In a discussion this morning at breakfast, some of the men in our gathering were talking (not surprisingly) about the federal vision controversy that has recently heated up again. One of the things that was noted is that there are some issues that are not currently part of the controversy, but which are real indicators …
Invisible and Eschatological
The Westminster Confession of Faith defines the invisible church as “the whole number of the elect that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one” (XXV.i). Some of you may know that over the last several days, I have been commenting on Scott Clark’s blog, and trying to carry on a discussion there, albeit …
Federal Vision Haiku Poetry Contest
In the spirit of whatever it is, I thought I would offer a short cycle of federal vision haiku poems. Anyone who feels similarly inspired can make their contributions in the comments section. Once it is apparent the creative springs have dried up, or perhaps never got started, as the case may be, I will …
Layered Loyalties
We have already learned about ultimate loyalties. But we learn in this chapter that ultimate loyalties are meaningless unless we learn to set them alongside certain lesser loyalties. “If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or wonder . . .” (Deuteronomy 13:1-18). The land they …
The Company of the Peeved
Even though we are Christians, a forgiven people, we still struggle with remaining sin. God in His ultimate wisdom did not choose to translate us immediately to heaven the moment we were converted. His desire is for us to learn how to love Him, over the course of our lives, when there is an adversary …
State of the Church 2007
Introduction: Our God has blessed us in innumerable ways over the last few years. One of those blessings has been growth, and it has been the kind of growth that has been hard to channel through the normal kind of “new members’ classes.” And so, this year the state of the church message is going …
The Gods NASDAQ and DOW
We cannot understand the world around us apart from right worship. And yet, day after day, we see a world which cries out to be understood. We see conflict, distress, warfare, and oppression, and we sometimes despair of comprehending our role in it. This problem has been accentuated by the current war, but this actually …
Scott Clark Gearing Up to Unchurch Everybody
Before the final round of bets, Scott Clark is pushing all his chips out into the middle of the table. He has recently gone over the notae of the church, which in itself is not a problem for anyone following the Reformed understanding of the Church. So, okay so far. But then, as one commenter …
But Nobody Wants to Die
Scriptures teach us that the service of the Lord should follow a definite pattern. We come to the Lord first, and we receive forgiveness of sins from Him as we confess our sins. This corresponds to the guilt offering in the sacrificial system of the Old Testament. Then we hear His Word read and proclaimed, …
Red, White, and Blue Idols
We are gathering to worship God the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit through the name and righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ. In short, we are a congregation of Christians. We are doing this as citizens of a nation that continues at war, and we have a two-fold duty in this respect. …