Affectionately yours…

In this age, spiritual depression is more prevelent than spiritual joy. I remember belonging to a body of believers years ago that were in great numbers young in the faith. The joy was overwhelming! This was a church I would describe as a ‘Biker’ church. They would quickly dismiss the title, however, …it was. Many were outlaws. Many homeless.

I loved the days I served there. I taught the Bible on Tuesday nights, and the eagerness to learn was a joy in itself, unlike many in the churches today whose sense of sin has been deadened, and our sinfulness reduced to nuisence contraband. Hence we feel forgiven little, therefore loving little (Luke 7:47), and instead of overflowing with joy, we offer false piety which is sinfully offensive to the holy God we ‘claim’ to love.

So what happened? Why aren’t we brimming with joy and gratitude as my outlaw biker bretheren (in Christ) are? Are we better then they? Yes. We would definitely say yes. My question then would be why? Why the false piety crap?

This is not new. Johnathan Edwards was booted out of the church he had pastored for 23 years for the same reason: Authority. It was brewing back then in the 1750′s, and has gained momentum with every passing year.

I think the Reverend Mr. Edwards’ concerns are validified today in a world filled with countless distractions available to those of us who are simply graced with employment. Television is really all it takes. The computer. Smartphones. The list can go on…

How the enemy must sit back happily, and let the ball roll on! Distracted we go, like beef to the slaughterhouse.

“…delight in God [is] essential to the believer’s soul; [it] promotes sanctification.  We are not meant to live without spiritual exhilaration.  When the heart goes for long periods of time without warmth from God’s presence, there will be the temptation to find the emotions satisfied from earthly things, not the Spirit of God…
…If the believer goes any length of time without tasting the love of Christ (the savor of the Savior’s presence), and when Christ ceases to fill the heart with satisfaction,

                   souls will go in silent search of other lovers.”  ¹

It is good advice to choose a titan of the faith and make him (or her) a lifelong companion. Johnathan Edwards certainly is a wise choice. Like he is for many others, he is also for me. His work Religious Affections is a must-read. It is, in fact true that we can say, that this is the most crucial deciding factor of our eternal destiny – our affections. We are in a fight for the affections, and we must choose.

Will we escape to the all-too-easy option of worldly distractions, resulting in a false sense of security, missing the mark of genuine love of Christ, or will we choose The Expulsive Power of a New Affection, resulting in life.

I think the bikers got it right… 

  -dave                                                                             

____________________

¹ Maurice Roberts

The Heidelberg Catechism…update and good news.

 What happened?

Well, for those of you who were following my notes on the Heidelberg Catechism as I taught thru weekly at church, the class has been discontinued. Several reasons could be offered but I just feel the need to throw this post up, as it would look like a mystery to have them simply stop. One thing I can add, is that the Lord granted the enemy permission for spiritual attack from the beginning. For this, I do ask for prayer.

A praise report I am over-joyed to share, is that I have returned to work on my Doctorate. Over the past few months I have been completing a number of grueling Theological acquisition exams (well… theology is never grueling), and have now finished with a final grade ’B’.  I now move to the dissertation.

For those of you who were following the Catechism posts, I will gladly send my work on the dissertation as I go, as it will be on the Heidelberg Catechism itself! However, as a ‘read’, it will be quite different. Here too, I ask for prayer, that I may write clearly, “culturally contextualized”, so as to offer an edifying work on a very old document afresh, yet without compromise.

If this interests you, email: justifyd@msn.com and I will reply to confirm your subscription.  

May we learn, grow and serve Him together-

Dave

To Come Again (just as He said)

 

When the sun has come, darkness prevails no longer;
any of it that may be left anywhere is driven away.
     So also,
     now that the Divine epiphany
     of the Word of God has taken place,
     the darkness of idols prevails no more,
and all parts of the world in every direction
are enlightened by His teaching.

St. Athanasius,

-On the Incarnation, 55

 

 

So far, but yet so near…

Do you ever get those moments that you could swear that God just  reached down and touched you?

Sometimes I feel like God is light-years away. To discourage matters, I’m in the Word every day, my mind always seems to drift to Him when I drift (and some of us drift more than others…). Sometimes I feel myself spiritually prostrate myself before Him – flopping down like; ‘somebody needs a nap…’

One dark night-after-night of the soul after another…

And then – He’s there!

Today was one of those days. I swear, being one who did my share of experimenting back in the day (amazing grace… how sweet the-), that ‘touch’ is better than any drug, isn’t it?

I am reminded of Jesus’ reassurances of His nearness. O, how we pine away when all along He is right here.

-All along.

As we enjoy what Martin Luther called our mystical union, we are so blessed to have His Word! I hear from missionaries from some of those far off African villages who are just lucky to have a Bible, while I have shelves full. I pray we never take this privilege for granted.

**********
The Bible is unique among the books of the world.  From beginning to end it claims to be the Word of God.  Obviously the Bible is a human book; this is so clear that no argument is necessary to prove it.  Every sentence was written down by some human hand in the original manuscripts, and the Bible you are using to read and study was translated and printed by human effort.  Yet this is only one side of the picture.  The Bible is also a divine book.  Unlike all other books in the world, this book is God’s message to man.  What the Bible says, God says.  (G. Vos; Old Testament History, p.20).

Origen, who lived between 185-254 AD,  wrote: “The Word of God is in your heart. The Word digs in this soil so that the spring may gush out.” 

Jerome, who lived between 342-419 AD, wrote: “You are reading? No.Your betrothed is talking to you. It is your betrothed, that is, Christ, who is united with you. He tears you away from the solitude of the desert and brings you into his home, saying to you, ‘Enter into the joy of your Master.’” 

John Chrysostom, who lived between 347-407 AD, wrote: “Listen carefully to me… Procure books [of the Bible] that will be medicines for the soul. At least get a copy of the New Testament, the Apostle’s epistles, the Acts, the Gospels, for your constant teachers. If you encounter grief, dive into them as into a chest of medicines; take from them comfort for your trouble, whether it be loss, or death, or bereavement over the loss of relations. Don’t simply dive into them. Swim in them. Keep them constantly in your mind. The cause of all evils is the failure to know the Scriptures well.”

-dave

The Heidelberg Catechism. Lord’s Day 4 (2/19/12)

Welcome to our study of the Heidelberg Catechism. We meet at Damascus Road Church every Sunday night at 6PM for our study.  All are welcome!

A re-written copy of my notes for our last class (2/19/12) is attached for your convenience.  To read and/or download, click
HERE.

Admittedly, there is always so much more information that can be covered. If interested, I have in previous blogs written more extensively on the legitimacy of Creeds, and Confessions of Faith.

Please take a few minutes to peruse them at your convenience.  A good starting point would be HERE .

A copy of the Heidelberg Catechism is available HERE

In the name of our faithful Savior Jesus Christ,

-Dave

The Heidelberg Catechism. DR, 2/12/12

Welcome to our study of the Heidelberg Catechism. We meet at Damascus Road Church every Sunday night at 6PM for our study.  All are welcome!

A re-written copy of my notes for our last class (2/12/12) is attached for your convenience.  To read and/or download, click  HERE

Admittedly, there is always so much more information that can be covered. If interested, I have in previous blogs written more extensively on the legitimacy of Creeds, and Confessions of Faith.

Please take a few minutes to peruse them at your convenience.  A good starting point would be HERE .

A copy of the Heidelberg Catechism is available HERE

In the name of our faithful Savior Jesus Christ,

-Dave

The Heidelberg Catechism. Class Three – 1/29/12

Welcome to our study of the Heidelberg Catechism. We meet at Damascus Road Church every Sunday night at 6PM for our study.  All are welcome!

A re-written copy of my notes for our last class (1/29/12) is attached for your convenience.  To read and/or download, click HERE

Admittedly, there is always so much more information that can be covered. If interested, I have in previous blogs written more extensively on the legitimacy of Creeds, and Confessions of Faith.

Please take a few minutes to peruse them at your convenience.  A good starting point would be HERE .

A copy of the Heidelberg Catechism is available HERE

In the name of our faithful Savior Jesus Christ,

-Dave

The Heidelberg Catechism. Lord’s Day 2

Welcome to our study of the Heidelberg Catechism. We meet at Damascus Road Church every Sunday night at 6PM for our study.  All are welcome!

A re-written copy of my notes for our last class (1/22/12) is attached for your convenience.  To read and/or download, click  HERE .

Admittedly, there is always so much more information that can be covered. If interested, I have in previous blogs written more extensively on the legitimacy of Creeds, and Confessions of Faith.

Please take a few minutes to peruse them at your convenience.  A good starting point would be HERE .

A copy of the Heidelberg Catechism is available HERE

In the name of our faithful Savior Jesus Christ,

-Dave

Introduction to Creeds and Confessions. DR, 1/8/12

Welcome to our study of the Heidelberg Catechism. Last night, we launched our first Sunday evening study at Damascus Road Church, taking an introductory look at the legitimacy and value of Creeds and Confessions in Church history.

Admittedly, there was so much more information that could have been covered. However, I have in previous blogs, written more extensively on the matter.

Please take a few minutes to peruse them at your convenience.  A good starting point would be HERE .

A copy of the Heidelberg Catechism is available HERE

I have re-written my notes for the class for your convenience. To read and/or download, click HERE .

In the name of our faithful Savior Jesus Christ,

-Dave

The Inner Faith-Factory

‘Faith’ is a wonderful thing to ponder… I think on faith very often. Saving faith is God’s ultimate gift!

I’ve recently been pondering on how I am constantly busy at cultivating my faith to be sure it’s ‘right’. I want to know I’m authentic and not presumptuous… you know. But recently I’ve been thinking about how some can spend their whole lives like that; consumed about themselves and by the time they’re convinced of authenticity, they’re old (OK, I’m already there) or worse, on our death-bed!

I think we need to be more about service; the ‘doing’ of the Word, and resting in the security that a proper reformed (Biblical) understanding of faith is all about. God has saved us ‘particularly’ and ‘effectively’, and I’ve realized I’ve all-too-often doubted, when in fact, I’m really resting in self-ish-ness. That’s not the Gospel. Besides, we can live lives in a state of fear and depression, or, trust God (as He tells us over and over again) and live much happier lives. Right?

Perhaps the reason (at least some of the time) that some people seem to have more faith than others, is that they are trusting and living through their faith. I believe that when we do so, God then gives us ‘marching orders’, certainly feeding our inner faith-factory when we’ve stepped forward, resulting in assurance.

-dave

 

The Canons of the Council of Orange (AD 529) – Canon 25, and Conclusion.

As we come to our concluding section of the Canons of the Council of Orange , I pray for it’s blessing on the readers. How I love the reformed faith, and the precious documents written by gifted men of God in ages past.

The Council of Orange (France, AD 529), was called by Pope Felix IV. The Council approved the Augustinian doctrine of sin and grace, as the veracity of God’s Word was now being violated then by what would be called Semi-Pelagianism.
The Canons of the Council of Orange constitute the judgment of the Council.

“Humanism, in all its subtle forms, recapitulates the unvarnished Pelagianism against which Augustine struggled. Though Pelagius was condemned as a heretic by Rome, and its modified form, Semi-Pelagianism was likewise condemned by the Council of Orange in 529, the basic assumptions of this view persisted throughout church history to reappear in Medieval Catholicism, Renaissance Humanism, Socinianism, Arminianism, and modern Liberalism.” R.C. Sproul.

So to continue, today  I share Canon 24.   Along with your Bible intake, take some time here as a devotional.
Click on the link above for a bi-fold copy of the whole Confession, convenient to fit your Bible.

CANON 25. Concerning the love with which we love God. It is wholly a gift of God to love God. He who loves, even though he is not loved, allowed himself to be loved. We are loved, even when we displease him, so that we might have means to please him. For the Spirit, whom we love with the Father and the Son, has poured into our hearts the love of the Father and the Son (Rom. 5:5).

CONCLUSION. And thus according to the passages of holy scripture quoted above or the interpretations of the ancient Fathers we must, under the blessing of God, preach and believe as follows. The sin of the first man has so impaired and weakened free will that no one thereafter can either love God as he ought or believe in God or do good for God’s sake, unless the grace of divine mercy has preceded him. We therefore believe that the glorious faith which was given to Abel the righteous, and Noah, and Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and to all the saints of old, and which the Apostle Paul commends in extolling them (Heb. 11), was not given through natural goodness as it was before to Adam, but was bestowed by the grace of God. And we know and also believe that even after the coming of our Lord this grace is not to be found in the free will of all who desire to be baptized, but is bestowed by the kindness of Christ, as has already been frequently stated and as the Apostle Paul declares, “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake” (Phil. 1:29). And again, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). And again, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and it is not your own doing, it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8). And as the Apostle says of himself, “I have obtained mercy to be faithful” (1 Cor. 7:25, cf. 1 Tim. 1:13). He did not say, “because I was faithful,” but “to be faithful.” And again, “What have you that you did not receive?” (1 Cor. 4:7). And again, “Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (Jas. 1:17). And again, “No one can receive anything except what is given him from heaven” (John 3:27). There are innumerable passages of holy scripture which can be quoted to prove the case for grace, but they have been omitted for the sake of brevity, because further examples will not really be of use where few are deemed sufficient.

According to the catholic faith we also believe that after grace has been received through baptism, all baptized persons have the ability and responsibility, if they desire to labor faithfully, to perform with the aid and cooperation of Christ what is of essential importance in regard to the salvation of their soul. We not only do not believe that any are foreordained to evil by the power of God, but even state with utter abhorrence that if there are those who want to believe so evil a thing, they are anathema. We also believe and confess to our benefit that in every good work it is not we who take the initiative and are then assisted through the mercy of God, but God himself first inspires in us both faith in him and love for him without any previous good works of our own that deserve reward, so that we may both faithfully seek the sacrament of baptism, and after baptism be able by his help to do what is pleasing to him. We must therefore most evidently believe that the praiseworthy faith of the thief whom the Lord called to his home in paradise, and of Cornelius the centurion, to whom the angel of the Lord was sent, and of Zacchaeus, who was worthy to receive the Lord himself, was not a natural endowment but a gift of God’s kindness.

-dave

Prophecy, Healing, and being “Sought Out”

After attending a “prophecy” event this past week , which (to be honest) for me was first, out of curiosity. And second, a test:

Can we (Pentecostals and Non-P’s) fellowship (as we should) on the things we have in common: a common Savior and the joy shared in our Christian brother and sister-hood based on our mutual love for, and union with, Christ?

OK. I was quite pleased, that for the most part, this was the case. You must know, I have been very outspoken on this movement in the past, yet it was only recently, I met an older brother, who had come to embrace the so-called “special gifts” of healing, tongues, and prophesy while serving as a missionary in Guatemala for many years. I, For the first time, (a Calvinist), experienced a mutual love for Christ, -and each other – with a hard-core Pentecostal…   For ours is a love based on Christ alone, despite our doctrinal differences. This has been liberating for me, to say the least.

My experience of brotherly love with this man came with me now, to this “encounter” conference, and I was looking forward to seeing several old friends that I hadn’t seen in many years.

Faith healing… Modern day Prophets… Modern day Apostles… Special knowledge… Special gifting to heal the sick..

The list goes on, as the church is bombarded with this Pentecostal movement, which had its beginnings relatively recently, just in the mid-late 1800’s.

We can argue that Paul didn’t lay down the qualifications for the offices of ‘Prophet’ or ‘Apostle’ in his pastoral letters, as he did for the office of Elder, and Deacon (the only two offices recognized by the historic, reformed, Protestant church).

We can argue that Gnosticism (‘secret knowledge’) has been around in some form or another since the very early church (not to mention, declared heresy in the days of our earliest church councils).

But for me, the issue really boils down to the question of canon: are our Scriptures complete? Are they sufficient? Are we missing out on anything; and if so, the consequences could possibly lead to eternal damnation… But then, albeit somewhat extreme, if you think about it, why couldn’t it?

My wife was spared from stage 4, and very aggressive cancer. Within 7 months of her diagnosis (revealing an aggressive metastasis to several of her major organs) she was in remission – no cancer evident. –None.  Then, a dear friend of ours (who was experiencing remission at the time of my wife’s diagnosis) however, is now in relapse. It is back for her. Both of our families belong to the same church, ‘One Lord, one faith…”, yet one was spared and one was stricken. How do we explain this? The Faith Healers emphasize the cause may be an issue of “faith” (or lack of) in the individual, or even secret sin.
…While my wife rests in the sweet providence of God.

So it would seem, we have a story of two Gospels; the outcome then must ultimately rely either on:

1. “Our” faith (man centered) diligence, (and a lot of “hoping, hoping, hoping’…)  or;

2.  A surrendering to the will of a Sovereign God.

_______________________

We cannot escape death. God is crystal clear on this. So, in this situation, if you had to make a choice – and the only two options were:

1.  Healing (remember, this is temporary, for to all the death rate determined by God is one per person… )

                                                                          Or:

2.  Assurance, peace, and a joyful faith in the sweet salvation provided for us by Jesus, who “for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despised the shame, and is now sitting at the right hand of God” – to see us through to our way home.  In peace.  Assured – if this is His righteous will…
( In other words, trusting that if He wills healing, wonderful! -Praise and glory to God! -And if not: that’s OK too; For His will be done-and a perfect will it is!) This, is where the priceless-ness of the grace of assurance is realized.

Nevertheless, I am still praying that this movement would cease to be, realizing the attack it levels on the Word of God.

At the conference I met and observed so many people looking for relief, and comfort. I can’t blame them, but the truth is: at the end of the day, our temporary comforts are empty and short-lived. Only Christ provides the comfort that lasts, and saves us from our sin and misery, and through our walk on this earth, we can grow in knowledge, leading to peace, assurance, and gratitude for such a rescue he was under no obligation to provide. And just as important, we can trust that our Scriptures are complete. They are sufficient. They do not lack, and there is nothing needing to be added… If you still want that “special word’ just for you,  just pick up and read, “tolle lege”!!!  It’s right there!

We are surely not missing out on God’s revelation as we trust in His Word alone.

The theological error of believing that special, verbal revelation or quasi-revelation continued beyond the time of the apostles is made equally by Roman Catholics (imputing inspired authority to papal “interpretations” and unwritten tradition) and Charismatics (teaching tongues and prophecy as gifts to be expected throughout the life of the church). Both the office of Apostle and the gifts which accompanied the ministry of the apostles (cf. II Cor. 12:12; Heb. 2:3-4) were intended to be temporary, confined to the founding of the church. To be an Apostle, it was required to be a witness of the resurrected Christ (Acts 1:22; e.g. I Cor. 9:1) and to be commissioned directly by Him (Gal. 1:1), thus restricting the apostolic office to the first generation of the church. Paul indicated that he was the last of the apostles (I Cor. 15:7-9); his successor, Timothy, is never given that title. By the later New Testament epistles we have no further mention or discussion of revelatory gifts like tongues and prophecy, for with the completing (bringing to its end or “perfection”) of that which was “partial” – namely, the process of revelation – the temporary revelatory gifts of tongues and prophecy had to “cease” (I Cor. 13:8-10).
                                                                                – Greg Bahnsen

In Christ’s eternal love,
-dave

The Canons of the Council of Orange (AD 529) – Canon 24

I have noticed myself rediscovering the beauty of this important document. The Canons of the Council of Orange ( AD 529) was one of the most important confessional statements of the early church.

The Council of Orange (France), was called by Pope Felix IV. The Council approved the Augustinian doctrine of sin and grace, as the veracity of God’s Word was now being violated then by what would be called Semi-Pelagianism.
The Canons of the Council of Orange constitute the judgment of the Council.

“Humanism, in all its subtle forms, recapitulates the unvarnished Pelagianism against which Augustine struggled. Though Pelagius was condemned as a heretic by Rome, and its modified form, Semi-Pelagianism was likewise condemned by the Council of Orange in 529, the basic assumptions of this view persisted throughout church history to reappear in Medieval Catholicism, Renaissance Humanism, Socinianism, Arminianism, and modern Liberalism.” R.C. Sproul.

So to continue, today  I share Canon 24.   Along with your Bible intake, take some time here as a devotional.
Click on the link above for a bi-fold copy of the whole Confession, convenient to fit your Bible.

CANON 24. Concerning the branches of the vine. The branches on the vine do not give life to the vine, but receive life from it; thus the vine is related to its branches in such a way that it supplies them with what they need to live, and does not take this from them. Thus it is to the advantage of the disciples, not Christ, both to have Christ abiding in them and to abide in Christ. For if the vine is cut down another can shoot up from the live root; but one who is cut off from the vine cannot live without the root (John 15:5ff).

-dave

Latest Sermon From The Road – 10/23/11

Col. 2:6-15
Mystery of Life in Jesus

From the current sermon series from Damascus Road Church

Pastor Sam Ford

*****

-If video isn’t yet uploaded, then click to listen on the sidebar-
“recent sermon“

The Canons of the Council of Orange (AD 529) – Canon 23

I have noticed myself rediscovering the beauty of this important document. The Canons of the Council of Orange ( AD 529) was one of the most important confessional statements of the early church.

The Council of Orange (France), was called by Pope Felix IV. The Council approved the Augustinian doctrine of sin and grace, as the veracity of God’s Word was now being violated then by what would be called Semi-Pelagianism.
The Canons of the Council of Orange constitute the judgment of the Council.

“Humanism, in all its subtle forms, recapitulates the unvarnished Pelagianism against which Augustine struggled. Though Pelagius was condemned as a heretic by Rome, and its modified form, Semi-Pelagianism was likewise condemned by the Council of Orange in 529, the basic assumptions of this view persisted throughout church history to reappear in Medieval Catholicism, Renaissance Humanism, Socinianism, Arminianism, and modern Liberalism.” R.C. Sproul.

So to continue, today  I share Canon 23.   Along with your Bible intake, take some time here as a devotional.
Click on the link above for a bi-fold copy of the whole Confession, convenient to fit your Bible.

CANON 23. Concerning the will of God and of man. Men do their own will and not the will of God when they do what displeases him; but when they follow their own will and comply with the will of God, however willingly they do so, yet it is his will by which what they will is both prepared and instructed.

-dave