Set Up a New Reformed Evangelical Church

In an earlier post, I suggested that those evangelicals who are more loyal to the church than they are to the Gospel are prepared to stand idly by and watch fellow-evangelicals being slaughtered by the church and not lift a hand to help them.  Shame on them all!

I read recently of how this exact thing goes on within the Scottish Presbyterian churches. The writer echoed my viewpoint when he said that he watched in horror as evangelicals were being hung out to dry by their evangelical colleagues. At times they were instrumental in betraying evangelicals, and stood there watching what was happening but doing nothing about it.

He referred to a divinity student in the Presbytery of Glasgow whose views on women's ordination were reported to Presbytery. Not one evangelical supported him and he was forced to leave. Another evangelical in another Presbytery was accused of being a 'troublemaker' in relation to the same issue, and rather than being given the support of his fellow evangelicals, found himself ostracised and he too had to leave. A third situation involved a young minister who confronted a ruling elder about an inappropriate (sinful and unbiblical) relationship he was having. This came to Presbytery and neither the Presbytery nor the evangelical ministers in it supported him, and he too was told to keep quiet about this, or to leave the ministry. He left.

It seems that evangelicals in today's churches are rather more like evan-jelly-cals than Bible believing Christians; the emphasis here is on the jelly. Ministers within the established denominations have no reason to believe that when hardy comes to hardy, they can be sure of the support of fellow-evangelicals at Presbytery or Assembly levels. These evangelicals are first and foremost churchmen rather than Gospel-men; that means that you just cannot trust them to support biblical standards either in morals or in doctrine.

Where are soundly evangelical ministers to go to who want to minister the Word of God and preach the everlasting Gospel of redeeming grace? Answer? It is impossible to say. Presbyterianism, in all its shades and varieties, is painted in the same colours. Every minister's pre-occupation is to protect himself and secure his job. Ministers within the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, some of them, live in fear of getting on the wrong side of church authorities. This was the response I got when I asked why ministers will not support their brother evangelicals. They are living in fear of the church hierarchy, and they know that they have the power of life and death over their ministries. These men have taken real power into their own hands, and, my, they are prepared to use it - but only against evangelicals whose congregations do not want their preaching. They will not lift a hand to discipline or remove liberals and ecumenicals, and other time-servers, those who keep in with the authorities. 

Surely the time has now come for reformed evangelicals to come together and set up a new Christian church. The unfaithfulness of the current churches is depressing. When evangelical ministers are being abused by and within their congregations and then dismissed by their Presbyteries working in conjunction with the powerful Judicial Commission. This cannot go on indefinitely. "The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. (Dan.11:32). Now is the time for action. Think of Luther and Calvin, Cranmer and Latimer, men who knew their God and who did great things for Him. 

Discerning Churches - But Not In The Right Way!

What do you think of this? A religious denomination is very happy to allow rank liberals who are accredited by them and within their ranks to take churches, but they will not allow a Gospel minister to be called to its congregations. If these ministers are "one of us," then what they believe and preach is of no account whatever. So long as they can pass their theological exams, they're in!

I understand that churches must guard their official teaching role, but when it reaches the point where churches that call themselves 'evangelical' and 'reformed' simply do not want Gospel preachers - and actually remove such men from their ministry - preferring instead those who could not preach their way out of a wet paper bag and who have no clear Gospel message, things have reached an awful pitch.

The church today is in reality a 'power club,' and loves to be able to control its ministers and what and how they preach.

Gospel ministers coming into a dead denomination are guaranteed a rough time. The denomination might be orthodox and even admit theological liberals to its ranks, but evangelicals are a different matter altogether. Church authorities do not seem to care about the eternal destinies of its members so long as they keep on paying into church funds, and they enjoy being members of the 'club.'

Church members do not all like to hear a straight Gospel sermon, and these members also know that the church leaders will support them against a Gospel minister, so they can gradually remove the Gospel from their denomination. The Gospel really is Christian Counter Culture, hence the opposition from those churches that will protect their religious culture against all comers.  To them, their culture and its maintenance is much more important than a Gospel that challenges that culture. 'Keep the culture, but get rid of Jesus,' the culture seems to be.

This is happening in Northern Ireland, a land once known for its evangelical fervour. The church here still has a name to live, but that life is difficult to find in many instances. "Essay readers" occupy many of her pulpits, but few preachers as such. These theological essay's are read with studied detachment, and with the occasional quote from classical authors to prove the preacher's cleverness, but it's no more than a name. And church leaders imagine they are serving the Lord by persecuting those ministers who are fearless Gospel preachers and working towards securing their removal permanently from their church.

And here's the rub: they see the church as "their" church primarily, and only secondarily, and at best, the church of God. We have our traditions to maintain. Our traditions are precious to us, whether they have any biblical validity is of no account. If any minister lays a hand on that "sacred cow," they are to be removed immediately if not sooner.

The ruthlessness of churches that regard themselves as authentically reformed gives the lie to their claim to preach "the doctrines of grace." In today's confused ecclesiastical world, Christian church members have to re-consider their continued membership of and financial support to such churches. How can they continue to support a church that takes legal action against its ministers for preaching the Gospel! And how can they provide financial support to any church that treats Gospel ministers and members so despicably.

The time is fast approaching when a new church body must be set up to safeguard the Gospel for the generations to come. One thing Christians cannot do id this: they cannot expect apostate churches to preach a biblical Gospel with fire sent down from heaven. And if they cannot expect that, then they are not to be expected to remain in such denominations. Reform of the church according to the Scriptures is urgently needed, and God will guide His redeemed people in the right way and at the right time to bring this to pass.

Repenting Too Late!

Repentance is a Gospel demand for all who will enter into a right relationship with God through Christ. It is one of Christ’s Gospel commandments. If this Gospel commandment is not obeyed, then serious eternal consequences lie ahead. For without repentance, there is no life; repentance leads to life.

When John the Baptist began his preaching ministry, the first message he preached was repentance.  When Jesus started His public ministry, He preached the same message - repent.

Why did these two preachers emphasise the need for repentance? Well, what is repentance? In the Bible, it means to ‘turn’ and change direction. This implies that a mistake has been made which must be remedied, and can only be remedied by a right about turn and going in the opposite direction. You have been living your life in the wrong way. Instead of living for Christ, you have lived for Satan. Instead of loving God with your whole heart, you have refused to love Him at all.

Repentance also means to ‘think again.’ We all have plenty to ‘think again’ about - those things we regret and wish we hadn’t done. Think of your sins against God for a moment. You haven’t loved Him with your whole heart, have you? You had no time for Him or for His death on the Cross for you? You did not even recognise that you are a condemned sinner before a holy and just God.

You need to ‘think again’ and then ‘turn’ right around and come to Christ.  You’ll never come to Christ with your back to Him; you must turn around, and face Him, and then put your trust in Him.

Is repentance an urgent thing? Very much so. Do you know you can repent too late? Are you aware that there is a right time for repentance? What do you mean? Well, let me tell you of three men in the Bible who repented alright, but it was too late. Now that’s very scary. That frightens me. Do you mean to tell me that I cannot just repent when I choose? Exactly. The right time to repent is when God is speaking to your soul, when you feel convicted of your sin, when you realise you must come to Christ alone for salvation.

Remember Cain, Abel’s brother? He murdered Abel, and then regretted getting caught, Gen.4:13. He knew he would be punished for his sin, but that’s not repentance. He missed his opportunity. For him, the day of grace had passed.

Then you have Esau, Jacob’s brother. He deceived his father Isaac and his brother, lost the blessing, and was rejected. Did he repent? Yes, but it was too late. Was he in earnest? Yes, because “he sought it diligently with tears,” (Heb.12:17). This wretched man refused to truly repent because he sold his blessing for a mere meal, and all the tears in the world could not save him. He missed his opportunity to get right with God; he missed the day of grace, and was lost eternally.

Think of Judas who betrayed Christ. He sold Him for thirty pieces of silver, betraying innocent blood. Did he repent? Yes, he did; but he was too late. He had some feelings of guilt for what he had done, so he took the money and threw it back to the Priests. He realised he had sinned, but it was too late.

My friend, there could come a day in this life when you realise you are a lost sinner, but you will not be able to repent. When you stand before God in judgement, you’ll know for sure you are a terrible sinner, but you will not be able to repent. It will be forever too late to reverse your decision. You will be tortured by regrets and recriminations. If only... If only...  If only... You can repent too late.

But today, and while it is still today, you can hear God speaking to you, speaking in your conscience, urging you to trust Christ alone for salvation. To trust in any other apart from, or in addition to, Christ, is not to trust Him at all.

Don’t risk it. Repent NOW. Turn to Christ in faith NOW and get right with God. God requires the past, your past. An account will have to be made to God. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is ready to receive you the moment you trust in His Son, the Saviour of the world.

Don’t throw away your opportunity to be saved. You can repent too late. ‘Too late, too late, will be the cry.’ Don’t risk your eternal soul; come to Christ NOW. ADMIT you are a sinner in God’s sight; CONFESS honestly to God your sin; CRY OUT to God for mercy and forgiveness; ENTRUST yourself to Christ, the only Saviour of mankind. He died to take away your sins. Ask Him to do just that. He died for sinners therefore for you. His love bore your sins away. So come to Him now. No time to lose.

Remember, you can leave it too late.

Good News At A Time Of Bad News

If you get word that you have a bad disease like cancer, ought you to be worried? Many get this ‘bad news’ on a daily basis. Just sit in a cancer clinic for a while and you’ll see patients going and coming constantly, young and old and middle-aged. They are anxious, fearful, worried. What the consultant will tell them will change their lives. 

We sat and waited in such a clinic, and saw two ladies as they were coming out from the consultant; one whispered to us, “Bad news,” and the other left in tears. They were clearly shaken. Our hearts went out to them.  Should they be worried?

Well it all depends upon their relationship with Christ. Nothing else matters. Does someone getting such unwelcome news know Christ personally as Saviour and Lord? If they do, then ultimately there is nothing to worry about. All must die, but we do not know when or how we will leave this world; but die we will. Therefore, the urgent need is to be right with God. 

What is death? Some think it’s the end. Well, it’s not the end, for one thing. It is the end of life in this world, but it is not the end. It is the end of suffering in this world, but it is not the end. People foolishly say, “It’s good for them; their suffering is over at last.” But people who talk like this do not believe that ‘this world is not our home, we’re just a-passing through.’ We are going somewhere because the soul is eternal, it lives forever, and it does not die. So the real ‘you’ does not cease to exist when you leave this world of time. You are going somewhere after death.

Some think (wrongly) that all go to heaven when they die. All Christians go to heaven when they die, but only Christians. What is a Christian, then? A Christian is someone, a sinner, who has realised his lostness, guilt, godlessness, rebellion against God, opposition to Christ and the Gospel, his lovelessness towards Christ, and repents of his sins. He sees sin, maybe for the first time, as the ugly thing it is, and flees from it to Christ the Saviour of the world. And this God-provided Saviour receives all who come to Him in faith (Jn.6:37).

Death is not ‘termination’; death is ‘separation.’ It is what separates us from this world and all that is in it. For those who are not Christians, death separates them from God in His redeeming, sin-bearing love, and separates them unto the judgement of hell forever. When we die we do not cease to exist. We ‘pass on’ to another existence.

Now the good news in this situation is that we can know before we die where it is we are going to. The Gospel of Christ tells us that we can be sure of our destiny after death. That we are going to die is a fact; it’s God’s appointment (Heb.9:27). The big thing is where we are going to when we die. It is the Gospel alone that gives us this knowledge.

The Gospel tells us some astounding things. It tells us God has provided a way for hell-deserving sinners (for that is what we truly are) to be with Christ forever. It tells us that the big thing that will keep us out of heaven is our sins, and that God has found a way whereby our sins can be removed. We can leave this life with all its pain and suffering and uncertainties and go to be with Him forever. The apostle John wrote, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” (1 John.1:9).

When Christ died on Calvary, God “laid on Him the iniquity of us all,” (Isa.53:6). That means that your sins were carried away by Christ in His death. The price of your forgiveness has been paid in full and God’s holiness has been fully satisfied. He can now look on the sin-bearing Christ and pardon you.

How is this pardon received? By putting your trust in Christ alone. Turn from your sins, and trust Christ to save you. Receive the mercy He freely offers in the Gospel, and rest upon Him alone for salvation.

He has promised “never to leave you nor forsake you.”  He will be your help in time of trouble. You have Someone on Whom you can cast all your burdens, and He will bear you up. And He’s waiting to be merciful to you when you call out to Him.

‘Bad news’ reminds us that we are going to die. It also paves the way for the ‘Good News’ to bring us light and hope and new life. It is there for the asking. Seek it now and go on seeking until you get it.

The LORD Is My Shepherd

The great Baptist preacher of nineteenth century London, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, wrote the following words on Ps.23:1, "The Lord is my shepherd." “What condescension is this, that the infinite Lord assumes towards his people the office and character of a Shepherd! It should be the subject of grateful admiration that the great God allows himself to be compared to anything which will set forth his great love and care for his own people.”

Isn’t that lovely? The Lord’s deep humility is seen in His becoming the One Who shepherds us, pastors us, Whom is “our Shield and Defender.” He places Himself between us and danger, and fends off the enemy. He leads us to where our souls are fed and nourished and restored. This is the Good Shepherd Who laid down His life for us (1 Jn.3:16). We sing with Philip P. Bliss, “Hallelujah! What a Saviour!”

Our hearts ought to know no reserve when we praise and worship such a Redeemer. And His Father, and ours, allows Himself to be compared to a lowly shepherd, one who loves and cares for the sheep. He understands our needs, you know. The care He has for His own children, for you and for me, should be the subject of our never-dying praise and gratitude. Our hearts should be enlarged with the holiest worship of such a great Shepherd. As His sheep, we are owned by Him; if we were wolves or goats or wild animals, then we would have an altogether different owner, one not nearly so loving and kind. He owns us; we are not our own; we were bought with a price – the precious blood of Christ (1 Cor.6:20). Our Owner sets great store on us, views us a precious in His sight, and takes great delight in us.

Brothers and sisters, we belong to Christ. And the One Who is our shepherd is the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us cultivate this sense of total dependence on Him for everything, yea, for life itself. Spurgeon remarks that the sweetest monosyllable in this verse is the word My. The LORD is my shepherd.

Can you say that? Do you know Him as your shepherd? Has He become your shepherd? Have you trusted Him personally? Are you living for Him? Is He your everything, and is He your all? Have you come to Him and asked Him to make you one of His sheep?

If you have, then you will know that He loves you, cares for you, watches over you, leads and guide you, and has your best and eternal interest at heart. Whatever your present circumstances might be, the LORD is with you and by His Spirit lives in you. The words are in the present tense, which means that these things are true for you at every moment and in every circumstance. Did you realise that? At this very moment in your life’s experience, the LORD is with you. You are under His loving and constant care.

When living with cancer, there are few truths that are more precious to the Christian believer. When everything seems to be blackness and gloom, to look up to this wonderful Shepherd is the greatest privilege of all. When you wonder what is going to happen to you, and whether or not you will live or die, this Psalm is the God-provided antidote. When you question what will become of your family and loved-ones, you turn your eyes to Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and cast yourself on Him. Why? Because He cares for you (1 Pet.5:7). Jesus Christ cares for you! He is more than able to supply all your needs both now and forever. That’s our hope and stay amidst life’s troubles.

Care for the Family

How very important when a family member or spouse is suffering from cancer and undergoing the treatment for this disease that they are given every support they need. It is incumbent upon husbands, for example, to be there for their wives at all times. The sheer level of emotional support they require is incalculable, and they will depend greatly on their husband to provide that support.

Just as “it is not good for man to be alone” (Gen.2:18), so also it is not good for the wife to be alone, especially when she has been traumatised by news of serious illness, or whatever the specific situation might be. Similarly, children, regardless of their ages, need the support that only father can give; and they must not be deprived of that. What dereliction of responsibility that would be if the husband and father were to neglect this parental and matrimonial duty and responsibility. 

I sometimes wonder if husbands are aware of the deep emotional and spiritual needs of their wives and families at a time of trauma. Perhaps the husband is so caught up with his own situation that he gives precious little thought to how his wife and family are feeling, or even coping with the situation. Yet he can spend more time with others whose needs are not ass great. This is a Christian duty that has great potential for spiritual benefits for all concerned.

I heard of a Christian husband whose wife has cancer, and is not handling it very well, going off on his sporting activities when he would have been better to have stayed with her. I know that when the time is right, carers need a break from their responsibilities and to re-charge their emotional and spiritual batteries again. But in the early days of cancer or whatever caused the trauma, is essentially a traumatic situation, and his place is with his wife and family.

When a husband undertakes at his marriage to “love his wife” and to do so “in sickness and in health,” (that is, in good times and in bad) when she suffers (from cancer), it is his privilege as well as his duty to fulfil this vow in the most practical of ways. To demonstrate his love for her at such a time is a great witness to the love of Christ for His church (Eph.5:25). For her to be abandoned in such circumstances is nothing short of criminal. She needs him, and he must be there for her and for the children.

I remember reading about what Prof. E. M. Blaiklock did in order to make up for the time he hadn’t spent with his son who had become most wayward in his living; he took many months off just to spend quality time with him. He placed his parental responsibilities before even his academic career. 

When trauma strikes, it hits the whole family; no one escapes, regardless of who is the primary sufferer. Trauma can be a lonely and isolating experience. But God has set the solitary in families (Ps.68:6), for it is not good that men or women or children should be alone.

Cherish your family; value who and what they are; appreciate them because they hurt, too. And they also need your nearness. 

God Answers Prayer

How encouraging it is to know that our prayers are not ineffective, though we might not always realise this. Parents pray earnestly for the conversion of their children, and God answers their prayers, one now and one at another time. But He is faithful, and will keep His covenant promises made to parents concerning the salvation of their children.

Sometimes we can despair that our offspring, whatever their age, do not place themselves under the means of grace; for example, they refuse to attend church and they dislike the preaching of the Gospel. But do not despair. For our great almighty Redeemer God, these are not essential, though very desirable. “God is spirit” (Jn.4:24), remember. That means that He is invisible so He can creep up on unsuspecting sinners and reduce them to tearful repentance, bringing them to saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 

So do not despair. God is sovereign, and we must always hold out the certainty that he will act to bring our children to saving faith in Christ in His time and in His way. We can tend to get all caught up about formal religion, but to no good purpose. Let God be God, and He will yet surprise us.

This is our conviction. Having one son unsaved is a grave burden to both of us. We long, as you do, for the salvation of all your family members, and whilst they are commanded in Scripture to repent and believe the Gospel, their current rebellion does not rule God out of the picture. We were all rebellious sinners once, but that did not prevent the gracious Lord dealing with us in mercy. And when you consider the end of those who die without Christ, the thought is utterly distressing. Hence, believing prayer to the Lord Who can break into such situations is our great hope and consolation. All Christian parents hope and trust that their children will all be in the Kingdom of God before they leave this scene of time.

So pray on for the salvation of your own families. Plead with the Lord to save them, bringing all the arguments you can think about in your prayer. Remember as you pray that Christ loves them with an everlasting love, and died for them. He has purchased redemption for them and all they have to do to make it their own is to humbly receive it. There is nothing more for them to do, and what we are to do is to bring them before the Lord in prayer continually. And He hears and answers prayer. And when the urge to pray comes, stop everything (if possible) and pray because this is the leading of the Holy Spirit. 

Let me encourage you. God has answered your prayers for Margaret and me in the most tangible of ways; in fact, the evidence is there to see. If God answers your prayers for Margaret, then be confident that He will answer your prayers for your children and other loved-ones. So, as C. H. Spurgeon once said, “Pray, and let God do the worrying.”