tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32538374149233722532024-03-19T07:28:41.755-05:00Morning StudiesLearning, Embracing and Sharing Our Reformed Christian HeritageAngela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.comBlogger1856125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-71559475727670836622024-03-19T07:27:00.003-05:002024-03-19T07:27:56.452-05:00The danger of wavering on gospel basics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJC44jDldrCFfwUR7mO1JW5W_9vg1yuip_4dMoFhXah53PTsOdMWCp_qVFkIpg0SHcopFAC5h7Q9-IORu5BELcaKWzw18XPz9kREH_C287Lz4QsVKmtStc_IX1A6iMwNq6Gj00H2u-DUm0lPA-r7jqXt4ctCItK4ehL-MdP-8kvi-srKCtx0tfN9kppM/s599/Your%20Word....JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="599" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdJC44jDldrCFfwUR7mO1JW5W_9vg1yuip_4dMoFhXah53PTsOdMWCp_qVFkIpg0SHcopFAC5h7Q9-IORu5BELcaKWzw18XPz9kREH_C287Lz4QsVKmtStc_IX1A6iMwNq6Gj00H2u-DUm0lPA-r7jqXt4ctCItK4ehL-MdP-8kvi-srKCtx0tfN9kppM/w640-h418/Your%20Word....JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><b><a href="https://www.reformationscotland.org/2024/03/14/the-danger-of-wavering-on-gospel-basics/" target="_blank"> Posted at <i>Reformation Scotland:</i></a></b></p><b>New ideas and teachings are constantly cropping up in and around the church. Although believers, and the church as a whole, are meant to grow in knowledge, it has to be knowledge of the truth. The truth of the gospel is what we stake our souls on for eternity, and we cannot afford to be enticed into wavering on the gospel basics and swallowing false teachings. George Gillespie was particularly earnest in emphasising the duty of remaining loyal to the truths which God has plainly revealed in Scripture. In the following updated excerpt, he provides several reasons why instability is so dangerous.</b><br /><br />Fluctuating and wavering over those things which God has revealed for us either to believe or do, is a sin, while to be firm, fixed and established in the truth (to “hold fast the profession of it,” to “stand fast in the faith”) is a duty commanded. It is good theology to maintain this.<div><b><br />THE VALUE OF BEING COMMITTED TO THE TRUTH</b><br /><br />We see the value of steadfastness from the very light of nature. “Hath a nation changed their gods, which are yet no gods?” (Jer. 2:11). The heathen Greeks used to say that he who goes wrong in his religion is drinking out of a cup that is full of holes. How firm and constant the heathen philosophers were in maintaining their opinions! They could not only displease their friends, but suffer the heaviest things for their opinions.<br /><br />But set aside the light of nature. Every one of the earliest churches, to which the apostles wrote epistles, was expressly warned, either to stand fast in the faith, and to hold fast their profession, or to beware of and to avoid false teachers, and not to be carried about with diverse and strange doctrines.<br /><br />It must be not only a truth, but a most special and necessary truth, when the apostles thought fit to impress it on the churches in all their epistles (see Rom. 16:17-18; 1 Cor. 16:13; 2 Cor. 11:3-4; Gal. 1:6-8; Eph. 4:14; Phil. 3:2, 18; Col. 2:6-8; 2 Thess. 2:2-3; Heb. 10:23; 13:9; Jam. 5:19-20; 2 Pet. 2:1-3; 3:16-18; 1 Jn. 4:1; Jud. 3-4). All these verses are full and plain on this point, and most worthy of our frequent thoughts and observations, especially at a time when this corner of the world is so full of new and strange doctrines.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.reformationscotland.org/2024/03/14/the-danger-of-wavering-on-gospel-basics/" target="_blank">Continue here.</a></b></div>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-32685644816324496462024-03-18T08:10:00.006-05:002024-03-18T08:10:42.382-05:00The Trauma of Holiness: The Holiness of God with R.C. Sproul<p><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLhykZY3v3U&list=PL30acyfm60fVpGc7Eo--3S6w1kdhXY9Cb&index=2" target="_blank">Presented by Ligonier Ministries <i>(Youtube):</i></a></b></p>
<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vLhykZY3v3U?si=NgWMyqw63pXlBSw6" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><b>Description:</b></p>An encounter with the holiness of God is always a traumatic experience. Throughout Scripture, when people encounter God, they tremble before Him. In this lesson, Dr. Sproul describes what happened to Isaiah in response to his vision and demonstrates how it fits within the biblical pattern of human reactions to the presence of God.<div><br /></div><div><b>Direct Link: </b></div><div><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLhykZY3v3U&list=PL30acyfm60fVpGc7Eo--3S6w1kdhXY9Cb&index=2">The Trauma of Holiness: The Holiness of God with R.C. Sproul (youtube.com)</a></b></div>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-70662733859454839822024-03-15T07:58:00.003-05:002024-03-15T07:59:25.974-05:00Unfading Truth: Revelation 1:4-8 - A to Ω<p><b><a href="https://www.unfadingtruth.com/post/bc10-5" target="_blank">By Chad Werkhoven - Posted at <i>Unfading Truth:</i></a></b></p>
<p><b>Jesus gets you. He also loves you and has freed you from your sin.</b></p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://castbox.fm/app/castbox/player/id5176292/id679688695?v=8.22.11&autoplay=0" width="100%"></iframe></p><p><b>Direct Link: <a href="https://www.unfadingtruth.com/post/bc10-5">Revelation 1:4-8 - A to Ω (unfadingtruth.com)</a></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1bTr8b5oN0M4UZEv19_QLV851x1__KFvKGCuT60MpmE40lnesS9_Sh1OY9ZFntdWjWYkSSczmoXCPoZASnK3NiSaTU3IntpJTwRhco7Pe568b-xZgvInXJCepQugfs0UQZrNPUjcaoLQy17e4G8QH4JzwhzAIBi9jI3AEp9U8qHen0Tt_KNrIaITZqj0/s350/4105fa_1f212694f9ff4d46bb1b90456a234cce~mv2.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1bTr8b5oN0M4UZEv19_QLV851x1__KFvKGCuT60MpmE40lnesS9_Sh1OY9ZFntdWjWYkSSczmoXCPoZASnK3NiSaTU3IntpJTwRhco7Pe568b-xZgvInXJCepQugfs0UQZrNPUjcaoLQy17e4G8QH4JzwhzAIBi9jI3AEp9U8qHen0Tt_KNrIaITZqj0/w640-h640/4105fa_1f212694f9ff4d46bb1b90456a234cce~mv2.webp" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Source: <a href="https://www.unfadingtruth.com/" style="text-align: left;">Daily Bible Reading | Unfading Truth</a></b></div><br /><p><br /></p>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-61928832408967962222024-03-14T09:12:00.005-05:002024-03-14T09:12:51.894-05:00Making Your Baptism Great Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg71mZXFYVCaYhbo0LDBKoyOo-kGpnA52UHYi6E0Pmrc5wsN5p_o9Jkt7wouXiB7f1peC_ElkIH3pu4CqRZW4iG8L03i3CXVSe1WlVYTVs3DrhtPPYfiJF3OQtq7YtRYVJqWruDvbd9WFQan2ruVIfa4qXEohqjcPHurPzEcicyzplbleF7MrlYXklLoJU/s848/f58df28b-25a2-42c1-b291-1796503bc707_1200x872.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="848" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg71mZXFYVCaYhbo0LDBKoyOo-kGpnA52UHYi6E0Pmrc5wsN5p_o9Jkt7wouXiB7f1peC_ElkIH3pu4CqRZW4iG8L03i3CXVSe1WlVYTVs3DrhtPPYfiJF3OQtq7YtRYVJqWruDvbd9WFQan2ruVIfa4qXEohqjcPHurPzEcicyzplbleF7MrlYXklLoJU/w640-h426/f58df28b-25a2-42c1-b291-1796503bc707_1200x872.webp" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><b><a href="https://benjaminglaser.substack.com/p/making-your-baptism-great-again" target="_blank">By Pastor Benjamin Glaser - Posted at <i>Thoughts From Parson Farms:</i></a></b><div><br /></div><div><b>How We Use Our Washing With Water For Today</b></div><div><b><br /></b> Good Morning,<br /><br />When the Divines open the next question of the catechism by saying, <i>“The needful but much neglected duty of improving our baptism . . . “</i> you know what they are going to talk about is important to them. Because if it was an issue in 1647, the Lord knows it is something we should probably be thinking about in 2024. Though before we get into all those negative vibes it will be helpful to first define what they and we mean by improving baptism.<br /><br />To improve something is to make it better, to move it forward. Baptism is the sign and seal of the new covenant found in Christ Jesus. When you put those together you get what Solomon is speaking about in Proverbs 16:16, <i>“How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.”</i> We educate our children primarily out of a concern for vocational stability. We want them to have good jobs, feed and house themselves, and take care of their families, thereby not living off us past a certain age, the younger the better. Or at least that is how our educational system actually operates, even if it believes itself to be actively engaged in more important work. Hence the focus on either trade or college.<br /><br />Without resorting to a Jesus Juke at this juncture it is certainly the case that this is not really how we should understand what the Westminster Larger Catechism is teaching concerning growing in your baptism. It’s not asking questions about how to make your baptism work for you, but how do we as believers in God benefit spiritually from time spent meditating on what the symbol of covenant membership means for our day-to-day lives. Folks are highly interested in the practical aspects of the Christian faith. Nothing is more <i>practical</i> than what is highlighted in the Q/A for this morning. Let’s get to it:<br /><br /><b><i>Q. 167. How is our baptism to be improved by us?</i></b><br /><br /><i>A. The needful but much neglected duty of improving our baptism, is to be performed by us all our life long, especially in the time of temptation, and when we are present at the administration of it to others; by serious and thankful consideration of the nature of it, and of the ends for which Christ instituted it, the privileges and benefits conferred and sealed thereby, and our solemn vow made therein; by being humbled for our sinful defilement, our falling short of, and walking contrary to, the grace of baptism, and our engagements; by growing up to assurance of pardon of sin, and of all other blessings sealed to us in that sacrament; by drawing strength from the death and resurrection of Christ, into whom we are baptized, for the mortifying of sin, and quickening of grace; and by endeavoring to live by faith, to have our conversation in holiness and righteousness, as those that have therein given up their names to Christ; and to walk in brotherly love, as being baptized by the same Spirit into one body.</i></div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://benjaminglaser.substack.com/p/making-your-baptism-great-again" target="_blank">Continue here.</a></b></div>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-7007694446932470482024-03-13T06:46:00.006-05:002024-03-13T06:46:38.335-05:00The Order of Salvation: Justification<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisttouNAvbjyvEFopMOANKuQ1fn_gB0BXReAjwwkFUG0w_bxA7aHPT_OnbXWxLveJkCAoPAR_Iq1Urt5orR8DoF0pk_WG0bTirHj5xCEoqBBD0viwEdMyEqd_xzGQjlTyTqetwbH5bsSd-y8C89z8jRMoMYmBUs1ozwBInIXKaRFVCapftvyMocdTQkfM/s970/judge_bench_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="970" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisttouNAvbjyvEFopMOANKuQ1fn_gB0BXReAjwwkFUG0w_bxA7aHPT_OnbXWxLveJkCAoPAR_Iq1Urt5orR8DoF0pk_WG0bTirHj5xCEoqBBD0viwEdMyEqd_xzGQjlTyTqetwbH5bsSd-y8C89z8jRMoMYmBUs1ozwBInIXKaRFVCapftvyMocdTQkfM/w640-h280/judge_bench_3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><b><a href="https://www.placefortruth.org/blog/the-order-of-salvation-justification" target="_blank">By Stephen Unthank - Posted at <i>Place for Truth:</i></a></b></p>Westminster divine, Anthony Burges, contended that “of all points of Divinity, there is none that with more profit and comfort we may labour in, then in that of Justification, which is stiled by some <i>articulus stantis & cadentis ecclesiae</i>, the Church stands or fals[<i>sic</i>], as the truth of this is asserted.”<a href="https://www.placefortruth.org/blog/the-order-of-salvation-justification#_ftn1">[1]</a> The Biblical doctrine of Justification is indeed a foundational pillar within Christ’s church, a doctrine which, if misunderstood, could wreak havoc and certainly cause a church to fall.<a href="https://www.placefortruth.org/blog/the-order-of-salvation-justification#_ftn2">[2]</a> In an earlier post I’ve examined the ways in which this doctrine has been misunderstood.<a href="https://www.placefortruth.org/blog/the-order-of-salvation-justification#_ftn3">[3]</a> Where do we find this doctrine in Scripture? Well, as with all doctrines, but especially this one, we begin with God.<a href="https://www.placefortruth.org/blog/the-order-of-salvation-justification#_ftn4">[4]</a><div><br /> God, who is Good and Holy, hates sin. Indeed, if we’re to take <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Ps%205.5">Psalm 5:5</a> at face value, He also hates the sinner. This is hard news for sinners like us. And though many may quibble about the tone in which such news is communicated, that hard news is a necessary piece of information to know and believe before ever hearing the good news of the Gospel. “God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day” (<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Ps%207.11">Psalm 7:11</a>) William Plumer comments here on the immutable righteousness of God that “because the wicked are always wicked and because God is always holy, therefore his relation to them is ever one of opposition, of threatening, of anger.”<a href="https://www.placefortruth.org/blog/the-order-of-salvation-justification#_ftn5">[5]</a> How could it be any different? As God Himself puts it, “I will not justify the wicked” (<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Exod%2023.7">Exodus 23:7</a>). The question that inevitably arises is the question which Job asked his friends, “how can a [sinful] man be in the right before God” (<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Job%209.2">Job 9:2</a>)?</div><div><br /> As the Old Testament develops an interesting motif develops. The divine righteousness that must condemn me as a sinner is also the same divine righteousness I need for salvation. Hence, we can read in <a href="https://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Ps%2031.1">Psalm 31:1</a> where David asks of God, “Save me by your righteousness.” In other words, the righteousness of God is both judgmental, stemming from a heart of holy indignation (He <i>must</i> punish all sin and all sinners) but also salvific, stemming from a heart of mercy, grace, and love (He <i>will yet</i> save some of those sinners). In God’s simplicity then we see these twin truths: His righteousness is both a threat against sinners but at the same time the only hope for sinners.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.placefortruth.org/blog/the-order-of-salvation-justification" target="_blank">Continue here.</a></b></div>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-26965693547610513422024-03-12T08:41:00.002-05:002024-03-12T08:41:10.623-05:00THE NEWNESS OF LIFE WE ALWAYS NEED<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrw-JsY0qDqNW3FxHpOh72RqM0BSr_PZTnRC7OhmjpYsXm62lvXFDKjh3pdppRFz-cZolhGZoAFNlI-ROpdA5wql0C1WfLCeZ-rSu6pu0pnacvYft9nVzD2raj4OMsXbN5wA0yz8FkjaNdW7QfRPsb75dKS014ziIiVVKxVJIOZO8zmU2Fl7GfSOCUvM/s1024/Prov4.23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="930" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrw-JsY0qDqNW3FxHpOh72RqM0BSr_PZTnRC7OhmjpYsXm62lvXFDKjh3pdppRFz-cZolhGZoAFNlI-ROpdA5wql0C1WfLCeZ-rSu6pu0pnacvYft9nVzD2raj4OMsXbN5wA0yz8FkjaNdW7QfRPsb75dKS014ziIiVVKxVJIOZO8zmU2Fl7GfSOCUvM/w582-h640/Prov4.23.jpg" width="582" /></a></div><br /><p><b><a href="https://www.reformationscotland.org/2021/12/31/the-newness-of-life-we-always-need/" target="_blank"> Posted at <i>Reformation Scotland:</i></a></b></p><b>Our culture chases novelty—the next unusual thing. Novelty can quickly disappear as we become familiar with those things. Newness however is the principle that makes things new. Rather than pursuing the novel, Scripture offers us a continual renewing. We are to put off the old and put on the new and so be constantly renewed. Our thoughts can turn naturally to new things at the beginning of another year. Yet this is a daily and constant renewal that should never grow old, and we ought never to grow tired of. We need constant renewing because there is a principle of remaining corruption within.</b><br /><br />The apostle Paul speaks of newness of life as an ongoing principle in those who have experienced the new birth (Romans 6:4). John Brown of Wamphray explains more of what it means to walk in newness of life in the following updated extract.<div><br /><b>1. NEW LIFE MEANS ONGOING NEWNESS OF LIFE</b><br /><br />Justification by faith in Christ Jesus through the imputed righteousness of Christ, is so far from being an enemy to holiness and sanctification, that it is always accompanied by them. Justification and sanctification go hand in hand. Such are said to be so dead to sin they cannot live unto it and are also said to walk in newness of life.</div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.reformationscotland.org/2021/12/31/the-newness-of-life-we-always-need/" target="_blank">Continue here.</a></b></div>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-65914351735376207832024-03-11T08:44:00.001-05:002024-03-11T08:44:06.597-05:00The Importance of Holiness: The Holiness of God with R.C. Sproul<p><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIGAjoqBhhU&list=PL30acyfm60fVpGc7Eo--3S6w1kdhXY9Cb" target="_blank">Presented by Ligonier Ministries <i>(Youtube):</i></a></b></p>
<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eIGAjoqBhhU?si=i9GWlKTVS2PcfG8U" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><b>Description:</b></p>Holiness is at the core of God's being. When Isaiah saw a vision of God, the seraphim around the throne called out, "Holy, holy, holy," proclaiming this all-important attribute of God's character. In this lesson, Dr. Sproul explores the essential importance of holiness as a quality uniquely attributable to God.<div><br /></div><div><b>Direct Link: </b></div><div><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIGAjoqBhhU&list=PL30acyfm60fVpGc7Eo--3S6w1kdhXY9Cb">The Importance of Holiness: The Holiness of God with R.C. Sproul - YouTube</a></b></div>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-29843984924104807022024-03-08T07:43:00.002-06:002024-03-08T07:45:00.498-06:00Unfading Truth: 2 Corinthians 13:11-14 - Triune Benediction<p><b><a href="https://www.unfadingtruth.com/post/bc9-5" target="_blank">By Alan Salwei - Posted at <i>Unfading Truth:</i></a></b></p>
<p><b>End your week with an awesome triune blessing!</b></p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://castbox.fm/app/castbox/player/id5176292/id679688381?v=8.22.11&autoplay=0" width="100%"></iframe></p><p><b>Direct Link: <a href="https://www.unfadingtruth.com/post/bc9-5">2 Corinthians 13:11-14 - Triune Benediction (unfadingtruth.com)</a></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzjLADGNL2-UYD8T7WmDC8i8rph5144VKjCANohS0FycHFZSy0wPRdbASkZ8TuDP80itsD7e5OcMbNgEmHm2ohJmROik5PdX_WZTrPapB9t6xOfX3UZ6DwoZSHayilBJucdCeT7qBGR8MkhKvnOHLOQH2GC3B9Z1BibjXk05GrQR6JA93aTfaxU-tTZA/s350/4105fa_f94d4122bb6b41618e6686421f77c547~mv2.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzjLADGNL2-UYD8T7WmDC8i8rph5144VKjCANohS0FycHFZSy0wPRdbASkZ8TuDP80itsD7e5OcMbNgEmHm2ohJmROik5PdX_WZTrPapB9t6xOfX3UZ6DwoZSHayilBJucdCeT7qBGR8MkhKvnOHLOQH2GC3B9Z1BibjXk05GrQR6JA93aTfaxU-tTZA/w400-h400/4105fa_f94d4122bb6b41618e6686421f77c547~mv2.webp" width="400" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Source: <a href="https://www.unfadingtruth.com/">Daily Bible Reading | Unfading Truth</a></b></div></b><p><br /></p>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-53221446311456381342024-03-07T07:32:00.001-06:002024-03-07T07:32:16.166-06:00Apathy and the Forsaking of Remembrance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqX-poeECxA1uTLgkuu5Vudb7FpY_NsnQITJPox1doIw2tvTvv6pxPVW1oLOxJ4lWWkILYN_suvtCwx6QPxNTkT7xdD40Z1tEnwh9u04p9B5pfwhlxmqvtU4349Kdy_YtRK6L23fmu8IdoTh71Apwok0GTw7ohh3dPA3lz9DjcXAL4ZYpsiKSxJkJoidA/s320/2f4419ef-3719-41c3-babb-fa03d4505b11_2500x2500.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="320" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqX-poeECxA1uTLgkuu5Vudb7FpY_NsnQITJPox1doIw2tvTvv6pxPVW1oLOxJ4lWWkILYN_suvtCwx6QPxNTkT7xdD40Z1tEnwh9u04p9B5pfwhlxmqvtU4349Kdy_YtRK6L23fmu8IdoTh71Apwok0GTw7ohh3dPA3lz9DjcXAL4ZYpsiKSxJkJoidA/w640-h426/2f4419ef-3719-41c3-babb-fa03d4505b11_2500x2500.webp" width="640" /></a></div><p><b><a href="https://benjaminglaser.substack.com/p/apathy-and-the-forsaking-of-remembrance" target="_blank"> By Pastor Benjamin Glaser - Posted at <i>Thoughts From Parson Farms:</i></a></b></p><b>Keeping the Strength of Christ Near Unto Our Heart</b><div><br /></div><i>“So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.“</i><br />-- Revelation 3:16<br /><br />The letter our Savior wrote to the people of Laodicea is probably the one that we know the best of the seven. The picture of Christ spewing out members of a local body is quite arresting, yet it’s why He does it which makes all the difference, and that will be the subject of our prayer and worship help today.<br /><br />I said in the sermon Sunday that I’d much rather someone hate me than not recognize my existence. At least when someone frets about your existence they recognize that you matter to them, even if it is in a negative way. Apathy has a way of causing more trouble than disagreement. But what is it that causes that kind of thing, especially as is the case with the people of Laodicea, when it comes to the Lord of Glory Himself? It’s a question that may or may not hit too close to home, because it is a matter of a heart which is alive or at least thinks it is. Everything seems to be going well in their church. It’s a time of prosperity, as v. 17 says, <i>“For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing . . .”.</i><br /><br />A common sin that the prophets condemn Israel for is that in the times of plenty they forget and forsake the God who had not only enabled their blessing, but had chosen them out of all the nations of the world to represent His covenantal mercies.<div><b><a href="https://benjaminglaser.substack.com/p/apathy-and-the-forsaking-of-remembrance" target="_blank"><br /></a></b></div><div><b><a href="https://benjaminglaser.substack.com/p/apathy-and-the-forsaking-of-remembrance" target="_blank">Continue here.</a></b></div>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-73119399643939978812024-03-06T07:19:00.004-06:002024-03-07T07:42:21.932-06:00The order of Salvation: Repentance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkRvemS29nmIKS0yLP-fTAUbcgyERNuYxm0tYJNJufakdv6EAnseeYiGzMgw4eTN5zyFzuDHxTAKcqDykgQldqmI4UN0-uRK55T1VNCiS8XCyfG4RXlJ27P7soNxK51b9CUJhdgi8EggccZp3Qqtr_7NzLx1lHTTfoq82eLwSWO5lTCa3lQFbVQkzE3M/s970/direction_970_425_9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="970" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkRvemS29nmIKS0yLP-fTAUbcgyERNuYxm0tYJNJufakdv6EAnseeYiGzMgw4eTN5zyFzuDHxTAKcqDykgQldqmI4UN0-uRK55T1VNCiS8XCyfG4RXlJ27P7soNxK51b9CUJhdgi8EggccZp3Qqtr_7NzLx1lHTTfoq82eLwSWO5lTCa3lQFbVQkzE3M/w640-h280/direction_970_425_9.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><b><a href="https://www.placefortruth.org/blog/the-order-of-salvation-repentance" target="_blank"> By David Smith - Posted at <i>Place for Truth:</i></a></b></p> Our English term <i>conversion</i> is not often used in our translations of the Bible. But lest we commit a word-concept fallacy, we should not conclude from this that the concept captured by our term <i>conversion</i> is infrequently found in Scripture. Far from it. Peter in his sermon recorded in Acts 3 expresses the idea of what is meant in Christian theology by the term <i>conversion</i>. There we read that Peter told the men of Israel in v. 19, “Repent therefore, and <i>turn</i>, that your sins may be blotted out.” And again, in verse 26, Peter affirmed that God had sent his Son first to Israel in order that he might bless them “by <i>turning</i>” them from their wickedness. In other words, conversion to the Christian faith and life is about a decisive break from a life of sin, and turning to God so that one faithfully thinks and acts in accordance with God’s word.<br /><br />Easy enough. Well, there’s actually nothing easy about this, other than perhaps stating it. In point of fact, what we are dealing with in conversion is a supernatural act of the living God whereby he replaces our sinful and stone-hardened heart with a heart of flesh (<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Ezek%2036.26">Ezekiel 36:26</a>). God alone does this, but this does not nullify the human proclamation of the gospel calling people to repentance. It is why the summary of Jesus’ preaching (<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Mark%201.15">Mark 1:15</a>), which was also a summary of John the Baptist’s preaching, was: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” The acts of repenting and believing are not envisioned here as once-for-all-time actions that never need repeating. On the contrary, the exact opposite is conveyed. Repenting and believing are ongoing, perpetual activities for the one genuinely converted. Which is another way of saying that one of the ways we can tell whether we or anyone else has truly been converted to the Christian faith and life is whether they demonstrate repentance from sin as a way of life.<div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.placefortruth.org/blog/the-order-of-salvation-repentance" target="_blank">Continue here.</a></b></div>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-42302225355937298292024-03-05T07:15:00.003-06:002024-03-05T07:15:23.998-06:00Four good responses to the good news<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1a8H-WUfa_E_A3l3QZzHv1bC5_cYJAHP5-FsOoeKMS-BeCyvgFewHshgCu9ngee2tEaJMdq5gormwCmgwq7SXBN9sTpMn5sMuyNsnF5UnrennIOTpm7yLLxZViiLQ1K3ieL0Ktv1n_VhlM42ICA2lLCC710AaQrSkT5ZMGGhRRKKemXgT1dzkTcE0oY/s300/300px-Covenanter_sermon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf1a8H-WUfa_E_A3l3QZzHv1bC5_cYJAHP5-FsOoeKMS-BeCyvgFewHshgCu9ngee2tEaJMdq5gormwCmgwq7SXBN9sTpMn5sMuyNsnF5UnrennIOTpm7yLLxZViiLQ1K3ieL0Ktv1n_VhlM42ICA2lLCC710AaQrSkT5ZMGGhRRKKemXgT1dzkTcE0oY/w640-h640/300px-Covenanter_sermon.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><b><a href="https://www.reformationscotland.org/2024/02/29/four-good-responses-to-the-good-news/" target="_blank"> Posted at <i>Reformation Scotland:</i></a></b></p><b>When the Lord Jesus came to do His work of redemption, it cost Him dearly. He suffered in His body and in His soul and indeed died for the sake of sinful people like you and me. Preaching on Isaiah 53, “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities …” John Welsh of Irongray showed first the depth of Christ’s sufferings. He then asks, how should we respond? The following updated excerpt gives his four suggestions as to appropriate responses, concluding with a reminder of who should especially recognise themselves as summoned to act on the gospel call.</b><br /><br />Now that I have spoken of the suffering Saviour, I desire this of you. Rouse yourselves up to be suitably affected with what I have spoken from these truths. There are three or four ways you should respond.<div><br /><b>WONDER</b><br /><br />And the first thing I would exhort you to be taken up with is wondering. What man or woman is there among you that can hear these things spoken of, and not wonder at it? That Christ should have suffered all this for the like of you and me! That He who is the Son of God should have quit heaven, and that the Son of God should have become man, that He should have been put so sore to it as to die — for sinners!<br /><br />I cannot tell what calls for wonder from us, if this doesn’t. O the height! O the breadth! O the length! O the depth of this mystery! That the Son of God should have been put so sore to it as to die for sinners, and not only to die, but to drink the cup of the Father’s wrath! Who can hear this declared, and not wonder at the hearing of it? O wonder! O wonder at it! Wonder at the hearing of it!</div><div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.reformationscotland.org/2024/02/29/four-good-responses-to-the-good-news/" target="_blank">Continue here.</a></b></div>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-24596713053241675182024-03-04T07:02:00.003-06:002024-03-04T07:02:47.170-06:00The Believer's Final Rest: Foundations - An Overview of Systematic Theology with R.C. Sproul<p><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh_rFF_oDH0" target="_blank">Presented by Ligonier Ministries <i>(Youtube)</i>:</a></b></p>
<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Oh_rFF_oDH0?si=grj9jSBYOBZumNzA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><b>Description:</b></p>There are many things about heaven that have not been revealed to us. Yet, we know that in heaven Christians will experience a rest that none of us have experienced in this life. In this lesson, Dr. Sproul describes what to expect when we reach the final destination of the Christian life.<p><b>Direct Link: </b></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh_rFF_oDH0"><b>The Believer's Final Rest: Foundations - An Overview of Systematic Theology with R.C. Sproul (youtube.com)</b></a></p>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-37315826242559961892024-03-01T07:15:00.001-06:002024-03-01T07:16:14.717-06:00Unfading Truth: Psalm 90:1-4 - Eternal Tri-unity<p><b><a href="https://www.unfadingtruth.com/post/bc8-5" target="_blank">By Alan Salwei - Posted at <i>Unfading Truth:</i></a></b></p>
<p><b>Being reminded of God's eternal nature helps you overcome life's momentary problems.</b></p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://castbox.fm/app/castbox/player/id5176292/id677285375?v=8.22.11&autoplay=0" width="100%"></iframe></p><p><b>Direct Link: <a href="https://www.unfadingtruth.com/post/bc8-5">Psalm 90:1-4 - Eternal Tri-unity (unfadingtruth.com)</a></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNNH-kiVYlMkNx7AIsvKj4G3wkYEM0frQG7e1lEmbryWZPrg_ImRHhMUnl5ew82bzpUm4TgZw1hPBPnMb-aOpMTAPAKugi_2l3E5P3xiEG6TKsf7ApXuCzsvQ11MNyDSpS2WTAqPh5nB3qThS4_kExV33rUuD3GPqXG0sIBY-WB-dUVYrQHukS_8AmW8/s350/4105fa_63f5114a88394008ad9c7c4827db1b86~mv2.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNNH-kiVYlMkNx7AIsvKj4G3wkYEM0frQG7e1lEmbryWZPrg_ImRHhMUnl5ew82bzpUm4TgZw1hPBPnMb-aOpMTAPAKugi_2l3E5P3xiEG6TKsf7ApXuCzsvQ11MNyDSpS2WTAqPh5nB3qThS4_kExV33rUuD3GPqXG0sIBY-WB-dUVYrQHukS_8AmW8/w640-h640/4105fa_63f5114a88394008ad9c7c4827db1b86~mv2.webp" width="640" /></a></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Source: <a href="https://www.unfadingtruth.com/">Daily Bible Reading | Unfading Truth</a></b></div></b><p><br /></p>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-74817700638634572382024-02-29T07:07:00.010-06:002024-03-07T07:33:52.320-06:00The Holy Spirit's Role in the Sacraments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3aQtfkMpabjwjlfJY6wgKN6Jhg-Z7Xe0Vn7iaByXG52nXDQOSv31rWrdc3KMS540ofAceJNbkJctQU05E5T1i4xFqVl5-AlomG0iuSF6mDpMkB9WJz1LfUw6153GnLOXK9OM6DLYfqPMFbxbca5PDm_Z2seh3mwEXPzoBEBZXZZhVLdAGT9o-Zxc-QI/s848/8147a933-0bc0-4bfc-8b4a-2d0998e151ff_4032x2268.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="848" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3aQtfkMpabjwjlfJY6wgKN6Jhg-Z7Xe0Vn7iaByXG52nXDQOSv31rWrdc3KMS540ofAceJNbkJctQU05E5T1i4xFqVl5-AlomG0iuSF6mDpMkB9WJz1LfUw6153GnLOXK9OM6DLYfqPMFbxbca5PDm_Z2seh3mwEXPzoBEBZXZZhVLdAGT9o-Zxc-QI/w640-h426/8147a933-0bc0-4bfc-8b4a-2d0998e151ff_4032x2268.webp" width="640" /></a></div><p><b><a href="https://benjaminglaser.substack.com/p/the-holy-spirits-role-in-the-sacraments" target="_blank">By Pastor Benjamin Glaser - Posted at <i>Thoughts From Parson Farms:</i></a></b></p><b>How to Understand Our Benefitting From Baptism and the Lord's Supper</b><div><br /></div>Howdy,<br /><br />On the Lord’s Day evening since about Thanksgiving at Bethany we’ve been spending time going through what the Reformed believe about the sacraments. It’s not so much that we are special in what we understand them to be, but that the mechanics of how we go about honoring Baptism and the Table testify to something very important about the way the Scriptures teach us about feeding on Christ in the bread and the cup and benefitting from the waters of Initiation. It cannot be emphasized enough that our church confesses, as the WLC makes clear, that these acts of eating and drinking and the pouring of water over the head are neither bare memorials nor the kind of things we do because we are supposed to. We commune and receive the fullness of God in a way we do not in any other portion of the life granted by our Creator. The sacraments must maintain their special place in our hearts. Yet meditation upon them often alludes our busy schedules and we rush into taking them without right due consideration as to what we’re doing.<br /><br />It can be a struggle sometimes to keep fresh in the means of grace. As we walk through the catechism questions today I want to take the time to really think through what we gain in these covenantal signs of mercy and grace given to us by our Heavenly Father in His Son and through the application of that blessing in the inward work of the Holy Spirit. Everything we do in the Christian life must not only be done exclusively by the expressed command of our Lord, but it needs to be acted upon with a right heart and mind.<br /><br />Merely going through the outward motions leaves us in a state of spiritual starvation as we gain none of the nutrients of faith promised in the sacraments. So, what can be done about it?<br /><br />Here's are the Q/A’s for this week:<br /><br /><b><i>Q. 163. What are the parts of a sacrament?</i></b><br /><br /><i>A. The parts of a sacrament are two; the one an outward and sensible sign, used according to Christ's own appointment; the other an inward and spiritual grace thereby signified.</i><br /><br /><b><i>Q. 164. How many sacraments hath Christ instituted in his church under the New Testament?</i></b><br /><br /><i>A. Under the New Testament Christ hath instituted in his church only two sacraments, baptism and the Lord’s supper.</i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b><a href="https://benjaminglaser.substack.com/p/the-holy-spirits-role-in-the-sacraments" target="_blank">Read more here.</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>See also</b>:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://benjaminglaser.substack.com/p/biblical-christians-baptize-babies"><b>Biblical Christians Baptize Babies - by Benjamin Glaser (substack.com)</b></a></li></ul></div>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-76985310257940824722024-02-28T07:49:00.005-06:002024-02-28T07:49:46.344-06:00Leonor de Cisneros and Other Women of the Spanish Reformation<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8aj7mSKS8mP_NSvi5w2bh0cbqsdXPdlSKrFdxyLwewTr0__b2GdVU49yh9FoqxxJSQBWwqaLbWTuI0NLLXDeWdJFuFP-j6XbxWtVwOMQPV-AyQ1iLlfIvYRtSxcS9rypYpLR_q5Ufdy6t0UrIW2oZ7o2l5cLqTD5e5bVy6F0DvFfmTsY_H2kG9sxXRQ/s970/presentacion_juan_de_austria_grande.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="970" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR8aj7mSKS8mP_NSvi5w2bh0cbqsdXPdlSKrFdxyLwewTr0__b2GdVU49yh9FoqxxJSQBWwqaLbWTuI0NLLXDeWdJFuFP-j6XbxWtVwOMQPV-AyQ1iLlfIvYRtSxcS9rypYpLR_q5Ufdy6t0UrIW2oZ7o2l5cLqTD5e5bVy6F0DvFfmTsY_H2kG9sxXRQ/w640-h280/presentacion_juan_de_austria_grande.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><b><a href="https://www.placefortruth.org/blog/leonor-de-cisneros-and-other-women-of-the-spanish-reformation" target="_blank">By Simonetta Carr - Posted at <i>Place for Truth:</i></a></b></p><p><i>Published February 26, 2024</i></p>When we think of the Protestant Reformation, countries like Italy and Spain rarely come to mind. And yet, they were deeply affected by it, even though its influence was quickly suppressed by the Roman Catholic Church. The Inquisition in Spain was much fiercer than in Italy, producing thousands of martyrs. Many names of these martyrs have disappeared from history, but some – both men and women – still live on. I mentioned some of the men in a previous blog post. Here are some of the women who worked and suffered along with them.<a href="https://www.placefortruth.org/blog/leonor-de-cisneros-and-other-women-of-the-spanish-reformation?mc_cid=cc165bd45b&mc_eid=fadb9b436f#_ftn1">[1]</a><br /><br /> One of these is Leonor de Cisneros, born around 1535. At eighteen years of age, she married Antonio Herrezuelo, a prominent lawyer and scholar in Toro, an important city in the province of Leon. They gladly joined and became active members.<br /><br />In 1558, however, the Inquisition discovered the conventicle and arrested thirty of its members during a raid. The prisoners were detained in separate cells in Valladolid, a major city and the seat of the Spanish court.<br /><br />Separated from her husband and friends, Leonor believed the Inquisition’s lie that they had all recanted, so she agreed to do the same. She didn’t know that Antonio continued to stand firm, even under torture, admitting not only that he had been a follower of Protestant teachings, but that he had taught them to others.<br /><br /> As customary, at the end of the interrogations the Inquisition took the prisoners to the public square for the auto-de-fè (act of faith), in the presence of the royal family. Those condemned to death had to wear a yellow overgarment called sanbenito and a conical hat, both with images of devils and flames. They were also given one more chance to repent. If they did, they would not be spared death but simply allowed to be strangled before burning.<br /><br />Penitents like Leonor were also clad in similar garments, but with red crosses instead of images of hellfire. When she crossed paths with her husband, who had been gagged, his looks of disapproval convicted her more than words. Yet, she didn’t have the courage to change her deposition.<div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.placefortruth.org/blog/leonor-de-cisneros-and-other-women-of-the-spanish-reformation" target="_blank">Continue here.</a></b></div>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-3300193513865403852024-02-27T07:29:00.001-06:002024-02-27T07:29:10.018-06:00How to Get a Good Conscience<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikC3_a0kWffzTS4OulKKHRReo0JnB1BFaPl7XLWiMiF02YrtMmROgTTa5pLaJLoaSb1LxMn1t3IGzQ3eqAt_NUrk-fxsKu9A4cvUsHtJhBmMH7zeY4TGcqsF2OjB8RwyvFlThGZpU3Vx-KQVcnDhDWfw24-CBB_MjzSrjPS5mXXFjZ538FbnzsKmgxIJk/s640/2cor5.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="640" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikC3_a0kWffzTS4OulKKHRReo0JnB1BFaPl7XLWiMiF02YrtMmROgTTa5pLaJLoaSb1LxMn1t3IGzQ3eqAt_NUrk-fxsKu9A4cvUsHtJhBmMH7zeY4TGcqsF2OjB8RwyvFlThGZpU3Vx-KQVcnDhDWfw24-CBB_MjzSrjPS5mXXFjZ538FbnzsKmgxIJk/w640-h510/2cor5.17.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><b><a href="https://www.reformationscotland.org/2024/02/22/how-to-get-a-good-conscience/" target="_blank">Posted at <i>Reformation Scotland:</i></a></b></p><b>Sooner or later, our conscience will do its work of passing a verdict on us, so as to produce either shame (when conscience blames us) or comfort (when conscience approves of us). Those who have been regenerated can legitimately take comfort from knowing that the blood of Christ cleanses them from all sin. But how is this comfort possible, when even the regenerate still keep sinning? Samuel Annesley published a sermon on the conscience, in which he describes the ‘good conscience’ and, as the following updated excerpt shows, gives a list of ten suggestions as to how to get a good conscience.</b><br /><br /><b>WHAT KIND OF CONSCIENCE SHOULD WE DESIRE?</b><br /><br />Two kinds of conscience are desirable, and cannot be commended too highly.<br /><br />A good honest conscience. Conscience is good in respect of its integrity when it gives a right judgement of everything according to the Word of God. I grant that the law of nature binds, ecclesiastical laws bind, and political laws bind, but the Word of God is the principal rule, which precisely binds the conscience, because of its author. “There is one law-giver, who is able to save and to destroy …” (James 4:12).<br /><br />A good peaceable conscience. Conscience is good in respect of its peace when it excuses, absolves, and comforts as it should — that is, when it is pacified by the blood of Christ. There was once a dying man, and it is said that the devil appeared to him, and showed him a very long parchment, where his sins were written on both sides, and they were many. Three quarters of the words he had spoken in his life were idle words, and all his actions were classified according to the ten commandments. Satan said to the poor sick man, “Do you see this? Behold your virtues! See how you will be judged!” But the poor sinner answered, “It is true, Satan, but you have not included everything, for you should have added here below, <i>The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all our sins, and you have also forgotten, Whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”</i><div><br /><b>WHY DO WE NEED A GOOD CONSCIENCE?</b><br /><br />1. You cannot possibly get rid of your conscience, therefore be persuaded to get a good one. The unconverted do what they can to extinguish conscience. They flatter it with worldly reasoning, they bribe it with mock devotions, they wound it with heinous provocations, they scar it with habitual wickedness, they trample it underfoot by sinning in spite of it; they run away from it by diversions, and will not endure to hear it. Yet they can sooner turn their souls out of their bodies, than conscience out of their souls. Indeed, even amongst all these indignities, their conscience is as fresh and active as if it was not being abused in these ways. It is only waiting its opportunity to be heard, and then it will make what was done perhaps 40 years ago as if it had been but yesterday. A conscience you must have, and sooner or later it will do its job.<br /><br />2. Your own conscience will be either your best friend or your greatest enemy (of all created things), to eternity. There’s no greater riches, no greater pleasure, no greater safety than a good conscience. However great may be the pressures of the body, the hurry of the world, or the intimidations of Satan, they can’t reach the conscience. A good conscience uniquely cheers the dying body, joyfully accompanies the departed soul to God, and triumphantly brings both soul and body to the tribunal to come. There’s no more profitable means, nor surer testimony, nor more eminent conveyer of eternal happiness than a good conscience. On the other hand, there is no greater torment than an evil conscience. Though its gentler checks may be disregarded, its louder clamours will make you tremble. What will you do, when conscience shall reproach you with your abuse of mercies, incorrigibleness under judgements, contempt of Christ, and hatred of holiness? If you can’t endure to hear what conscience has to say now, how will you endure it to eternity?</div><div><b><a href="https://www.reformationscotland.org/2024/02/22/how-to-get-a-good-conscience/" target="_blank"><br /></a></b></div><div><b><a href="https://www.reformationscotland.org/2024/02/22/how-to-get-a-good-conscience/" target="_blank">Continue here.</a></b></div>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-16017571124036090822024-02-26T07:10:00.010-06:002024-02-26T07:10:52.017-06:00Saving Faith: Foundations - An Overview of Systematic Theology with R.C. Sproul<p><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9RneB59zO0" target="_blank">Presented by Ligonier Ministries (Youtube):</a></b></p>
<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X9RneB59zO0?si=unVmOlFmyxnAEHrT" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><b>Description:</b></p>What is saving faith? This question is as important today as it was during the Prostestant Reformation. In this message, R.C. Sproul examines the three elements of saving faith that were articulated by the Reformers, pointing us to the benefits that we enjoy as sinners who have been reconciled to God.<div><br /></div><div><b>Direct Link:</b></div><div><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9RneB59zO0">Saving Faith: Foundations - An Overview of Systematic Theology with R.C. Sproul (youtube.com)</a></b></div>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-54652894882041467882024-02-23T07:23:00.002-06:002024-02-23T07:23:15.468-06:00The Order of Salvation: Faith<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyinoX2do-5yDv8cBdH9lnLBXByhNfepVEdnzW2szoCp3TNBDvp2PEryUeSIA52iiaDfxX7yMNWj7SJdBMfP6VwQ8J0jY_8FBQ9aJfFPIRiKRSXgnBM_hR3a3ekftTCCs3SgDVc2jEII22vI1_zXQTGaWKjT3PHq0MlqiZofRO7WhUqxYTc8gvomMNBVY/s370/black_and_white-hand_oaivt1o8ei_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="370" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyinoX2do-5yDv8cBdH9lnLBXByhNfepVEdnzW2szoCp3TNBDvp2PEryUeSIA52iiaDfxX7yMNWj7SJdBMfP6VwQ8J0jY_8FBQ9aJfFPIRiKRSXgnBM_hR3a3ekftTCCs3SgDVc2jEII22vI1_zXQTGaWKjT3PHq0MlqiZofRO7WhUqxYTc8gvomMNBVY/w640-h364/black_and_white-hand_oaivt1o8ei_2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><b><a href="https://www.placefortruth.org/blog/the-order-of-salvation-faith" target="_blank"> By Jeffrey Stivason - Posted at <i>Place for Truth:</i></a></b></p>Once the Spirit of the Lord has resurrected a dead sinner by the divine breath, life begins. This is the monergism that theologians reference in the work of regeneration. The dead sinner lives through God’s singular work. He initiated the life. The spiritual cadaver is no longer cold and icy but is now oriented and animated toward God by grace alone. And as life comes so too does the fruit of life or conversion. Conversion is shorthand for faith and repentance. This article will deal with the former and it will do so by following the three sections of chapter fourteen of the Westminster Confession of Faith.<br /><br /><b>The Origin of Faith</b><br /><br />Here the Divines want us to make no mistake. Faith does not originate with us. Faith is a “grace” whereby the person is “enabled to believe” and that “to the saving of their souls” because it is the “work of the Spirit” in the heart of the believer. The thread that is sown through this first paragraph leaves us with no doubt as to the origin of belief. Believing begins with God. However, we should not make the opposite mistake and so believe that faith is God’s activity. In other words, though God enables faith, He does not do the believing for us.<div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.placefortruth.org/blog/the-order-of-salvation-faith" target="_blank">Continue here.</a></b></div>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-89854810316915641912024-02-22T07:44:00.008-06:002024-02-22T07:44:58.108-06:00Ezekiel's Wife<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKYIMUfwdUR1IA7_Jq1fBh9e1f278mYmDc8WmUnHoHCaRu9JWIo9bq8rJWNDcLp-34oe018kKngZaOYhMcdf7_izhRvr-65MD5ZzKFlq8mA74iFe-JdBKgrmbcLbD4N-puZTmoDsxfjtYj0do3Xq8sM28vp2QrnSgX6GxAytNEO2ijLjKoOcd8f2iWgo/s500/open%20bible%20banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="500" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLKYIMUfwdUR1IA7_Jq1fBh9e1f278mYmDc8WmUnHoHCaRu9JWIo9bq8rJWNDcLp-34oe018kKngZaOYhMcdf7_izhRvr-65MD5ZzKFlq8mA74iFe-JdBKgrmbcLbD4N-puZTmoDsxfjtYj0do3Xq8sM28vp2QrnSgX6GxAytNEO2ijLjKoOcd8f2iWgo/w640-h208/open%20bible%20banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><b><a href="https://gentlereformation.com/2024/02/21/ezekiels-wife/" target="_blank"> By Jeffrey A. Stivason- Posted at <i>Gentle Reformation:</i></a></b></p>There is one story in the whole Bible that I still find staggering. It’s the story of the death of Ezekiel’s wife (Ezekiel 24:15-27). One day the prophet woke up to the Word of the Lord. It came to him as it had come to him before. The Word was simple. The prophet did not need a Hebrew grammar or lexicon to understand. The Lord said, “Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down” (Ez. 24:16). The words were numbingly clear.<br /><br />As I thought about these words, I thought back to Ezekiel’s call. The Lord said to him, among other things, speaking of house of Israel, “Be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words…. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed by their looks, for they are a rebellious house” (Ez. 2:6). And then in verse 8 the Lord said, “But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house.” I can only imagine Ezekiel. Perhaps the Word of the Lord frightened him more than all of the words of the house of Israel.<br /><br />It was in chapter four that the Lord told him to symbolize the destruction of Jerusalem by laying on his left side for 390 days! That’s more than a year! And then, once that was completed the Word of the Lord came to him again commanding him to lay on his right side for another forty days! How could the prophet not tremble at the Word of the Lord? But during those days, the delight of Ezekiel’s eyes, most likely, ministered to him. I can imagine his wife bringing him food and encouraging him with, of all things, the Word of the Lord.<div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://gentlereformation.com/2024/02/21/ezekiels-wife/" target="_blank">Continue here.</a></b></div>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-84821756340945203702024-02-21T07:33:00.003-06:002024-02-21T07:36:29.732-06:00A Greater Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHTL7tRw0nouKEjFTMS_zcuRLvZ_Ebiq0iAZAgxU5h234IZr62R8ngd8vkgBbqQi_ew7kndQAhGfE-bQR0QXO4_yVPHS1fcMFIdr1jpdh2pJDCwlXE1kjGpMVQ1j5tDC05J7fRUQ4SjIPVEW4JgdufC96STYXEnQiQTBJG514r5FnXekc6g3mSFJDf8k/s320/love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="320" height="630" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHTL7tRw0nouKEjFTMS_zcuRLvZ_Ebiq0iAZAgxU5h234IZr62R8ngd8vkgBbqQi_ew7kndQAhGfE-bQR0QXO4_yVPHS1fcMFIdr1jpdh2pJDCwlXE1kjGpMVQ1j5tDC05J7fRUQ4SjIPVEW4JgdufC96STYXEnQiQTBJG514r5FnXekc6g3mSFJDf8k/w640-h630/love.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><b><a href="https://gentlereformation.com/2024/02/13/a-greater-love/" target="_blank">By Kyle E. Sims - Posted at <i>Gentle Reformation:</i></a></b></p>Love is one of the most ambiguous words in the English language. Consider the different ways we use the word love. I love ice cream. I love my wife. I love the Lord. I do like ice cream, but I hope our love for our spouses and the Lord is much greater than our love for ice cream. <br /><br />There is another level of love beyond our ability to love things and others. It is God’s love for us, His people. This love is a perfect love. It is a steadfast love. It is true love. How do we know this? <br /><br />First, it is from the Lord who is perfect. It is part of his unchanging character to love His people perfectly. The Lord’s love for you Christians is steadfast. It is a love that you can trust in with every area of your life. <div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://gentlereformation.com/2024/02/13/a-greater-love/" target="_blank">Continue here.</a></b></div>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-44614568467449515632024-02-20T07:14:00.002-06:002024-02-20T07:14:42.282-06:00How (not) to discern God’s will<p><b><a href="https://www.reformationscotland.org/2024/02/15/how-not-to-discern-gods-will/" target="_blank"> Posted at <i>Reformation Scotland:</i></a></b></p><b>Where do we find God’s will for us? It could be His will for what doctrine we believe, or it could be His will for our life. Theoretically Christians will consult the Bible for this, but what place does this leave for getting guidance through dreams or impressions, or even God’s providence? William Bridge, a member of the Westminster Assembly, preached a set of three sermons on 2 Peter 1:19 titled “Scripture Light the Most Sure Light.” As the following abridged excerpt shows, he builds a case that Scripture is clearer and safer than all other sources, and all the light they can give us is only borrowed from Scripture.</b><br /><br /><b>REVELATIONS OR VISIONS</b><br /><br />Scripture light is a full light. Though God did sometimes speak by revelations and visions [in Old Testament times], now in these last [New Testament] days, He has spoken His full mind by His Son.<br /><br />The stronger any Christian is, the more he walks by faith; and the more he lives by faith, the more he chooses to walk by the Scripture, the written Word of God, the object of faith. It’s in Scripture we have Christ pictured to the life before our eyes, not in revelations and visions.<br /><br />Imagine that right now you had a vision. How would you know that this was the voice of God, and not a delusion of Satan? Obviously, by the truth that is communicated in the vision — but how do you know the truth, except by Scripture? Or maybe because the vision reveals some future thing which then comes to pass? Then read Deuteronomy 13:1–2: God may permit a revelation to come to pass, and yet it may not be from the Lord, but to test you, whether you love Him, and will cling to Him.<br /><br />There is no danger in following Scripture light. But if people follow revelations and visions, they may easily be drawn to despise the Scripture. Indeed, what is the difference between an atheist, or an infidel, and a Christian, except that the Christian adheres to Scripture, and the other does not? Take away the Scripture from me, and there will be little difference between me and an infidel.<br /><br />But, you will say, may God not speak by extraordinary visions and revelations? Yes, without all doubt He may. God is not limited. I’m not going to argue about what God may do. But though God may do this, yet it is a bad sign if I hanker for it, because such hankering implies that a person is not content with the Scripture.<br /><br />Though God may sometimes work by extraordinary means, yet if that person’s heart is drawn off from the ordinary means by what is extraordinary, it is not right. It is possible for there to be visions consistent with the Word, but if you are more impressed by them than by the Word itself, then your faith is suspicious.<div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.reformationscotland.org/2024/02/15/how-not-to-discern-gods-will/" target="_blank">Continue here.</a></b></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbcvPEgTFTQtmHOI9KzD3qdggeLPr-va_FOCtyzZzwEhYLCsVqouFwoV9w8orvXfzJYIiCNFZNZ66fFtmfnGc_Pzd1HSSeDWdMgk-LEuvt30axtEzmZi2jpKqbdnZPghaJ35UF0pPAFMqnNzIZt8blqxkrQZOWyrc644OAKuSP6SZiKEh2ECXax0d4Sg/s525/Psalm119.115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="351" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbcvPEgTFTQtmHOI9KzD3qdggeLPr-va_FOCtyzZzwEhYLCsVqouFwoV9w8orvXfzJYIiCNFZNZ66fFtmfnGc_Pzd1HSSeDWdMgk-LEuvt30axtEzmZi2jpKqbdnZPghaJ35UF0pPAFMqnNzIZt8blqxkrQZOWyrc644OAKuSP6SZiKEh2ECXax0d4Sg/w428-h640/Psalm119.115.jpg" width="428" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-39021417105826434522024-02-19T07:36:00.003-06:002024-02-19T07:36:48.892-06:00Election & Reprobation: Foundations - An Overview of Systematic Theology with R.C. Sproul<p><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5qUku5exWY" target="_blank">Presented by Ligonier Ministries (YouTube)</a></b></p>
<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u5qUku5exWY?si=SJ3W4kZr_B9NxYyc" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p><p><b>Description:</b></p>The word “predestination” often provokes lengthy theological discussion. What does the Bible teach about this important truth? In this message, R.C. Sproul explores many of the questions that arise when we consider the doctrine of election and its relationship to the sovereignty of God.<p><b>Direct Link: </b></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5qUku5exWY"><b>Election & Reprobation: Foundations - An Overview of Systematic Theology with R.C. Sproul (youtube.com)</b></a></p>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-3204966365639837362024-02-16T07:29:00.002-06:002024-02-16T07:29:52.212-06:00Unfading Truth: Proverbs 1:7 - Start Here<p><b><a href="https://www.unfadingtruth.com/post/bc6-3" target="_blank">By Rev. Chad Werkhoven - Posted at <i>Unfading Truth:</i></a></b></p>
<p><b>You can't truly know anything until you first fear the Lord.</b></p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="500" src="https://castbox.fm/app/castbox/player/id5176292/id672470257?v=8.22.11&autoplay=0" width="100%"></iframe></p><p><b>Direct Link: <a href="https://www.unfadingtruth.com/post/bc6-3">Proverbs 1:7 - Start Here (unfadingtruth.com)</a></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRwqnWUUnvAQjg2HWD_BrJ94qSUCk1g9zf4vhInLY6mak04dv8W2ECCL-KfihZL3wV76W1xi5j8uju0N7J-1zgrUnif4zLXmRAbyw6jQaHGyic16wXSZWQqzvEeB38mIqkwo56kgI1YxW_lbQUHSSwqX3zqsxrwNM59AfZiyO_SAw063h9MWMzLIyE51E/s350/4105fa_3426eb0bfecc454e8fd5dca28f1af27a~mv2.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRwqnWUUnvAQjg2HWD_BrJ94qSUCk1g9zf4vhInLY6mak04dv8W2ECCL-KfihZL3wV76W1xi5j8uju0N7J-1zgrUnif4zLXmRAbyw6jQaHGyic16wXSZWQqzvEeB38mIqkwo56kgI1YxW_lbQUHSSwqX3zqsxrwNM59AfZiyO_SAw063h9MWMzLIyE51E/w400-h400/4105fa_3426eb0bfecc454e8fd5dca28f1af27a~mv2.webp" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Source: <a href="https://www.unfadingtruth.com/" style="text-align: left;">Daily Bible Reading | Unfading Truth</a></b></div><br /><p><br /></p>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-9946156650400713952024-02-15T08:00:00.001-06:002024-02-15T08:00:49.513-06:00Making Ready Each Week to Meet With God<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYMCKolebTV0QKJ7hqlTNKRKXWnVgy6cfE3WFJhwUzG0y7bPZxDa67yIquW3Ut1CYNkoXgOzEnon1Npbdye5jg5L38v0Dfm_dGhT-rcRndCgsCl3-4xGv_ggit4oJt-ZuUGYdo0_4zKthmHxlcO6ZqYCxC-wXrEHGDv03G-6tkRxqnqYKP-d3seiXgP4/s848/b0a5f13c-a508-45e0-a972-6de3ef00ced9_2400x1260.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="848" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYMCKolebTV0QKJ7hqlTNKRKXWnVgy6cfE3WFJhwUzG0y7bPZxDa67yIquW3Ut1CYNkoXgOzEnon1Npbdye5jg5L38v0Dfm_dGhT-rcRndCgsCl3-4xGv_ggit4oJt-ZuUGYdo0_4zKthmHxlcO6ZqYCxC-wXrEHGDv03G-6tkRxqnqYKP-d3seiXgP4/w640-h426/b0a5f13c-a508-45e0-a972-6de3ef00ced9_2400x1260.webp" width="640" /></a></div><p><b><a href="https://benjaminglaser.substack.com/p/making-ready-each-week-to-meet-with" target="_blank">By Pastor Benjamin Glaser - Posted at <i>Thoughts From Parson Farms:</i></a></b></p><b>Why Private and Family Worship Helps Us Gain Hope From Preaching</b><div><br /></div>Howdy!<br /><br />For this week’s lesson we are continuing to ask questions about the means of grace. As we have spoken of previously our LORD has provided to us in His mercy ways that we both receive from Him the blessings of the Christian life which are born from above. That is prayer, reading the Bible, fellowship, and worship are all instruments, or means, by which we are fed, strengthened, and nourished to know Jesus better and to be able to fight against the evil world around us. If we struggle with how to go about certain things it could be that we are exposing our own laxity at taking advantage of the opportunities provided by God through our local church and her minister.<br /><br />Last time we heard a good, direct message to ministers that they take serious their calling and in many ways the WLC question we are looking at this morning does the same, just now to the people in the pew. Part of the troubles we face today is often the congregation doesn’t expect much out of itself, let alone its ministers. Today’s Q/A is a challenging word for all believers to take a moment and do some self-examination: how much do I attend upon grace? Let’s read:<br /><br /><b><i>Q. 160. What is required of those that hear the word preached?</i></b><br /><br /><i>A. It is required of those that hear the word preached, that they attend upon it with diligence, preparation and prayer; examine what they hear by the scriptures; receive the truth with faith, love, meekness, and readiness of mind, as the word of God; meditate, and confer of it; hide it in their hearts, and bring forth the fruit of it in their lives.</i><br /><br />Everything goes better when the people involved want it to. The list of advice that WLC 160 gives to the folks gathered around for the preaching of the word may sound like a lot of work. I am busy with a seemingly never-ending list of activities, meetings, and kids being at four different places at once. It’s a wild time in my life, so I know the constraints of time. However, what the Divines have in mind here is not something outside the ordinary regular spiritual life of the Christian. None of the items listed are an addition to what we are already supposed to be doing in private and family worship. If we are taking a moment to read the Scriptures and pray, either by ourselves or in a group then, in the words of Jon Bon Jovi, you are halfway there already. Part of being actively involved in the preaching that goes on in morning and evening worship is to already know the Bible. In some sense for the seasoned mature believer sitting in the midst of a sermon should be a strengthening exercise confirming already existing faith, and as the catechism says <i>hiding it in your heart.</i><div><i><br /></i></div><div><b><a href="https://benjaminglaser.substack.com/p/making-ready-each-week-to-meet-with" target="_blank">Continue here.</a></b></div>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253837414923372253.post-31010365693210710042024-02-14T07:36:00.004-06:002024-02-14T07:37:30.111-06:00How to Pray for God's Kingdom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnodWdH0obh52-kdSTTFUB2ZQjDiq4BoJk7d0R89WhY0gCFDGCFJK5FAn6ZzKnbzpRNGls0nVvvP-8dDSfDWyM-cJRt4z_ss5y2gGow5zWMiQZUIZj1_dnka9GUWHNnjjJ4lStQIJUE8ChhwW0wxxcsxFJto4Th95G5Pg7roqImqQ-PLeV5aDEEASMkF0/s970/prayer-1308663_960_720_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="970" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnodWdH0obh52-kdSTTFUB2ZQjDiq4BoJk7d0R89WhY0gCFDGCFJK5FAn6ZzKnbzpRNGls0nVvvP-8dDSfDWyM-cJRt4z_ss5y2gGow5zWMiQZUIZj1_dnka9GUWHNnjjJ4lStQIJUE8ChhwW0wxxcsxFJto4Th95G5Pg7roqImqQ-PLeV5aDEEASMkF0/w640-h280/prayer-1308663_960_720_5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><b><a href="https://www.placefortruth.org/blog/how-to-pray-for-gods-kingdom" target="_blank"> By William Boekestein - Posted at <i>Place for Truth:</i></a></b></p>(This article is abridged from a chapter in <a href="https://heritagebooks.org/products/glorifying-and-enjoying-god-52-devotions-through-the-westminster-shorter-catechism-boekestein-cruse-miller.html"><i>Glorifying and Enjoying God: 52 Devotions through the Westminster Shorter Catechism.)</i></a><br /><br />In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus teaches us to pray for the coming of his kingdom (<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Matt.%206.10">Matt. 6:10</a>). This sounds like a grand idea, something we should surely do. But how do we do it? How do we use the second petition of Jesus’ prayer to make other prayers in line with his will for God’s kingdom?<br /><b><br />What Is God’s Kingdom?</b><br /><br />God’s kingdom is the realm over which Christ rules as mediator. God presently governs all things. But “kingdom” describes His specific rule over those who are self-consciously submissive to Christ.<a href="https://www.placefortruth.org/blog/how-to-pray-for-gods-kingdom#_edn1">[i]</a> Some people rebel against King Jesus. They make up another kingdom, that of darkness (<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Col.%201.13">Col. 1:13</a>). Where sin reigns, so does its prince (<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Matt.%209.34">Matt. 9:34</a>). Where grace reigns, so does its King (<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Rom.%205.21">Rom. 5:21</a>).<br /><br />God’s kingdom is a dominant concept in Scripture. God is the great King whose subjects revolted, fracturing His world. Since the great rebellion God has been reasserting His reign. The kingdom is always coming, growing, and expanding (<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Matt.%2013.31%E2%80%9333">Matt. 13:31–33</a>). It started small, in a garden; it will be fully realized in a massive and elegant walled city. God is restoring order by repatriating citizens into His realm and enlisting them to fight against this world’s evil. Jesus died to pay the penalty for defection and reopen the gate for penitent sinners to enter the holy city. He will eventually reconcile all things to Himself (<a href="https://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Col.%201.20">Col. 1:20</a>). In the meantime, kingdom citizens are learning to restructure their values according to kingdom priorities.<br /><br />What the coming of God’s kingdom means for each of us depends on how we respond to Jesus’ rule. John Calvin put it this way: God establishes His kingdom “by humbling the whole world, but in different ways. For he tames the wantonness of some, breaks the untamable pride of others.”<a href="https://www.placefortruth.org/blog/how-to-pray-for-gods-kingdom#_edn2">[ii]</a> This truth affects how we pray for the coming of God’s kingdom. The second petition teaches us to pray that God would pull down Satan’s strongholds and establish his kingdom in the world.<div><br /></div><div><b><a href="https://www.placefortruth.org/blog/how-to-pray-for-gods-kingdom" target="_blank">Read more here.</a></b></div>Angela Wittmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04025738299107632514noreply@blogger.com0