written commitment to membership in the new church are eligible to vote at this meeting.
2. The Pulpit Committee may report at the organizational meeting of the congregation, or any subsequent congregational meeting called for that purpose.
3. If at the organizational meeting a pastor is called who is a member of the organizing Presbytery, he may be installed at that time by the Presbytery or a Commission authorized by the Presbytery to do so. If the pastor elect is not a member of the organizing Presbytery, his call must be prosecuted under the provisions of BCO 21.

5-10. Upon organization, the newly elected session should meet as soon as is practicable to elect a stated clerk and formulate a budget. If there is no pastor, the session may elect as moderator one of their own number or any teaching elder of the Presbytery with Presbytery’s approval. Further, if there is no pastor, action shall be taken to secure, as soon as practicable, the regular administration of Word and Sacraments.

PCA Proposed Strategic Plan: Is It Presbyterian?

If you remember, about a month ago I wrote an article for The Aquila Report and asked, "Is the proposed PCA Strategic Plan Biblical?"  William Schweitzer asks today whether it is Presbyterian or not.  Below is the article.  In parenthesis is a number corresponding to the page number of the proposed strategic plan.

Thoughts on The PCA Strategic Plan: Is It Presbyterian?

 

There are some attributes of a thing that can be altered without compromising its basic character. You could remove the stone cladding of Buckingham Palace to reveal the red brick underneath and it would still be Buckingham Palace. Yet if you painted the White House even a pale shade of yellow, you would make it something other than the White House. 

 

Likewise, the Pentecostals can officially place leadership in the hands of people other than ordained elders and they will still be Pentecostals. However, it is doubtful whether you can do that in the Presbyterian Church in America without making it something else. So we ask just this basic question of the PCA Strategic Plan: is it Presbyterian? 

 

The Presbyterian form of church government is very simple. In accordance with Scripture and the Westminster Standards, all leadership at every level is exercised collegially by ordained elders. Nothing more (special officers exercising greater authority than rank and file elders by virtue of some quasi-permanent office) and nothing less (those who are not elders exercising any authority at all beyond that of casting their congregational vote) can truly be called Presbyterian. The Strategic Plan, however, proposes several initiatives that seem to run counter to this beautiful simple, biblical polity. 

 

First, the plan enhances the power of the agency Coordinators and the Cooperative Ministries Committee (CMC). References to the CMC “identifying,” “suggesting,” “picking,” “forwarding,” “approving,” and “reviewing” are littered throughout the document. Clearly, the plan intends for the Coordinators and the CMC to exercise authority in the PCA in ways other than that of ordinary elders acting through the courts of the church. Now there is nothing novel in hierarchical leadership and bureaucratic structures.  However, these things are proper characteristics of Roman Catholicism and Episcopalianism, not Presbyterianism.

 

Secondly, the plan would like us to “establish standards for voluntary certification of men and women for specific non-ordained vocational ministries” in order to “endorse the importance of lay men’s and lay women’s gifts in non-ordained church ministry” and “Gain”/ “Protect” their “insights & contributions” (22). Yet the Bible knows nothing of “voluntary certification” for “non-ordained vocational ministry.” Certified vocational ministry means that one has been called to it by God and set aside to it by the church. If this is the case, then the person must meet the qualifications that are established in the Pastoral Epistles and be ordained. If they do not meet the biblical qualifications, then “voluntary certification” is either meaningless or it creates a parallel track that will subvert the meaning of true ordination.

 

Third, the Strategic Plan wants to create more “seats at the table” for women (17). Indeed, one of our “resources/strengths” is listed as “Theological Respect for PCA in Broader Evangelicalism” with this minor exception: “except for actual position on women…” (16). That negative perception in the eyes of broader (more liberal) evangelicalism would not be a problem, unless one of our stated objectives is to acquire “Significant PCA Representation in Leadership of Major Evangelical Organizations” (16). Of course no one intends to ordain women in order to achieve this. But what does creating “seats at the table” mean? That women can advise elders on an informal basis? They can already do that. Or does it mean some official role in church leadership? That is what ordained elders do, and allowing women to teach or exercise authority over men is precisely what Paul specifically prohibits (1 Tim 2:12). 

 

Giving people a “voice” or a “seat at the table” is fundamentally about power. If it would not make any difference at all to give these non-ordained people voice and seat, why do it? No, of course it will make a difference. Outcomes will be changed. If nothing else, there will be a real shift of authority in the church to those who are not biblically qualified and rightly ordained elders. One must therefore question in what sense the proposed Strategic Plan can be considered Presbyterian, much less a blueprint for a better PCA.

_____________________

William M. Schweitzer is a MTW Church Planting Minister in Gateshead, England

How Near The Time Are We To Do This Again?

The following is not to suggest that we are there or that anyone desires this at all.  

If you had to guess given our current situation in the PCA, and assuming the PCA continued to drift in the same the way as it is currently, how long before we must do something like the following again?

A Declaration of Intent

As events began to point more strongly toward the formation of a new denomination, the following document was circulated among like-minded congregations, in the years leading up to the formation of the National Presbyterian Church [renamed a year later The Presbyterian Church in America]:

The ___________________________ Presbyterian Church of ____________________ has since its formation endeavored to be loyal to the Presbyterian Church in the United States and its Constitution.

The officers of this church have taken solemn vows to be zealous in maintaining the purity of the Church. In our opinion, some recent General Assembly pronouncements and programs have been contrary to the clear teaching of God's Word.

We believe that the time has come to take a definite stand against the continuing erosion of Presbyterian doctrine and polity which is taking place in the Presbyterian Church in the United States. We do hereby declare:

1. We reaffirm our faith in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the Word of God--the only infallible rule of faith and practice.

2. We reaffirm that we owe our primary allegiance to Christ--the great Head of the Church--rather than to any ecclesiastical body.

3. We stand ready to enter into fellowship with other like-minded congregations in preparing for a continuing Church which will be faithful to God's Word, loyal to historic Presbyterian doctrine and polity and obedient to the Great Commission.

We have adopted this declaration after much heart-searching and earnests prayer.

Adopted by the Session of _________________________ Presbyterian Church this _______ day of ________________, 197___.
Approved by the congregation this ________ day of __________________, 197___.
Attested by _______________________________

Parody On The State Of Evangelicalism ("Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer)

This is a sad video of the reality of a great deal of today's church.

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

Is Keeping The Fourth Commandment That Serious?

We are commanded to keep the Sabbath Day holy.  But how serious is it if we don't keep the commandment?  Numbers 15: 32-36 says, 

"Now while the sons of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering wood on the sabbath day. Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation; and they put him in custody because it had not been declared what should be done to him. Then the LORD said to Moses, 'The man shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.' So all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, just as the LORD had commanded Moses."

Yazoo City, MS Tornado Filmed

The following is a video clip from Reed Timmer who is a storm chaser and who is on the Discovery Channel show "Stormchasers". Please note that no one here approves of the language used in this video clip, but we wanted you to see at least the filming of the tornado in Yazoo City, MS. This town is 30 minutes south of me and 45 minutes North Northwest of Ken.

 

Please be in prayer for the people in Yazoo City and the surrounding regions.  Pray that they would receive the Gospel from the Christians serving there in Word and deed.  Pray also that the destruction and power that the Lord brings will cause the elect of God to see their sin and repent turning to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.