  Why is it that we in the Church often times choose our leaders in stupid ways? We have empty positions (elder, deacon, trustee, etc.) and we are much more interested in who is willing to fill these position than who is qualified to fill them. Moreover, we don't seem to have any strategy to help people become qualified. Is there any other organization in the world that operates like this and expects to survive? Can you imagine the Fortune 500 company that says to its employees: “Hands up anyone who wants to volunteer for leadership… we’ve got a few open slots to fill?” And yet this is exactly how many churches - particularly small churches - go about choosing their leaders. And larger church aren't doing much better. They typically tend to have budgets big enough to cobble together a multimember "professional" staff to oversee the various niche ministries offered by their respective church. While this might serve a pragmatic end and meet the needs of a large and diverse congregation one wonders if this approach more or less bypasses the biblical mandate to "equip the saints to do the work of the ministry" (Ephesians 4:12). With these things in mind I want to suggest that any church, large or small, need only look to the bible to find a reliable leadership model. Nowhere in the Bible will anyone find that church leadership is merely about filling slots - regardless of whether those slots are filled by volunteers or professionals. We are never to merely fill slots! Church leadership is a serious matter and thankfully God has not left us in the dark about it. In the Bible we draw out the following basic principles about leadership in the local church - they are to be detected, developed, and deployed. Let me explain: 1) Detecting: The elders and pastor of a local congregation should actively be on the lookout for perspective new elders and deacons to join them in the shepherding care of God's people. 2) Developing: Each local church should have a well designed mechanism for mentoring and training perspective leaders in various areas including – the biblical qualifications for leadership (I Timothy 3 & Titus 1), the doctrinal standards and distinctives of the church, and the organizational and operational norms of local leadership. 3) Deploying: Men who are qualified to lead and who are trained to lead must be turned loose to lead. Since All Souls Church is a fairly new church plant we needed to come up with a strategic program to help us accomplish these things - and we did so! Early in the Autumn of 2014 we launched a nine month course of study called F.I.O.T. (the Fraternal Institute for Officer Training). Our inaugural class is almost halfway through their coursework this year and they are doing excellent work. I have been both encouraged and blessed in the fellowship I have shared with my F.I.O.T. brothers. The stated rationale for F.I.O.T. is as follows: Our belief is that if All Souls Church is to be governed by Biblical and Reformed principles, and is to continue in its commitment to the faith once for all delivered to the saints, then it is necessary that all men seeking the office of elder or deacon should be committed to Christ, His Word and the church. Therefore FIOT will seek to accomplish two things. 1) It will equip perspective office-bearers to serve, if elected, with all of the knowledge and resources necessary for the fulfillment of the office. 2) It will ensure that all potential elders can make an honest, informed, and wholehearted affirmation of their ordination vows if and when they are given the opportunity. Some people might say that a 9 month course of study is a little much... but in my opinion it beats the pants off the "hands up whoever wants to lead" model of church leadership!  The actual men of F.I.O.T. deeply engaged in their pedagogical rigors. Today at 3:10 AM the Finest Man I Ever Knew Died in His Sleep |
| Join me and the gang as we explore the Reformation doctrine of "Sola Scripture" (Scripture Alone.) Also included in this episode is a discussion about the removal of the 10 Commandments from a local school... this is a good one! | "Sola Scriptura pt.1" |
Or Are Jesus and Santa Closer Than Most People Like to Think?
The Merrie Theologiane loves the odd bit of art. In this Christmas card for the Skinny Magazine, artist Nick Cocozza imagines the greatest head to head “in all history” – the patron saint of Xmas, who leads his devotees in a pilgrimage of Coca Cola consumerism each ‘winter holiday’, against baby Jesus (now grown up), the one who bangs on about the real meaning of Christmas (virgins, mangers, angels, wise men, asses, etc.). Just do a bit of letter jiggling, and it’s clear that Santa is Jesus’ sworn enemy! Right? Wrong!
If Santa and Jesus met (and most surely they already have!), Santa would be very much on Jesus’ side! The real Santa, is a great Hebrews 11 style witness to help us celebrate the coming of the Saviour of the world at Christmas time. Santa Claus/Sinterklaas/Saint Nicholas was a bishop in south eastern Turkey in the fourth century. Gift-giving, stockings, generosity, chimneys, being nice to children, bags of chocolate coins, all have their origins in the life and legends of old St. Nick.
The stories surrounding St. Nicholas – of selfless generosity and care for the poor (and the odd miracle!) – give us a glimpse of a man who was a great example of love for Jesus producing love for neighbour. So Claus and Christ are no enemies. But there was another occasion on which Santa Nicholas gave evidence of his great love for Jesus – and this one did involve some boxing…
Bishop Nicholas was one of the 318 in attendance at the famous Council of Nicaea in 325AD, from which we get our Nicene Creed. There was great controversy because Arius, a priest from Alexandria, was arguing that, though Jesus was fully human, he was not fully divine. On hearing Arius’ denigrating of Christ, ‘jolly old St. Nick’ got up and gave him a good slap round the chops! The rest of the council agreed with Nicholas, and Arius was condemned a heretic, but Father Christmas found himself behind bars for the night!
If Santa and Jesus met (and most surely they already have!), Santa would be very much on Jesus’ side! The real Santa, is a great Hebrews 11 style witness to help us celebrate the coming of the Saviour of the world at Christmas time. Santa Claus/Sinterklaas/Saint Nicholas was a bishop in south eastern Turkey in the fourth century. Gift-giving, stockings, generosity, chimneys, being nice to children, bags of chocolate coins, all have their origins in the life and legends of old St. Nick.
The stories surrounding St. Nicholas – of selfless generosity and care for the poor (and the odd miracle!) – give us a glimpse of a man who was a great example of love for Jesus producing love for neighbour. So Claus and Christ are no enemies. But there was another occasion on which Santa Nicholas gave evidence of his great love for Jesus – and this one did involve some boxing…
Bishop Nicholas was one of the 318 in attendance at the famous Council of Nicaea in 325AD, from which we get our Nicene Creed. There was great controversy because Arius, a priest from Alexandria, was arguing that, though Jesus was fully human, he was not fully divine. On hearing Arius’ denigrating of Christ, ‘jolly old St. Nick’ got up and gave him a good slap round the chops! The rest of the council agreed with Nicholas, and Arius was condemned a heretic, but Father Christmas found himself behind bars for the night!
So you see Christ vs. Claus is really very far from reality – and we should reclaim this great prize fighter of the faith for the Lord he loved! Gene Edward Veith suggests we need to tweak the Lapland mythology to suit this end: “Santa and his elves live at the North Pole where they compile a list of who is naughty, who is nice, and who is Nicean.” And maybe we need some new songs and TV shows too: "'Santa Claus Is Coming to Slap,' 'Deck the Apollinarian with Bats of Holly,' 'Frosty the Gnostic,' 'How the Arian Stole Christmas,' 'Rudolph the Red Knows Jesus.'"
So when you’re writing your letters to Santa this year, remember that a very very long time ago, he wrote one to you:
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father;
By whom all things were made both in heaven and on earth;
Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man;
He suffered, and the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven;
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
And in the Holy Ghost.
But those who say: 'There was a time when he was not;' and 'He was not before he was made;' and 'He was made out of nothing,' or 'He is of another substance' or 'essence,' or 'The Son of God is created,' or 'changeable,' or 'alterable'—they are condemned by the holy catholic and apostolic Church.
(This article reprinted by the generous permission of my friends at www.theologynetwork.org. All suspicious spellings are entirely due to the Merrie Theologiane's country of origin - a place outside of America where "The Language" is not written properly.)
So when you’re writing your letters to Santa this year, remember that a very very long time ago, he wrote one to you:
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father;
By whom all things were made both in heaven and on earth;
Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man;
He suffered, and the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven;
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
And in the Holy Ghost.
But those who say: 'There was a time when he was not;' and 'He was not before he was made;' and 'He was made out of nothing,' or 'He is of another substance' or 'essence,' or 'The Son of God is created,' or 'changeable,' or 'alterable'—they are condemned by the holy catholic and apostolic Church.
(This article reprinted by the generous permission of my friends at www.theologynetwork.org. All suspicious spellings are entirely due to the Merrie Theologiane's country of origin - a place outside of America where "The Language" is not written properly.)
NOW WITH THREE WAYS TO LISTEN...
1) Here
2) Thursdays @ 5pm on 107.1 FM, WWGH Radio
3) As an iTunes Podcast
1) Here
2) Thursdays @ 5pm on 107.1 FM, WWGH Radio
3) As an iTunes Podcast
"A Lesson From A Sandwich"
| Saturday I was wracked with hunger pains. The only solution – drive to McD’s and get a Fillet O’ Fish. Imagine then my surprise when taking the desired object out of its usual box I discovered that while the bun was correct, the tartar sauce was in its proper place, and the cheese was the kind one would normally expect, the fish was not. In fact, the fish was chicken… Yes! It was a Mc Fillet O’ Chicken sandwich. Clearly a mistake had been made! But as I stared crestfallen at the offensive fare I began to ponder something… How many mistakes had actually been made in the creation of this mutant sandwich? Was it only one – the mistaken meat-swap? Or was it several? Several, I concluded… Why? Because the absence of the fish was only the tip of the tentacle. This one fundamental mistake at the beginning meant that other mistakes would inevitably follow suit – namely 1) the blue and white box that said “Fillet O’ Fish” was incorrect, 2) the particular bun upon which the chicken rested was never intended for chicken, 3) the tartar sauce was inappropriately smeared on the wrong surface, and 4) the cheese was out of place. This one mistake at the beginning led to a long string of mistakes... Let me spiritualize the lesson of the Mc Fillet O’ Chicken… It seems to me that the same principle applies to worship: if we start with a mistake everything else will go wrong. In our day, perhaps the most common mistake among conservative, well-intentioned, evangelical churches is the belief that the purpose of Lord’s Day worship is evangelism. It’s not…. And the dangerous consequences of this mistake are seen on all sides in our day. With well-meaning zeal many churches measure everything in their services in light of the perceived expectations of the unbeliever who may wander through their church door on any given Sunday. Books about Church growth and evangelism are written that could be summarized thus: “Whatever we do we must not make unbelievers feel threatened, mystified, or intimidated on Sunday mornings.” And as this philosophy goes out the obvious mistakes follow. So much so that the way Christians have been worshiping God practically since the beginning is now strongly discouraged in many quarters. |  The actual fish sandwich in question - notice the complete lack of fish. "...one fundamental mistake at the beginning meant that other mistakes would inevitably follow suit..." |
In my own experience I have heard church leaders say things like:
“Unbelievers don’t know or understand hymns or metrical psalms – so let’s ignore these things!”
“Unbelievers don’t understand the Bible – so let’s either keep our readings brief or avoid the book altogether!”
“Unbelievers are uncomfortable with lengthy public prayers – we’ll keep them short!”
“Unbelievers are suspicious of preaching – so let’s make sermons short and ‘relevant.’ We’ll talk about … say… hot- button political issues, heartache, self-improvement, mere-morality, or the challenges of raising teenagers.”
And so the mistakes continue to multiply until the final product is as strange as my Mc Fillet O’ Chicken.
So how do we correct this?
By starting in the right place – with the first component of worship.
What is it?
Simply this; we must believe that Lord’s Day worship is not about unbelievers. It’s not about their wants, their musical tastes, their felt-needs, or anything else. Lord’s day worship is about God, His wants, His commands, His requirements. The concern of the worship of the Church is to please the Lord of the Church – our Faithful God who has taken great pains to reveal Himself in His Word. Our prayers, our praise – every element of our worship services – must be in accordance with the Scriptures. Above all the Word of God must be faithfully preached as the climatic act of public worship. Why? Because in faithful, expository preaching the Triune God of the Universe condescends to speak to His people.
Yes! Let the unbelievers in the door each Sunday! By all means, compel them to come in! But when they do, ensure that they get a glimpse of the glory of our God, a fearful understanding of His might, and a grasp of His wonderful grace in Christ Jesus. Whatever we do, let’s not stroke the affections of unbelievers, let’s not try our best to put them at ease, let’s not say to them through word or deed, “Now we know that you’re not interested in Christianity or the church so we have something else for you today.” No! The fact is, we DO NOT have anything else for them. If they don’t want our Savior who are we to suggest to them ways of spicing up their marriage? If they won’t hear our gospel who are we to offer them rules of conduct to make their jobs more satisfying? At the end of the day, all we have to offer them is a Prophet to teach them, a Lamb to take away their guilt, and a Shepherd-King to guide and protect them. In a word, all we have to offer them is the One we gather to worship each Lord’s Day – and He is enough. Yes, of course, we want our worship to be marked by intelligibility and clarity. But no! We do not want our worship to feel casual or “normal” to the unbeliever. Because what happens Lord’s Day by Lord’s Day is anything but “normal.” The great covenant making God is condescending to meet with His people once more in a special way. He is meeting with them around Word and Sacrament. He is renewing His covenant with them. Here is the Triune God in the midst of a people once dead in trespasses and sins who He has raised to newness of life. Here is the Triune God calling His people together and graciously giving the unbelieving world yet another sign that the Kingdom of God has indeed come. This is anything but “normal” and cannot truly be conducted casually if it is to have the ring of authenticity about it
As British pastor Geoffrey Thomas wrote in and article entitled Goat-Sensitive Worship:
“If the style and mode of our expression when we meet in God’s presence is just like that which the goats hear in the office or in the schoolyard life then we have failed them. We whom the Lord is seeking and saving are sensitive to their real needs... So our worship will be simple, spiritual, substantial, warm, reverent, characterized by free prayer, great hymns and metrical psalms climaxed in expository preaching and anchored in proven forms that quickly gain familiarity and so become better means of channeling people to the God we are serving, and away from noticing clever servants who are speaking.”
By the way, when I realized my Mc Fillet O’ Chicken was all wrong I exchanged it for a proper one. I would urge you by God’s grace to do the same.
“Unbelievers don’t know or understand hymns or metrical psalms – so let’s ignore these things!”
“Unbelievers don’t understand the Bible – so let’s either keep our readings brief or avoid the book altogether!”
“Unbelievers are uncomfortable with lengthy public prayers – we’ll keep them short!”
“Unbelievers are suspicious of preaching – so let’s make sermons short and ‘relevant.’ We’ll talk about … say… hot- button political issues, heartache, self-improvement, mere-morality, or the challenges of raising teenagers.”
And so the mistakes continue to multiply until the final product is as strange as my Mc Fillet O’ Chicken.
So how do we correct this?
By starting in the right place – with the first component of worship.
What is it?
Simply this; we must believe that Lord’s Day worship is not about unbelievers. It’s not about their wants, their musical tastes, their felt-needs, or anything else. Lord’s day worship is about God, His wants, His commands, His requirements. The concern of the worship of the Church is to please the Lord of the Church – our Faithful God who has taken great pains to reveal Himself in His Word. Our prayers, our praise – every element of our worship services – must be in accordance with the Scriptures. Above all the Word of God must be faithfully preached as the climatic act of public worship. Why? Because in faithful, expository preaching the Triune God of the Universe condescends to speak to His people.
Yes! Let the unbelievers in the door each Sunday! By all means, compel them to come in! But when they do, ensure that they get a glimpse of the glory of our God, a fearful understanding of His might, and a grasp of His wonderful grace in Christ Jesus. Whatever we do, let’s not stroke the affections of unbelievers, let’s not try our best to put them at ease, let’s not say to them through word or deed, “Now we know that you’re not interested in Christianity or the church so we have something else for you today.” No! The fact is, we DO NOT have anything else for them. If they don’t want our Savior who are we to suggest to them ways of spicing up their marriage? If they won’t hear our gospel who are we to offer them rules of conduct to make their jobs more satisfying? At the end of the day, all we have to offer them is a Prophet to teach them, a Lamb to take away their guilt, and a Shepherd-King to guide and protect them. In a word, all we have to offer them is the One we gather to worship each Lord’s Day – and He is enough. Yes, of course, we want our worship to be marked by intelligibility and clarity. But no! We do not want our worship to feel casual or “normal” to the unbeliever. Because what happens Lord’s Day by Lord’s Day is anything but “normal.” The great covenant making God is condescending to meet with His people once more in a special way. He is meeting with them around Word and Sacrament. He is renewing His covenant with them. Here is the Triune God in the midst of a people once dead in trespasses and sins who He has raised to newness of life. Here is the Triune God calling His people together and graciously giving the unbelieving world yet another sign that the Kingdom of God has indeed come. This is anything but “normal” and cannot truly be conducted casually if it is to have the ring of authenticity about it
As British pastor Geoffrey Thomas wrote in and article entitled Goat-Sensitive Worship:
“If the style and mode of our expression when we meet in God’s presence is just like that which the goats hear in the office or in the schoolyard life then we have failed them. We whom the Lord is seeking and saving are sensitive to their real needs... So our worship will be simple, spiritual, substantial, warm, reverent, characterized by free prayer, great hymns and metrical psalms climaxed in expository preaching and anchored in proven forms that quickly gain familiarity and so become better means of channeling people to the God we are serving, and away from noticing clever servants who are speaking.”
By the way, when I realized my Mc Fillet O’ Chicken was all wrong I exchanged it for a proper one. I would urge you by God’s grace to do the same.
Richard Baxter (November 12, 1615 - December 8, 1691) was an English Puritan church leader, and theologian. Like many of the Puritans, Baxter's books remain in print and are found to be both practical and encouraging to Christian readers. Baxter's most infuential work, 'The Roformed Pastor,' is available online, here:
http://www.reformedreader.org/rbb/baxter/reformedpastor/trplist.htm
http://www.reformedreader.org/rbb/baxter/reformedpastor/trplist.htm
A holy life is inclined to be made easier when we know the usual sequence and method of our duties - with everything falling into its proper place. Therefore, I shall give some brief directions for spending the day in a holy manner.
Sleep
Measure the time of your sleep appropriately so that you do not waste your precious morning hours sluggishly in your bed. Let the time of your sleep be matched to your health and labour, and not to slothful pleasure.
First Thoughts
Let God have your first awaking thoughts; lift up your hearts to Him reverently and thankfully for the rest enjoyed the night before and cast yourself upon Him for the day which follows.
Familiarise yourself so consistently to this that your conscience may check you when common thoughts shall first intrude. Think of the mercy of a night's rest and of how many that have spent that night in Hell; how many in prison; how many in cold, hard lodgings; how many suffering from agonising pains and sickness, weary of their beds and of their lives.
Think of how many souls were that night called from their bodies terrifyingly to appear before God and think how quickly days and nights are rolling on! How speedily your last night and day will come! Observe that which is lacking in the preparedness of your soul for such a time and seek it without delay.
Prayer
Let prayer by yourself alone (or with your partner) take place before the collective prayer of the family. If possible let it be first, before any work of the day.
Family Worship
Let family worship be performed consistently and at a time when it is most likely for the family to be free of interruptions.
Ultimate Purpose
Remember your ultimate purpose, and when you set yourself to your day's work or approach any activity in the world, let HOLINESS TO THE LORD be written upon your hearts in all that you do. Do no activity which you cannot entitle God to, and truly say that he set you about it, and do nothing in the world for any other ultimate purpose than to please, glorify and enjoy Him. "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
Diligence in Your Calling
Follow the tasks of your calling carefully and diligently. Thus:
(a) You will show that you are not sluggish and servants to your flesh (as those that cannot deny it ease), and you will further the putting to death of all the fleshly lusts and desires that are fed by ease and idleness.
(b) You will keep out idle thoughts from your mind, that swarm in the minds of idle persons.
(c) You will not lose precious time, something that idle persons are daily guilty of.
(d) You will be in a way of obedience to God when the slothful are in constant sins of omission.
(e) You may have more time to spend in holy duties if you follow your occupation diligently. Idle persons have no time for praying and reading because they lose time by loitering at their work.
(f) You may expect God's blessing and comfortable provision for both yourself and your families.
(g) it may also encourage the health of your body which will increase its competence for the service of your soul.
Temptations and Things That Corrupt
Be thoroughly acquainted with your temptations and the things that may corrupt you - and watch against them all day long. You should watch especially the most dangerous of the things that corrupt, and those temptations that either your company or business will unavoidably lay before you.
Watch against the master sins of unbelief: hypocrisy, selfishness, pride, flesh pleasing and the excessive love of earthly things. Take care against being drawn into earthly mindedness and excessive cares, or covetous designs for rising in the world, under the pretence of diligence in your calling.
If you are to trade or deal with others, be vigilant against selfishness and all that smacks of injustice or uncharitableness. In all your dealings with others, watch against the temptation of empty and idle talking. Watch also against those persons who would tempt you to anger. Maintain that modesty and cleanness of speech that the laws of purity require. If you converse with flatterers, be on your guard against swelling pride.
If you converse with those that despise and injure you, strengthen yourself against impatient, revengeful pride.
At first these things will be very difficult, while sin has any strength in you, but once you have grasped a continual awareness of the poisonous danger of any one of these sins, your heart will readily and easily avoid them.
Meditation
When alone in your occupations, improve the time in practical and beneficial meditations. Meditate upon the infinite goodness and perfections of God; Christ and redemption; Heaven and how unworthy you are of going there and how you deserve eternal misery in Hell.
The Only Motive
Whatever you are doing, in company or alone, do it all to the glory of God. Otherwise, it is unacceptable to God.
Redeeming The TimePlace a high value upon your time, be more careful of not losing it than you would of losing your money. Do not let worthless recreations, idle talk, unprofitable company, or sleep rob you of your precious time.
Be more careful to escape that person, action or course of life that would rob you of your time than you would be to escape thieves and robbers.
Make sure that you are not merely never idle, but rather that you are using your time in the most profitable way that you can and do not prefer a less profitable way before one of greater profit.
Eating and Drinking
Eat and drink with moderation and thankfulness for health, not for unprofitable pleasure. Never please your appetite in food or drink when it is prone to be detrimental to your health.
Remember the sin of Sodom: "Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food and abundance of idleness".
The Apostle Paul wept when he mentioned those "whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame -- who set their minds on earthly things, being enemies to the cross of Christ." O then do not live according to the flesh lest you die.
Prevailing Sin
If any temptation prevails against you and you fall into any sins in addition to habitual failures, immediately lament it and confess it to God; repent quickly whatever the cost. It will certainly cost you more if you continue in sin and remain unrepentant.
Do not make light of your habitual failures, but confess them and daily strive against them, taking care not to aggravate them by unrepentance and contempt.
Relationships
Remember every day the special duties of various relationships: whether as husbands, wives, children, masters, servants, pastors, people, magistrates, subjects.
Remember every relationship has its special duty and its advantage for the doing of some good. God requires your faithfulness in this matter as well as in any other duty.
Closing the Day
Before returning to sleep, it is wise and necessary to review the actions and mercies of the day past, so that you may be thankful for all the special mercies and humbled for all your sins.
This is necessary in order that you might renew your repentance as well as your resolve for obedience, and in order that you may examine yourself to see whether your soul grew better or worse, whether sin goes down and grace goes up and whether you are better prepared for suffering, death and eternity.
May these directions be engraven upon your mind and be made the daily practice of your life
If sincerely adhered to, these will be conducive to the holiness, fruitfulness and quietness of your life and add to you a comfortable and peaceful death.
Sleep
Measure the time of your sleep appropriately so that you do not waste your precious morning hours sluggishly in your bed. Let the time of your sleep be matched to your health and labour, and not to slothful pleasure.
First Thoughts
Let God have your first awaking thoughts; lift up your hearts to Him reverently and thankfully for the rest enjoyed the night before and cast yourself upon Him for the day which follows.
Familiarise yourself so consistently to this that your conscience may check you when common thoughts shall first intrude. Think of the mercy of a night's rest and of how many that have spent that night in Hell; how many in prison; how many in cold, hard lodgings; how many suffering from agonising pains and sickness, weary of their beds and of their lives.
Think of how many souls were that night called from their bodies terrifyingly to appear before God and think how quickly days and nights are rolling on! How speedily your last night and day will come! Observe that which is lacking in the preparedness of your soul for such a time and seek it without delay.
Prayer
Let prayer by yourself alone (or with your partner) take place before the collective prayer of the family. If possible let it be first, before any work of the day.
Family Worship
Let family worship be performed consistently and at a time when it is most likely for the family to be free of interruptions.
Ultimate Purpose
Remember your ultimate purpose, and when you set yourself to your day's work or approach any activity in the world, let HOLINESS TO THE LORD be written upon your hearts in all that you do. Do no activity which you cannot entitle God to, and truly say that he set you about it, and do nothing in the world for any other ultimate purpose than to please, glorify and enjoy Him. "Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
Diligence in Your Calling
Follow the tasks of your calling carefully and diligently. Thus:
(a) You will show that you are not sluggish and servants to your flesh (as those that cannot deny it ease), and you will further the putting to death of all the fleshly lusts and desires that are fed by ease and idleness.
(b) You will keep out idle thoughts from your mind, that swarm in the minds of idle persons.
(c) You will not lose precious time, something that idle persons are daily guilty of.
(d) You will be in a way of obedience to God when the slothful are in constant sins of omission.
(e) You may have more time to spend in holy duties if you follow your occupation diligently. Idle persons have no time for praying and reading because they lose time by loitering at their work.
(f) You may expect God's blessing and comfortable provision for both yourself and your families.
(g) it may also encourage the health of your body which will increase its competence for the service of your soul.
Temptations and Things That Corrupt
Be thoroughly acquainted with your temptations and the things that may corrupt you - and watch against them all day long. You should watch especially the most dangerous of the things that corrupt, and those temptations that either your company or business will unavoidably lay before you.
Watch against the master sins of unbelief: hypocrisy, selfishness, pride, flesh pleasing and the excessive love of earthly things. Take care against being drawn into earthly mindedness and excessive cares, or covetous designs for rising in the world, under the pretence of diligence in your calling.
If you are to trade or deal with others, be vigilant against selfishness and all that smacks of injustice or uncharitableness. In all your dealings with others, watch against the temptation of empty and idle talking. Watch also against those persons who would tempt you to anger. Maintain that modesty and cleanness of speech that the laws of purity require. If you converse with flatterers, be on your guard against swelling pride.
If you converse with those that despise and injure you, strengthen yourself against impatient, revengeful pride.
At first these things will be very difficult, while sin has any strength in you, but once you have grasped a continual awareness of the poisonous danger of any one of these sins, your heart will readily and easily avoid them.
Meditation
When alone in your occupations, improve the time in practical and beneficial meditations. Meditate upon the infinite goodness and perfections of God; Christ and redemption; Heaven and how unworthy you are of going there and how you deserve eternal misery in Hell.
The Only Motive
Whatever you are doing, in company or alone, do it all to the glory of God. Otherwise, it is unacceptable to God.
Redeeming The TimePlace a high value upon your time, be more careful of not losing it than you would of losing your money. Do not let worthless recreations, idle talk, unprofitable company, or sleep rob you of your precious time.
Be more careful to escape that person, action or course of life that would rob you of your time than you would be to escape thieves and robbers.
Make sure that you are not merely never idle, but rather that you are using your time in the most profitable way that you can and do not prefer a less profitable way before one of greater profit.
Eating and Drinking
Eat and drink with moderation and thankfulness for health, not for unprofitable pleasure. Never please your appetite in food or drink when it is prone to be detrimental to your health.
Remember the sin of Sodom: "Look, this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food and abundance of idleness".
The Apostle Paul wept when he mentioned those "whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame -- who set their minds on earthly things, being enemies to the cross of Christ." O then do not live according to the flesh lest you die.
Prevailing Sin
If any temptation prevails against you and you fall into any sins in addition to habitual failures, immediately lament it and confess it to God; repent quickly whatever the cost. It will certainly cost you more if you continue in sin and remain unrepentant.
Do not make light of your habitual failures, but confess them and daily strive against them, taking care not to aggravate them by unrepentance and contempt.
Relationships
Remember every day the special duties of various relationships: whether as husbands, wives, children, masters, servants, pastors, people, magistrates, subjects.
Remember every relationship has its special duty and its advantage for the doing of some good. God requires your faithfulness in this matter as well as in any other duty.
Closing the Day
Before returning to sleep, it is wise and necessary to review the actions and mercies of the day past, so that you may be thankful for all the special mercies and humbled for all your sins.
This is necessary in order that you might renew your repentance as well as your resolve for obedience, and in order that you may examine yourself to see whether your soul grew better or worse, whether sin goes down and grace goes up and whether you are better prepared for suffering, death and eternity.
May these directions be engraven upon your mind and be made the daily practice of your life
If sincerely adhered to, these will be conducive to the holiness, fruitfulness and quietness of your life and add to you a comfortable and peaceful death.
“Thou Shalt Not Display the 10 Commandments!”
Says the local school administration.
In response a hearty “AMEN!” is heard from the upturned faces of the Secularist-faithful as they give praise to the great Secularist gods of the vacuous mind, the hardened heart, and the exaggerated self-importance.
And even those of us who don’t worship the Secularist’s idos have somehow been shanghaied into shrugging our shoulders and saying to one another, “Well, it’s only fair isn’t it? I mean to say, we can’t endorse religion on school property and everybody knows the 10 Commandments are a distinctly Christian thing… right?”
(Sound Loud Buzzer Noise Here…)
WRONG!!!!
While I believe heartily in the divine inspiration of Scripture and the exclusivity of Christianity as the only true and God-given religion I nevertheless can admit that the there is much about the background of the 10 commandments that should delight the syncretist and pacify the secularist crusader.
To begin with the 10 Commandments came from Mt. Sinai – a mountain nowhere near the American Bible belt but right in the heart of the modern Islamic world. They were initially written on two stone tablets in a manner influenced by the ancient polytheistic Mesopotamians. They put in their first appearance during the idolatrous worship of a golden cow. After sometime they were penned upon scrolls in Hebrew by an Egyptian nobleman who grew up to discover that he was really a Jew. Centuries later they were referenced by the Christian Savior in His Sermon on the Mount. When Islam was finally dreamed up in the 7th century a version of the commandments was placed in the Koran.
There’s a thumbnail sketch of their history… It’s a little difficult to argue that the 10 Commandments give preference to the Christian religion… Ah, but therein lies the problem! “Don’t confuse me with the facts!” Shouts the Secularist educator busy prying the commandments from school walls, “I’m trying to look trendy!”
Yes, we’ve noticed but this fad of secularism is frankly growing a little stale and has begun to stink. I for one am bored with it. Why is it that your worldview compels you to pull things down, break things apart, silence “unacceptable” speech about God, and ban holy books? What misguided passion drives you to embrace this? And why don’t you see your secularist agenda for what it is – bigotry against God.
There is nothing sectarian about the 10 Commandments. While they are held in high regard by Jews, Christians, and others they are not the sole property of these groups. The teachings of the ten commandments are the property of mankind. Instinctively we know its teachings. Even the agnostic generally abides by its rules. This is true in every culture and in every belief system around the world… Show me the religion where murder is held in high regard! Show me the strange form of idolatry where theft and vice are virtues! Show me the ridiculous conclave of men where reverence for Deity is mocked and ridiculed (university professors and pop-stars excluded)… I say it again – the teachings of the 10 commandments are the property of mankind and are stamped on our hearts and chiseled into our consciences. Christianity would argue that this universal morality of man is proof that we are made in God’s image. Born with an inbuild mechanism that knows right from wrong and justice from injustice without anyone ever teaching us these things. Here is one of the distinctions that makes man different from all creation; he, unlike the pelicans, the palm trees, and the planets of our solar system is a moral agent, knowing good from bad.
“Well then,” responds the secularist educator with a triumphant smile on his face, “If we already know the commandments there’s no point in keeping them up on the wall!”
To answer this I can only rely on the “narrowness” and “bigotry” of my rather unfashionable and backward Christian beliefs. The law was written down not primarily to tell us something about the law itself but to tell us something about the Law-Giver. In short, the 10 commandments remind us that our moral compass is no mere accident of an unguided process of evolution but rather proof of the existence of a God in whose image we’re made and to whom we are all accountable… If this is a troubling thought for my secularist readers you have great cause to be troubled.
You might remove the Decalogue from a High School wall in Marion, Ohio. You might succeed at making public schools bastions of religious ignorance. You may even (as Mussolini did) silence any dissenting voice within striking distance of your school grounds… but remember this, you cannot remove the heart of the commandments from the heart of man. Those commandments were put up by God and He’s not taking them down… try as you might, you aren’t either.
Says the local school administration.
In response a hearty “AMEN!” is heard from the upturned faces of the Secularist-faithful as they give praise to the great Secularist gods of the vacuous mind, the hardened heart, and the exaggerated self-importance.
And even those of us who don’t worship the Secularist’s idos have somehow been shanghaied into shrugging our shoulders and saying to one another, “Well, it’s only fair isn’t it? I mean to say, we can’t endorse religion on school property and everybody knows the 10 Commandments are a distinctly Christian thing… right?”
(Sound Loud Buzzer Noise Here…)
WRONG!!!!
While I believe heartily in the divine inspiration of Scripture and the exclusivity of Christianity as the only true and God-given religion I nevertheless can admit that the there is much about the background of the 10 commandments that should delight the syncretist and pacify the secularist crusader.
To begin with the 10 Commandments came from Mt. Sinai – a mountain nowhere near the American Bible belt but right in the heart of the modern Islamic world. They were initially written on two stone tablets in a manner influenced by the ancient polytheistic Mesopotamians. They put in their first appearance during the idolatrous worship of a golden cow. After sometime they were penned upon scrolls in Hebrew by an Egyptian nobleman who grew up to discover that he was really a Jew. Centuries later they were referenced by the Christian Savior in His Sermon on the Mount. When Islam was finally dreamed up in the 7th century a version of the commandments was placed in the Koran.
There’s a thumbnail sketch of their history… It’s a little difficult to argue that the 10 Commandments give preference to the Christian religion… Ah, but therein lies the problem! “Don’t confuse me with the facts!” Shouts the Secularist educator busy prying the commandments from school walls, “I’m trying to look trendy!”
Yes, we’ve noticed but this fad of secularism is frankly growing a little stale and has begun to stink. I for one am bored with it. Why is it that your worldview compels you to pull things down, break things apart, silence “unacceptable” speech about God, and ban holy books? What misguided passion drives you to embrace this? And why don’t you see your secularist agenda for what it is – bigotry against God.
There is nothing sectarian about the 10 Commandments. While they are held in high regard by Jews, Christians, and others they are not the sole property of these groups. The teachings of the ten commandments are the property of mankind. Instinctively we know its teachings. Even the agnostic generally abides by its rules. This is true in every culture and in every belief system around the world… Show me the religion where murder is held in high regard! Show me the strange form of idolatry where theft and vice are virtues! Show me the ridiculous conclave of men where reverence for Deity is mocked and ridiculed (university professors and pop-stars excluded)… I say it again – the teachings of the 10 commandments are the property of mankind and are stamped on our hearts and chiseled into our consciences. Christianity would argue that this universal morality of man is proof that we are made in God’s image. Born with an inbuild mechanism that knows right from wrong and justice from injustice without anyone ever teaching us these things. Here is one of the distinctions that makes man different from all creation; he, unlike the pelicans, the palm trees, and the planets of our solar system is a moral agent, knowing good from bad.
“Well then,” responds the secularist educator with a triumphant smile on his face, “If we already know the commandments there’s no point in keeping them up on the wall!”
To answer this I can only rely on the “narrowness” and “bigotry” of my rather unfashionable and backward Christian beliefs. The law was written down not primarily to tell us something about the law itself but to tell us something about the Law-Giver. In short, the 10 commandments remind us that our moral compass is no mere accident of an unguided process of evolution but rather proof of the existence of a God in whose image we’re made and to whom we are all accountable… If this is a troubling thought for my secularist readers you have great cause to be troubled.
You might remove the Decalogue from a High School wall in Marion, Ohio. You might succeed at making public schools bastions of religious ignorance. You may even (as Mussolini did) silence any dissenting voice within striking distance of your school grounds… but remember this, you cannot remove the heart of the commandments from the heart of man. Those commandments were put up by God and He’s not taking them down… try as you might, you aren’t either.
| The popular understanding of "faith" is far from biblical. Our society (and sadly even many of our Christian friends) tend to think of faith as an inner principle to be summoned up if one is to be made right with God - but faith is something much different. How? Why? What do you mean? Find out on this week's episode of Reformation Roundtable. | REFORMATION ROUNDTABLE |
Tonight at 5:00 (EST) tune in to WWGH 107.1 FM, Marion, Ohio and catch the latest episode of Reformation Roundtable - a program that fearlessly tackles substantive Christian issues from the vantage point of the Protestant Reformers and their theological offspring.
Join me and my co-hosts:
This week we explore the Reformation teaching of "Sola Fide" or "Faith Alone."
If you are unable to listen to tonight's broadcast, if you are outside of the WWGH listening area, or if you just prefer to listen online please do so below:
Join me and my co-hosts:
- Tim Pasma - Pastor of LaRue Baptist Church in LaRue, Ohio
- Josh Hause - Elder and Church-Planting Pastor of LaRue Baptist Church in LaRue, Ohio
- Brett Cornelius - Pastor of Gethsemane Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Marion, Ohio
This week we explore the Reformation teaching of "Sola Fide" or "Faith Alone."
If you are unable to listen to tonight's broadcast, if you are outside of the WWGH listening area, or if you just prefer to listen online please do so below:
All Souls Church
1st Annual Christmas Candlelight Service
6PM
December 24th
228 Main Street Green Camp, Ohio 43322
When I was a kid grandma and grandpa used to have a big Christmas Eve celebration at their house on Pearl Street - the house my dad grew up in. The place was packed with history and also with cousins, aunts, and the occasional bearded and beflanneled uncle (many of whom bore a striking resemblance to Hank Williams Jr.). Those were good days - in fact among the many precious memories of yesteryear those Christmas Eve memories are the clearest and best.
Grandma and Grandpa aren't doing so well these days and the family has spread out the way folks do... but one thing remains... and that is the celebration of Christmas Eve. Whatever your tradition let's join together and celebrate the birth of our Savior, the Lord Jesus. I would be delighted if you would join me and the All Souls family as we celebrate Christmas Eve together.
Grandma and Grandpa aren't doing so well these days and the family has spread out the way folks do... but one thing remains... and that is the celebration of Christmas Eve. Whatever your tradition let's join together and celebrate the birth of our Savior, the Lord Jesus. I would be delighted if you would join me and the All Souls family as we celebrate Christmas Eve together.
We're the new church in a tiny village that stands at the confluence of the Scioto and Little Scioto Rivers. It's the kind of village where people just stop in and say "hey" to their neighbors... But as always - especially in small towns - new things cause eyebrows to raise.
When the local Baptist church closed its doors after nearly 200 years of ministry in the village, the handful of remaining congregants generously opted to give their vacant church building to a small church-planting group who called me to be their organizing pastor. After saying "no" at least twice I finally accepted the call and my family of 7 descended upon the village (bringing its population up to 381). Needless to say, our presence here along with our congregation has led to a question or two by curious neighbors and other passersby.
"What is an All Souls Church anyhow?"
A pastor from the neighboring village saw our name on the church-sign and assumed we must be Anglicans, a man who learned of our existence asked me if we were “something like them Catholics,” and another person even wondered aloud if we were a predominately black church, saying that our name put him in the mind of "soul music". While our doors are certainly open to Baptists, Anglicans, soul singers, and people of ANY color and/or cultural background we at All Souls are not quite as any of the aforementioned people perceived us.
"So what are you then?"
Let’s begin with our name…
“What’s in a name?” asked Juliet in Shakespeare’s play – and the answer is, quite a lot actually.
We are called All Souls Church for the following reasons:
1) Our name originally comes from the ancient Christian celebration of All Souls Day - we chose this name not only for its connection with historic Christianity but because it also accurately reflects our understanding of the Gospel. Who is the message of God’s grace in Christ for? To whom does the gospel apply? Simply put, it applies to all souls. Though many will reject it, it is our belief that we must faithfully proclaim it to one and all…. here's why:
2) We are all souls with a body. Often times people get this backwards and place the emphasis on being bodies with a soul. While both are technically true (and while we certainly affirm the physical resurrection of the body at the return of Christ as does the rest of Christianity) our name places special emphasis on the fact that the soul of a man, woman, boy, or girl will live on forever in one of two places – heaven or hell. Therefore, the care of our souls is of the utmost importance. How is this done? We believe that the Christian soul is primarily cared for and nourished through the ordinary means of grace – means that take place within the corporate gathering of the Church… things like the preached word, the proper administration of the sacraments, corporate prayer, fellowship, etc... And so we call ourselves All Souls Church.
Another question we frequently get asked is:
“Where did you come from & what denomination are you?
Let’s answer these in turn.
1) All Souls is a church-plant launched in March 2014 in the village of Green Camp, Ohio in the county of Marion about 45 miles north of Columbus. Our congregation is comprised of a broad range of denominational backgrounds.
2) All Souls is not part of any particular denomination at this time as we are still very much in “church-plant-mode.” That is to say, we are seeking to identify our unique “culture,” hammer out our doctrinal identity, establish a functional body of church-officers, etc., etc. – once this process is complete (another 12 months or so) All Souls will begin an in-depth exploration of denominational options... (I have my favorite choices but I don't want to impose them upon the congregation at this point).
Beyond this I would list these six-points that help further define us:
we are:
· Christian
· Protestant
· Reformed
· Biblical
· Gospel-Driven
· Christ-Centered
For more on the six points of our identity please see the home page under “Our Distinctives.”
Oh, yeah! And if you're in the area why not drop in and say "hey."
Rev. R Crabtree
"...a son, a husband, a father of 6, a friend, a Presbyterian
(not the liberal kind), an eccentric, and a minister of the gospel... I am also the Pastor of All Souls Church and a Professor of Religious Studies at OCBC."
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