The Practical Nature of Assurance

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Assurance makes a difference. Remembering "who" before "do" is vital.

J.C. Ryle, the great 19th century Anglican Bishop, reminds us:

This Assurance will enable a man to praise God, and be thankful, even in a prison, like Paul and Silas.

This Assurance will enable a man to sleep, with the prospect of death the next day, like Peter.

This Assurance can make a man rejoice to suffer shame for Christ’s sake, like the Apostles.

This Assurance enables us to feel that the great business of life is a settled business, the great debt a paid debt, the great disease a healed disease, and the great work a finished work; and all other business, diseases, debts, and works, are then by comparison small.

This Assurance sweetens bitter cups, lessens the burden of crosses, smooths rough places, and lightens the valley of the shadow of death.

It makes him always feel that he has something solid beneath his feet, something firm under his hands, a sure friend by the way, and a sure home at the end.


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One of the greatest books written in the 20th century regarding how live in the family of faith is Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s, Life Together. The entire book is simply an exposition of the first line of Psalm 133: "Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity."

Therefore, the Christian needs another Christian who speaks God's Word to him. He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged for by himself he cannot help himself without belying the truth. He needs his brother as a bearer and proclaimer of the divine word of salvation. The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother. His own heart is certain, his brother’s is sure.

I'm convicted!

Eugene Peterson on today’s pastors:

The pastors of America have metamorphosed into a company of shop keepers, and the shops they keep are churches. They are preoccupied with shopkeeper’s concerns—how to keep customers happy, how to lure customers away from competitors down the street, how to package goods so that customers will lay out more money. . . .

“A walloping great congregation is fun,” says Martin Thornton, “but what most communities really need is a couple saints."

The biblical fact is that there are no successful churches. There are instead, communities of sinners, gathered week after week in towns and villages all over the world. The Holy Spirit gathers them and does his work in them. In these communities of sinners, one of the sinners is called the pastor. . . . The pastor’s responsibility is to keep the community attentive to God.

Three basic pastoral acts, says Peterson, determine the shape of evening else:

Attentiveness to God in prayer, in Scripture reading [preaching, teaching] and spiritual direction [personal discipling relationships].

From Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity.


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The Greatest Sin in History

Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. ~ Acts 8:22

It is by the mixture of counterfeit religion with true, not discerned and distinguished, that the Devil has had his greatest advantage against the cause and kingdom of Christ. ~ Jonathan Edwards

What was the greatest public sin committed by Christians in American history? Numerous corporate decisions made by American Christians could vie for this dubious honor. For me, the colonial witchcraft trials in Salem Village that begin in 1692 top the list.

Edmund Morgan, a distinguished historian of early America, writes,

Salem has never been able to keep the story of the witchcraft trials to itself. For nearly three centuries the story has excited the imagination and curiosity of men and women throughout the Western world. It somehow strikes a chord that we all respond to, whether with indignation or sorrow or sympathy. It opens a window not only on Salem, not only on Puritan New England, but on the human condition.

The infamous trials took place during a time of significant transition and tension in the Bay Colony. The Colony had recently lost its right to self government, church leaders could not agree on a form of government for their fledging churches, and the younger generation was, as Morgan maintains, “going to the proverbial dogs, frolicking in taverns instead of going to church.”

The Bible clearly states that Satan is real (Job 1, 2), demons are at work (Matthew 7-12), and mediums and the necromancers exist (1 Samuel 15:23; 28:3-25). Some Salem witches may have been guilty. There is every indication that genuine, supernatural, demonic activity uniquely manifested itself in the lives of several people in Salem Village. The evidences and paraphernalia of witchcraft were unmistakable. But the concern degenerated into a panic. Innocent people of all ages were bullied, slandered, and killed. A number of trials were notorious travesties of justice.

That part of the story is well documented. What secular historians have tended to ignore is what happened five years after the termination of the trials. The entire community prayed, fasted, and repented of its sins. Morgan says,

The Salem witch trials may one day look like one of the prouder episodes in our history simply because the whole society was willing to recognize its complicity. In spite of [Judge] Samuel Sewell’s desire to take the blame and shame on himself, it was the whole society that fasted and prayed in acknowledgment of guilt and did not seek to shuffle the blame on the members of their duly constituted tribunal.

Christians today have much to learn from our colonial American brothers and sisters. Imagine an entire community today coming together to pray, fast, and repent, publicly recognizing the dangers of self-righteousness and need for contrition and forgiveness. I wonder.


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The Pastor’s Perspective


Women’s Ministry

Recently, the Session appointed a committee of Westminster women to reflect upon ministry to women in our church and community and then propose new goals and structure for women’s ministry in our church. The committee members, Kathy Coleman, Joyce Kokaisel, Sister Kosko (Chair), Cindy Mercer, Kim Pillow, Cyndi Savage, and Jere Stansel, are working hard to serve you in this capacity. Please lift them up in prayer. I am encouraged by their efforts and excited about their upcoming proposal.

Men’s Discipleship Groups

I admit it. I love Marine slogans: “A few good men.” “The few, the proud, the Marines.” “We don’t accept applications, only commitments.” "Once a Marine, always a Marine." "Tell that to the Marines." And, of course, “Semper Fidelis!” These slogans communicate commitment without compromise, loyalty without excuse. They call men to something beyond themselves.
I know the woman’s discipleship groups have been a great benefit to women throughout the church. The women are taking a break for the summer, but they will resume their fellowship together in August.

You will soon be hearing more about a similar ministry for men. No applications, only commitments! Stay tuned!

PCA General Assembly

I will be gone to General Assembly the third week in June. Please keep all of the commissioners in your prayers that week. As always, we will be debating and voting on issues with important theological and ethical implications for the entire denomination. Pray for the peace and purity of the church. Pray that our denomination will remain faithful to its call to be salt and light in the world. Pray that men would enjoy unity in fellowship and worship. On Sunday morning, June 21, the Rev. Elbert McGowan, RUF campus minister at Jackson State University will preach for us. Pray for him. The Lord is blessing JSU through his ministry.

Summer Sunday Nights

What is a man? What is woman? What is a marriage? What is a family? The answers are obvious, right? Wrong. At no other time in our nation’s history have Americans been more confused about the nature and responsibility of gender roles
Beginning on Sunday evening, June 7, we will go to the Scriptures in search of answers. Our series, “Christian Manhood and Womanhood: A Christian Perspective on Roles, Rules, and Responsibilities,” will be appropriate and practical for all ages and life stages. Each one of us is a male or a female!

This series will emphasize the practical aspects of God’s design for men and women in their relationships with one another. We will look at the Bible’s teaching on issues such as masculinity and femininity, authority and equality, singleness and marriage, roles in the church, responsibilities at home, and gender confusion in the culture.