All earthly superiors must take this truth to heart.
Elders, Governors, Husbands and all other superiors have suddenly found themselves without the authority they once possessed. Elders have been deposed. Governors have been removed. Husbands have been divorced.
Certainly, this is not always the fault of the one who has lost their authority. But much of the time it is, and if so, by God’s grace – this loss can be averted if we sought the wisdom of the Bible.
Preservation
The Larger Catechism is helpful in understanding how one in authority may, by God’s grace, preserve the authority they have been entrusted with. It summarizes the Bible’s teaching on this topic when it says:
Q. 129. What is required of superiors towards their inferiors? A. It is required of superiors, according to that power they receive from God, and that relation wherein they stand, to love, pray for, and bless their inferiors; to instruct, counsel and admonish them; countenancing, commending, and rewarding such as do well, and discountenancing, reproving, and chastising such as do ill; protecting, and providing for them all things necessary for soul and body: and by grave, wise, holy, and exemplary carriage, to procure glory to God, honour to themselves, and so to preserve that authority which God hath put upon them.
The first aspect of preserving authority is to recognize that God has entrusted the position of superior to the one who has it (Romans 13:1). As such, they must do all things in accordance with His divine, revealed, will. That includes loving, praying, blessing, instructing, counsel, admonishing, etc. those under their care. It also includes protecting and providing for them as well.
But their carriage is also vital. Grave, wise, holy, and exemplary. One in authority must ask if their behavior is reflective of that.
In these ways one in authority not only procures glory to God, which is of first importance, but also brings honor to themselves and preserves their authority.
Those who break these duties to God and neighbor may well find the Lord to release them from their charge due to their sin in this area.
Repentance
But what if this has been you? Never forget that “the Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy” (Psalm 145:1).
So, ask the Lord for forgiveness, for your deficiencies in this area. Ultimately, it is the glory of God that you are seeking, not your own. Then, go and ask those that have been entrusted to for their forgiveness. After that, walk in new obedience, with God-given wisdom and grace, seeking to remedy whatever difficulties you have caused, moving forward in God-given wisdom and God-given grace.
Inferiors
At the same time, inferiors must not despise those set above them whose behavior does not match the ideal. After all, as sinners, we are predisposed to magnify the faults of those that God has set over us. Yes, there are some actions which call for the lawful deposition or divorce of a superior. However, the Bible makes those cases clear.
Overall, those of us under the authority of another are to love them, honor them, and bear with their infirmities. The Larger Catechism teaches us this.
Q. 127. What is the honour that inferiors owe to their superiors? A. The honour which inferiors owe to their superiors is, all due reverence in heart, word, and behaviour; prayer and thanksgiving for them; imitation of their virtues and graces; willing obedience to their lawful commands and counsels; due submission to their corrections; fidelity to, defence, and maintenance of their persons and authority, according to their several ranks, and the nature of their places; bearing with their infirmities, and covering them in love, that so they may be an honour to them and to their government.
May God help both superiors and inferiors fulfill their calling, giving Glory to God, and love to each other.
This morning I was reading his treatise “EDIFYING DISCOURSES REGARDING THE PREPARATION FOR, THE PARTAKING OF, AND THE REFLECTION UPON THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORD’S SUPPER” and I encountered a few gems on assurance that seemed worthy to share more broadly. These come from The Second Discourse: Concerning the Celebration of the Lord’s Supper. They come in catechetical form and I leave them here without further comment.
Question #2: Is such assurance essential?
Answer: 1. Believers are commanded to strive for such assurance. “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Prove your own selves. Know your own selves, how Jesus Christ is in you unless you are rejected” (2 Cor. 13:5). “Therefore, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10).
If you neglect pursuing assurance, you will become careless about your spiritual state and you will neglect being serious about your conversion.
Assurance is sweet, yields spiritual liberty, and kindles love to God and for holiness.
Question #3: Why is it that so many are lethargic and neglectful when it comes to seeking assurance?
Answer: This proceeds from:
Despondency. A person thinks, “Whatever is found in me is entirely deficient.”
Slothfulness and laziness. A person makes no effort in this regard, and cannot be bothered making such an effort.
Ignorance as to how such assurance may be extracted from the Word of God.
Erroneously thinking that assurance can only be the result of an immediate pronouncement by the Holy Spirit.
Unbelieving and atheistic thoughts.
Unbelief. A person thinks that this will always be beyond reach; he has been praying for this so long already, and to no avail.
Question #4: How can you attain such assurance?
Answer: You must deduce this from the Word of God.
First, you must look for promises in the Word of God that are addressed to people who have the disposition of being poor in spirit, mourning, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and a looking unto and believing in Jesus. You must then say, “This is true; it cannot be otherwise.”
You must then proceed to examine your heart in the presence of God as to whether such characteristics are found in you.
If your conscience affirms this, then you must finally conclude from these two truths and reason as follows: “The Scriptures say that whoever is of such a disposition are those to whom such promises are addressed. Since, however, I am so disposed, this promise also pertains to me.”
Question #5: What is the essence of assurance?
Answer: It consists neither in tender emotions nor in extraordinary influences of the Holy Spirit. A person may have a yearning for them, but this does not constitute the essence of assurance. Rather, it consists in:
A quiet peace and spiritual satisfaction resulting from the aforementioned conclusion and in having a clear grasp of the promised heavenly benefits.
In entrusting one’s soul and salvation to Jesus, doing so without fear, and brushing aside all that may militate against this.
Two days ago, several from our congregation went out to Grapevine, TX to proclaim and present the gospel in advance of an exploratory worship service for a potential church plant in the Bedford area. Why do this?
We did it because the purpose of evangelism is to make men, women, and children worshipers of the true God through the work of reconciliation that Jesus Christ has wrought. The activity of a church plant as an outpost for worship and the evangelism of its community are vitally connected. As the Scripture says:
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light
1 Peter 2:9
With faith in that truth of God’s Word, many from our congregation drove out to the area in the prayerful hope that some might be translated from darkness into Christ’s marvelous light that they would show forth the praises of God.
The way our evangelism team is setup is that I perform the open-air preaching as the minister, while others in the congregation hand out tracts and speak to those passing by about the hope of eternal life and the free forgiveness of sins in Jesus. Others take down prayer requests, pray with souls, and hand out Bibles to those who ask. This time around, one woman even walked around the town center with a poster of Scripture on it. In this way, every member who goes with us finds that they have a role to play. As the apostle says in 1 Corinthians 12 – every part of the body of Christ is gifted in their own way.
It struck me that US naval carrier groups are structured the same way. The centerpiece of the group is the aircraft carrier. But it is supported by many other classes of ships, submarines, and aircraft. Working together it is a formidable force, virtually impossible to resist (humanly speaking).
In the same way, when the preacher of the gospel sounds forth the gospel trumpet as the rest of the body goes out to speak to others, to pray, and be public witnesses for the Lord, that becomes a formidable heavenly force. They even act as a barrier against hecklers and such for the preacher, allowing the Word to continue to go forth without interruption. After all, as Ecclesiastes 4 says – a threefold cord is not easily broken.
An observation
Here is how that worked out this past time we went out. As usual, when I preach out in the open, I find many will listen to the preaching, but from a distance. More and more, I notice this phenomenon. This time we even had several driving by who would roll down their windows to listen while they were stopped due to the traffic or drive by slowly. But across the street I noticed that several had been paying attention for 10-15 minutes at a time. But they did not approach me or the table that we had set out with literature.
However, one of the sisters from our congregation saw a young lady on the other side of the street. She saw that she was intently paying attention to the preaching and so she went out to meet her. This sister spoke to her about Christ and invited her to the evening exploratory worship service the next day. After getting her contact information, she kept in touch with her on the Lord’s Day, and praise God – she came to worship with us and was tremendously blessed. She hopes to grow closer to the ladies of our congregation and go to our regional prayer meeting.
This is how the body works together. Not everyone needing to be a preacher of the gospel, in fact, the preacher did not make the personal contact that the Lord used to draw this person to public worship. Though the preaching drew the woman’s heart, it was an “ordinary” young woman in our congregation that the Lord used as His hands to reach out to this young lady who was in anguish of soul and needed Him.
There were other interactions of the same level, even if it did not result in someone coming into the public worship service. But Bibles were given, tracts were handed out, and conversations about the Lord were had.
The encouragement would be that the body go out together whenever possible as that carrier group. Yes, ministers should go out by themselves when necessary as they have a commission from the Lord. But inculcate in your congregation the need to partner in the work of evangelism as the body of Christ works together.
What a tremendous picture it is of Christ storming the gates of Hell through His body. I am thankful for the elders and members who together, by the Holy Spirit’s work in them, came together to be a formidable force against the world, the flesh, and the devil. May this encourage your congregation to do similarly.
May Christ be lifted up before all men and be glorified for His work to save sinners.
Disclaimer: This is not a paid review. I purchased the device with my own money, and I was not solicited to review this product.
Introduction
It is hard to think of a recent device that has so greatly affected my workflow as the reMarkable 2. That is not hyperbole. I use it all the time, from reading PDFs to note taking, jotting down ideas, and doing sermon development in a freeform / more organic way than on my computer.
I use it in the counseling room when shepherding my flock. I use it in meetings. I keep my prayer list on it. Often, I will throw it in a bag with just my Bible, and head out to work through a text away from my computer and other distractions.
What is it?
It is an e-ink based tablet with a digitizer and pen (“marker” in reMarkable parlance). As it uses e-ink, it feels more like reading on paper than the LCD based screens most tablets such as an iPad. In sunlight, it is still legible, though in dark rooms you will need to supply your own light (just like a book). Unlike some other e-ink devices there is no front-light.
However, without a backlit and constantly refreshing display, the battery life is outstanding. I can get a week of use from it before having to charge it. It is also much thinner and lighter than a typical iOS, Android, or Windows tablet. It weighs 0.89 lbs. (403.5 grams) and is only 0.19″ (4.7mm) thick.
But this is not a general computing device. There are no apps on it. All you can do on it is read and write (and manage your notebooks). But it far excels other tablets when it comes to that. Screen refreshes / page turns are a bit slow, think e-ink Kindles.
Taking notes on Beza’s biography of Calvin at the dealership
Writing feel
Writing on an iPad or Surface feels like writing on glass. A bit slippery and never feels quite right. Microsoft put a haptic engine in their newest Slim Pen2 to try and replicate that feelbut it still doesn’t feel like pencil on paper.
But the reMarkable DOES. It feels satisfying to write with. It is even a bit addictive. At the same time, you can also do things that regular paper cannot – like select a section of your notes and copy and paste it elsewhere or move the text around the page.
Distraction free
Reading a book pulled from Google and annotating it
I have a tablet (Surface Pro 9) and a phone (ZFold 3) that I read and takes notes on (both support a stylus and inking). Besides the fact that they are not as satisfying to write on, they also are filled with temptations and distractions. Notifications come in and I am tempted to open them. When I get distracted in my mind, I am tempted to open up the browser, and chase some sort of rabbit trail.
But with the reMarkable, assuming I keep my phone away, I am glued to reading and writing. This is a great boon to my productivity and is the best of both worlds – the best of paper notebooks with the best of digital technology (circa the 2020s).
Workflows
Meditations on a sermon text (Psalm 109)
A few of the workflows that I use:
I upload PDFs to the reMarkable that I want to read. With Google Books this allows me to read a lot of older works for free almost as if they were printed, due to the e-ink screen and lightweight nature of the device. I can then markup the books as well and capture the notes without defiling a book!
I can also export sections of my Logos library and then can read and also mark them up with annotations. The cover photo illustrates that kind of workflow.
I often export the Biblical text that I am going to preach on and start to “doodle” on it, see above photo “Meditations on a sermon text”.
I meditate on the text and draw connections between it and other Scripture with my Bible open.
Using the reMarkable cloud service, I open those notes on my PC and start to put a sermon outline together and type up a sermon from it. There are integrations with DropBox, OneDrive, and Google Drive if you do not want to use reMarkable’s proprietary cloud.
When I read an involved book (physical book) – especially one more research oriented – I will take notes as I read the book on the reMarkable. See photo below at the end of this section.
Note taking is excellent in the counseling room or in a meeting. Given its paper like qualities, no one thinks you are playing a game on it while speaking with them.
For Family Worship, I keep a PDF Bible on it. I mark where I am in the Bible to keep track of where we leave off (we do not do whole chapters, typically). I can erase any marks I make, and I don’t have to mark up a physical Bible.
Recently it aided me in an emergency preaching situation. A guest minister took ill after the morning service and as he was unable to preach our afternoon service, I scrambled (while at church) to pull together a sermon in about an hour.
I found a sermon I had never preached to my congregation, edited it on my Surface Go 2 to update it for our context, and then uploaded it to the reMarkable.
I preached from the reMarkable – I had never preached from an electronic device before – and the Lord brought me through it. Would I do that again? No. Not unless it was a similar emergency. The contrast is not quite as good as real paper, and the page size is a bit smaller than the 8.5″x11″ I am used to preaching from. And, as with all electronic devices, it could have failed. But the Lord blessed it, and I was grateful. Members of the congregation told me they could not tell I was preaching from a device.
You can convert your handwriting to text via OCR. But I have yet to use it for that. It is an offline process and is not done in real-time.
Freeform note taking. Note the small text that I could insert with the fineliner tool
Bad stuff
All of that said, the device is not perfect. To use their cloud functionality after a year, it will cost you a few dollars a month to subscribe. The device is not speedy and page turns can take some time with complex PDFs filled with images. The 3.0 update, which is its biggest update to date, is still buggy (I recommend that you stay on 2.x for a while). It is pretty pricey, as many niche products are. While it starts at around $299, you will need to buy a pen to use it ($80-100), and you will probably want a case of some kind. All told, you are looking at around $400+ for it. That puts it in iPad territory and this device is not nearly as useful as an iPad for general purpose computing. But that said, if you can use this device to its full potential because of your work, you will find that you use it more than an iPad.
You cannot open multiple notebooks or books at the same time for a split-screen view. This means I cannot read a book and put notes on it in another document. Other e-ink devices have gained this capability, but the reMarkable has not.
Competition
The market has grown since reMarkable 1 first came on the scene. Amazon has its Kindle Scribe which allows you to natively read Kindle books on it. It is not as good for doing actual note taking, but it is a Gen 1 device, and the software may greatly improve. Supernote is another device that better models the feel of ink on paper rather than pencil on paper as the reMarkable. Then there is the Onyx Note Air 2 – which is a full-on Android tablet with an e-ink display. This means you can use all of your normal apps like OneNote instead of the proprietary note taking applications. You can also use the Kindle app (though you cannot take handwritten notes on them). This is an intriguing device and many love it. Though for me, the minimalism of the reMarkable 2 is attractive.
Conclusion
I hope that the above review might give you a reason to consider an e-ink tablet to add to your workflow. With our current digital age, it is nice to have something minimalistic and distraction free to aid our productivity that melds the best of analog and digital technologies.
I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly. Psalm 85:8
Introduction
A New Year is about to dawn, and many Bible reading plans will be started. You might get through your allotted reading plan in the upcoming year. But the question is whether you will read the Bible with profit? Will your Bible reading deepen your communion with God in Christ by the Holy Spirit?
Far too often, we find little profitability in our Bible reading and it becomes a rote and frustrating affair. Part of the reason for this is we do not exercise ourselves spiritually in our devotional reading time. Nor do we recognize that when we approach the Bible in faith, it becomes God’s very speech towards us.
And so, our Bible reading becomes something akin to the reading students perform to get through their classes: rote and obligatory. Instead of being meditative, prayerful, convicting, and delightful. Bible reading of the latter kind are hallmarks of evangelical religion.
Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s counsel
Some of the best pastoral counsel when it comes to reading the Scripture comes from Robert Murray M’Cheyne who wrote to a young man who was away from his parents’ home:
“You read your Bible regularly, of course; but do try and understand it, and still more, to feel it. Read more parts than one at a time. For example, if you are reading Genesis, read a psalm also; or, if you are reading Matthew, read a small bit of an epistle also. Turn the Bible into prayer. Thus, if you were reading the 1st Psalm, spread the Bible on the chair before you, and kneel, and pray, ‘O Lord, give me the blessedness of the man,’ etc. ‘Let me not stand in the counsel of the ungodly,’ etc. ‘This is the best way of knowing the meaning of the Bible, and of learning to pray. In prayer confess your sins by name—going over those of the past day, one by one. Pray for your friends by name—father, mother, etc. etc. If you love them, surely you will pray for their souls. I know well that there are prayers constantly ascending for you from your own house; and will you not pray for them back again? Do this regularly. If you pray sincerely for others, it will make you pray for yourself. “But I must be done. Good-bye, dear G. Remember me to your brother kindly, and believe me your sincere friend, “R. M. M.”
Robert Murray McCheyne and Andrew A. Bonar, Memoir and Remains of the Rev. Robert Murray McCheyne (Edinburgh; London: Oliphant Anderson & Ferrier, 1894), 58–59.
Read M’Cheyne’s counsel slowly and think upon it. It is filled with gold. Let us consider some aspects of his counsel.
Read with the Understanding
M’Cheyne urged his young friend to understand the Scripture he read. If reading the Bible is akin to digesting your daily food (Job 23:12) and more necessary than it, then it is no surprise that many of us have spiritual indigestion after Bible reading – because we did not go slow enough to digest it properly. Meditate on the Word (Psalm 1:2) and think deeply upon it. The word translated ‘meditate’ has at its root the concept of muttering.
So, as an aid to meditation, you might consider reading the Word aloud softly. After all, the blessing in The Revelation is, “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy” (Revelation 1:3). Note both the reading and the hearing. The part of hearing is often neglected in our private devotions but is connected to profitable meditation.
Another simple exercise to get started in the practice of reflecting on the Scripture and meditating on it is to remember what the Shorter Catechism Q. 3 teaches about “What do the Scriptures principally teach?”. Answer: “The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man”. This is a good way to interact with every Scripture that you read – if you do this you will read with the understanding. Reflect on what the text teaches concerning your God and what duties the text may constrain you to.
Read prayerfully
Reading prayerfully is the other part of M’Cheyne’s counsel we ought to heed and is perhaps even more neglected by God’s people. We often struggle in prayer because we do not know how to pray as we ought. This is why the Lord gave us The Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:1). The 3rd petition of the Lord’s Prayer is “thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). In that petition we are to pray that the will of God be done in our life (and in others).
Given that the preceptive will of God is found in the Scripture, we must pray for God’s grace to be forgiven of our coming short of it (5th petition of the Lord’s prayer), as well as God’s grace to walk in obedience to it.
This is what M’Cheyne counseled his dear friend to do with Bible reading. To turn it into a prayerful exercise seeking the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ for all the matters found in it. This will humble you and cause you to ever look with joy and patient dependence unto Jesus – the author and finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2).
Read Devotionally
More could be said on these matters, but in the end – make your reading devotional. It is part of your communion with Jesus Christ. You draw close to the throne of heaven when you sit at Christ’s feet in your Bible reading in this way. You will know your God better than if you just flew through your reading as a bare obligation.
This will likely mean you need to allocate more time to your daily devotions (they are called that for a reason!) in order to get through your Bible reading plan. But are there not amusements you can probably be rid of to spend more time with Christ in this manner?
If you read and pray devotionally, you will find the time in devotions melt away and when your allotted time comes to an end, and you must depart from Christ’s feet to perform your other obligations, you will sigh, “Rabboni!” wishing you could cling to Christ just a bit longer (John 20:16-17). May that heart be yours in the New Year and may He accomplish it through your Bible reading:
But I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go
And Nathan said to David,Thou art the man.2 Samuel 12:7
I recently listened to a sermon on the free offer of the gospel on SermonAudio. As the minutes rolled on, I could not help to note that the sermon was rather detached and lecture-like. When the sermon was more than 3/4 of the way through it struck me that it was unlikely this minister was going to press his congregation to see if they had freely received Christ for themselves. He did not preach as if Christ had been crucified among them (Galatians 3:1). The assumption seemed to be that the congregation only needed to understand the Bible’s theology better.
This happens all too often in Reformed pulpits but what made it more jarring was this was done during a sermon on the gospel itself. A sermon with no exhortations to close with Christ (John 1:12). Sadly, I hear the same kind of thing from many students that preach in Presbytery trials, they simply do not do what Bible preaching demands – to search out the hearers. After preaching that salvation is of the Lord, few today will take the next step and ask their hearers the simple question: “have you yourself, seen that you are a sinner, and have you cast yourself entirely upon Jesus for salvation?“
And so, it is the case, sad to say, in addition to a famine of practical preaching, there is a great famine of discriminatory preaching in Reformed Churches. Discriminatory preaching does not discriminate as we use the word today to show bigotry between ethnicities or sexes or something of that sort. Instead, it is a discrimination between sheep and goats – the true Christian and the non-Christian or the “almost Christian” (the same as the non-Christian).
Because such discrimination is not sought in preaching – the outcome is that hypocrites are never confronted with their sinfulness and will hear on that last day, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23). Sadly, many covenant children apostatize because their minister has never preached in a way that exposes their sinfulness and their own need for a Savior.
Confront the hypocrite
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? 2 Corinthians 13:5.
This need for searching in preaching is seen in 2 Corinthians 13. The apostle Paul confronts the Corinthians to see if they are in the faith or are reprobates.
Today, no less than in the 1st century, preaching must seek to confront the hypocrite with their standing with the Lord. Have they really trusted in the Lord for their salvation – all of it? Are they clinging onto their good works as their hope for salvation, their profession of faith notwithstanding? Are they walking in repentance and faith? Are they reprobates, or are they truly in the faith?
It is this kind of searching that must be put before the people of God. David would pray in the 139th psalm:
Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.
The preaching of the Word must search the people out in this manner. Preaching must not just exposit the propositional truths of the Scripture, but to take the next step, and bring those truths out in such a way that the Holy Ghost might search out the congregation, so they might flee to Christ for everlasting life and new obedience in the way everlasting. Ministers must do it earnestly and plead with them as the Lord would have them (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Comfort the saint
But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates. 2 Corinthians 13:6.
But even as the preacher preaches in a searching manner, he must also see that the aim is not that men and women would live in terror but flee to Jesus Christ for comfort. For the Spirit to awaken them to their awful condition but send them to the arms of Jesus for everlasting life and blessedness, laying hold of Jesus as a free gift. This is what is so striking about 2 Corinthians 13, soon after the apostle tells the Corinthians to see if they are reprobates, he seeks to console true believers to show they can know they are not reprobates by looking at signs of grace in them.
For believers, then, such discrimination is mean to fill them with assurance that they are on the Lord’s side forever. That as they see the marks of grace in them, that if they seek to (however imperfectly) deny themselves, take up their Cross daily, and follow Him is one of the marks of a saved soul, one born again, and one who will enter the joy of their Lord. But always knowing those are marks / fruits of salvation, but it is Jesus who saves them to the uttermost.
Ministers accountable
Ministers, preach in this manner, for the Lord will hold you accountable for the souls under your charge.
But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. Ezekiel 33:6
A solemn word, so preach in a manner that none of your people can stand before the Lord on the judgment day and complain to the Lord that you did not confront them with their personal need to receive Christ and to consider their standing before the Almighty. You will be accountable for the blood of your hearers.
Short Examples
Below are two simple sermon clips from recent preaching. The first asks the congregation to consider which side they are on, the sheep or the goats. To have them understand there is a distinction between the two.
The second clip seeks to call believers in every state to the Lord’s Table, in the hopes that the Lord would cause believers in every situation to cling to the arms of Jesus for comfort and consolation.
These are not great examples, perhaps, but it does show the difference between a lecture where one explains the way of salvation and preaching that inquires of the congregation their spiritual state before the Lord.
Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Acts 20:26–27
In the Reformed church today, there has been a too great backlash to moralistic preaching. In many ways this is understandable as there has been a grievous loss of the gospel in many quarters when men preach “thou shalt” and “thou shalt not” to the exclusion of our only hope – Christ crucified for sinners. Many no longer hear that Christ came to justify the ungodly – that our salvation is by grace alone through faith alone and not by our works (Ephesians 2:8-9), for which we will praise God now and forever.
But in an over-reaction to gospel-less moralism, men have turned away from preaching the moral commandments of the Bible. The fruit of this practical, if not theoretical, antinomianism has caused many to no longer showcase the mark of the Christian disciple (love) and led to lives filled with sinfulness. It has also led to destroyed families and ruined marriages because no longer do Christians hear “all the counsel of God” and God’s will for their lives, their marriage, their family, etc.
Preaching Holiness
Many New Testament texts teach that the fruit of salvation must be holy lives lived for righteousness. Christ Himself teaches that His light must shine through our conduct and lives. Never to earn salvation, not ever to earn favor with the Almighty, but the product of the new, regenerated, heart, and the work of the grace of Christ given to us by the Holy Spirit, and exercised by ourselves. It is hard to understand how one can read the Sermon on the Mount without seeing how Christ would have us live. Consider some other texts in the New Testament epistles.
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Titus 2:13-14
and
Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14
The Lord Jesus Christ redeemed us and washed us from all our sins, so we may live holy lives, and for Him. That is the teaching of Romans 6 as well:
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Romans 6:1-2
Preaching Practical Doctrine
Because of the abuse of moralistic preaching divorced from the grace of God, many men no longer preach sanctification. In addition, practical preaching is almost nonexistent. I have listened to many sermons as of late from men – and almost all of their sermons are week in, and week out, indicatives. With nary an imperative to be found. If moralistic preaching divorced from the gospel leads to burdens impossible to bear, a lack of moral preaching leads to the sheep being starved and disordered.
Opportunities for Wolves
Sensing this vacuum, this has also led to grievous wolves entering the church to lure away disciples after themselves (Acts 20:29-30) by preaching on neglected, but vital, topics for Christian living. Such men have a defective or heretical view on justification, and disciples not being fed “all the counsel of God” are leaving orthodox churches to pledge their allegiance and eternal souls to unorthodox men. This is devastating.
Pastor, please preach “all the counsel of God”. This is often far more difficult for your flesh to do as it takes a lot of thought and meditation to dive into the realm of application (this was noted in the Westminster Directory of Public Worship). You will have to know your flock to do it well (Proverbs 27:23). Any minister that spends time with his sheep would have a catalogue of vital topics on matters of holiness and practical living to preach on to tend to them. There is such power in preaching the Word that it will help reduce the amount of time you spend in the counseling room as you pick up after lives shattered by sin.
For the love of Christ, in the power of Christ, for the glory of Christ
Preach that obedience to the commandments is the fruit of a justifying faith and that obedience to the commandments comes from the greatest motivation of all:
If ye love me, keep my commandments. John 14:15
And what the Lord Jesus Christ commands He gives power to fulfill through a vital union with Himself:
He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do… nothing. John 15:5
May the people of God be a light set upon a hill as they are sanctified and more Christly through the preaching ministry, that all would glorify our Father in heaven.
How do your children perceive that heaven and hell are real? That Jesus Christ loves sinners, even the chief? That souls are perishing apart from Christ? That they themselves must receive Christ or be lost?
Obviously, this will never happen without the Spirit’s blessing on the Word of God to make it come alive to them, so that they understand the solemnity, as well as joy, of texts such as:
7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. 2 Thessalonians 1:7–10.
But children, as well as adults, perceive the reality of the faith by observation and engagement. For ours is an experiential or experimental religion.
John 7:17 – If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God.
In addition, as you know, the observation of the good deeds of the saints (and evangelism is a good deed indeed!) is a means the Lord uses to cause Himself to be glorified in the sight of all men.
Matthew 5:16 – Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
With all of that put together, I would encourage elders and parents to consider having their youth to come to evangelistic events and participate if it is wise for them to do so. Obviously, there are some areas and situations where you will not want to bring Christ’s most tender lambs to. But there are many places where it is appropriate.
In their engagement, the youth will better understand that heaven and hell are real places as you plead with souls to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. The youth will better understand that Christ came to save sinners, and of all kinds. That while our sin condemns us to hell, Jesus Christ can take us to heaven all on His own merit. Please take the faith from the realm of the theoretical to the experiential.
Plead to the God of heaven after you come back in prayer and have your children pray for the souls that were encountered as well. And if a soul is converted, rejoice with heaven that one who was dead is now alive.
A covenant youth of the congregation handing out tracts to passers-by
This is one neglected way for children to perceive the reality of the faith we profess. With all the youth “dropping out” of the evangelical churches – and there are a variety of reasons for it, including the fact that many have never truly been to church, but to youth programs instead – having them go out with you to take the message of Christ crucified is surely a means the Lord might use to draw them to saving faith themselves. If nothing else, they will hear your pastor preach the gospel over and over again in a pointed and earnest way – and for themselves, faith will come by hearing, and hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:15-17). They will observe the discussions you have with souls on the road to hell and they will see the folly of sin and the hardness of the natural heart – but also see you depend upon the Spirit to reconcile sinners to God in Christ.
Surely this will have its effect on them.
And if nothing else, they can never go before the Lord one day, and charge you with hypocrisy. They will see that you truly believed what the Bible had to say and if they abandon the Lord, it will not be because you were a man or woman who was double minded.
Two of our youth ready to hand out gospel tractswhile preaching takes place and adults are passing tracts up ahead of them.
I will also say that the children are often a great boon to the evangelistic efforts of a congregation. While tracts are often refused from adults, they are rarely refused when children offer them! It is hard to resist the children especially when they are so earnest about their labors.
So, with this small post, I hope you might consider having the children of the congregation along to evangelistic events that they might perceive the great division between all peoples into sheep and goats and the love of God demonstrated on the glorious Cross of Christ for the sheep.
That they would see in us the sentiment of Spurgeon:
Oh, my brothers and sisters in Christ, if sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies; and if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay, and not madly to destroy themselves. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.
C. H. Spurgeon, “The Wailing of Risca,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 7 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1861), 11.
Perhaps, when we implore our children to be personally reconciled to Christ, they will see the urgency of that message for themselves, as they have seen us plead with others to be saved, and they will be saved in the process as they experience the reality of the Word – that hell is real, but praise be to God for Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given us a full and free salvation to carry us to heaven, if we would receive Him by faith.
One of our Ruling Elders at the Dallas Reformed Presbyterian Churchput this video together of last month’s open air preaching and evangelism event. Encourage ministers of the gospel to preach the gospel in the open air and go with them to witness to those who will hear.
The encouraging thing for me as a minister is when I see my people share the good news of Jesus Christ with all those around, even as I am preaching the Word of God.
Share this video with those who need to be encouraged and read my last post on how you might conduct such events.
Also, check out our Church’s Facebook page for more details on the event.
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15
Why ministers must preach the gospel in the open air
In the past year, the Lord has stirred the Dallas Reformed Presbyterian Church to be a gospel witness to the city of McKinney. We began door to door outreach in the neighborhood, and spoken to our neighbors about the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, handing out gospel tracts, inviting them to church, and praying with them if they have needs. For today, I want to consider open air preaching: preaching in the public square, sometimes called “street preaching”. I will focus on the ministry context the Lord has put me in – a suburb of the USA. Differences in application will be necessary for different contexts. Especially if your local government is more hostile to the Church.
WHY OPEN AIR PREACHING? All that said, as blessed as our door to door outreach has been, we have felt a greater need for open air (or street) preaching. Why? Because the gospel must be preached to the lost. It is the foolishness of preaching that the Lord promises to greatly bless to the conversion of souls. It is preaching He uses as a means to draw men to Christ. God’s Word explains:
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (ROMANS 10:13–17)
Historically, the great revivals came by the Spirit filled preaching of God’s Word. Though other forms of evangelism are used by God, preaching to the lost is the greatest means Christ has given to evangelize. He said plainly and clearly, “preach the gospel to every creature”. The Greek word for preach is the activity of an official herald. Heralding the gospel. Heralding the good news! Yet, this greatest means is downplayed in the American church’s evangelistic efforts.
To this, many pastors might say: I preach the gospel in my church. I say, brother, I praise God for that! And I praise God for your members who bring the lost to your church! And I praise God you recognize that not all who sit in the pews and say they are Christians are born again. But the stark reality is this: the lost do not come to church as often as they once did. Church attendance used to be a marker of a person’s membership in ‘respectable society’. So the lost would go in times past. Those times are long gone.
Pastor, the lost are all around you outside of your study and your church building. Do not wait for them to come to you. Go to them! Preach the same Words of Life that once rang sweetly in your own ears on the day you first believed! Remember what it was like to hear Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners like you. Remember what it was like when the Spirit of God brought life and faith into your own heart.
And then on the day you were ordained to gospel ministry – the Lord Jesus Christ entrusted to a sinner like you the greatest message given – Christ and Him Crucified. The gospel message that God in the flesh came to save sinners – offering salvation as a free gift to all who call on the name of the Lord. Be an evangelist. Hear Paul’s exhortation to Timothy:
But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. (2 TIMOTHY 4:5)
Make full proof of your ministry and preach the word to the lost. Do the work of an evangelist!
Members praying with those who have needs as they were drawn by the preaching
WHO SHOULD PREACH? But that brings me to a topic I must address for our time: not everyone is a preacher. The Word of God says the ones who preach must be “sent” (Romans 10:15). Those sent are men ordained by a Presbytery (1 Timothy 4:14) for gospel ministry. It is not for every member to preach the Word of God. This is a commission and a burden given by the Lord.
I was examined by a Presbytery for the gospel ministry
Sadly, as ministers of the gospel have been unfaithful to their charge to evangelize – church members – seeing a vacuum – attempt to fill it as their souls are provoked by the lost perishing. They take on a burden Christ has not laid upon them. This is why, today, our impression of “street preachers” is almost overwhelmingly negative. Few ordained and trained physicians of souls are found in the public square. Instead, rabble rousers, and confrontational men are preaching to antagonize rather than evangelize.
But when true pastors with a heart for the lost preach on God’s wrath that leads all men to hell, they also find themselves preaching on God’s love in Christ that leads to heaven through a Cross – salvation as a free gift by faith in Jesus. They preach good news. Not just the bad news. For they were commissioned and sent with this burden: “for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16).
HINDRANCES Is the thought of preaching the gospel in the open intimidating? At first, it is, at least to most men. But if you are a pastor, I hope you have felt the same trepidation when opening the Word of God to preach. As John Knox was reputed to have said, “I have never once feared the devil, but I tremble every time I enter the pulpit”. I still tremble every Lord’s Day and every Prayer Meeting where I preach a sermon. Because God is my judge. At first, I felt the burden of preaching in the open – but it struck me – do I think man is going to judge me more severely than Christ? No.
Some men also do not want to be seen as a fool. This is a real but seldom expressed fear. After all, it is much easier to preach to those who are friendly to the Christian faith inside of our meeting halls. A man who preaches in the open is going to be a laughingstock to man. Get used to being called a fool by the world, brother. It is the foolishness of preaching that God uses to save (1 Corinthians 1:21). Be a fool for Christ’s sake (1 Corinthians 4:10)!
Both fear and foolishness are removed when you realize that the man of God who preaches goes with the Spirit of God. Preaching is an activity that is blessed by the Spirit. The fact that men do not realize this is why there are many ineffective preachers today. The man of God goes for the Almighty and with the Almighty. “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” (Psalm 118:6). He cannot be touched by the world that rages against the Lord and His Christ (Psalm 2) – even if they kill the preacher – his life is hidden with Christ above (Colossians 3:3).
When I preached at the McKinney square I felt as though the stool I stood on was the firmest place in the universe to stand. Because I stood on the Word of God and I stood in Christ. I proclaimed the everlasting gospel with the pleasure and blessing of Jesus Christ Himself. And when a pastor pleads with God that he might preach in the Spirit – there is great power which removes the fear of men.
A congregational effort Some who have read this might think that an open air witness must be a lone effort by the minister. After all, only the minister is called to preach. This is an opposite problem from the one I spoke of before. A strict clericalism can sneak into Reformed churches that ought never be there. No, evangelism can be a most blessed congregational activity. Ask God to rouse up the spirits of your congregation. Go together! While they will not preach – they will be a great encouragement and a great witness. They will be there to “watch your back” and pray for you. They will meet and greet those who show an interest in the word. They will pray with those who have prayer needs. They will tell others of how great things the Lord hath done for them, and hath had compassion on them (Mark 5:19). When they “swim in their lane”, so to speak, they are most blessed. They will not feel a burden that ought never be theirs. And they will find that Christ bears them up to be a public witness.
All that happened at our last event in McKinney. Their faith was strengthened and their spirits were renewed as they saw the work of God on display around them and through them. Knowing that the Spirit moved in my congregation, seeing their love for the gospel, love for Christ, love for the lost, and yes, even their love for me was a tremendous boost to my own spirit as I preached.
Breaking bread before taking the gospel to McKinney
Format As for the format of our open air preaching event: I would preach for about 10 minutes on a text of Scripture. And each message must be a pointed gospel message. Messages were preached on salvation as the free gift of God in Jesus Christ, faith, heaven, salvation, and damnation. After a message was preached, one of the men would pray that the Lord would bless the word sown, and all would sing a psalm together as a public witness of praise to our God.
This was a wonderful way to have the congregation involved. Next time we plan to spread our members through the crowd with DRPC shirts on so that they might be able to talk to those who are interested. Go and be wise as serpents and harmless as doves in your witness for Christ. Mobilize the body – they can have a great part to play even if they can not preach!
For a sample of what was preached – you can view this video. Next time, we hope to have video captured of the congregation’s involvement so you can see how they worked together, prayed together, and sang together.
The final gospel callpreached
Final thoughts I chose to write on this topic not to exalt our congregation. But that Christ would be exalted. And exalted through your congregation as well as ours. Each time the Cross is preached, Christ is glorified, whether or not a soul is saved. That is our greatest aim in witnessing – to proclaim the excellences of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord. No souls came forward at our event to be converted. But many listened to the Word intently. I had a small audience at a Café across the street that paid attention. One woman listened for twenty minutes or more. Many believers said a hearty ‘amen’ to the preaching as they walked by and signaled their support. And our congregation was strengthened spiritually. Most of all the Cross was preached and Christ was proclaimed.
We are simply called to be faithful to sow the good seed of the Word. God will make sure it does not return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11). The Godhead asks – “who will go for us?” (Isaiah 6:8). Pastors – go out into the fields. The harvest is ripe. The Lord Jesus must be publicly proclaimed. Compel the lost to come in (Luke 14:23). Do it for the same Christ who loved you and died for you. Be used by Him to bring His lost sheep into His sheepfold. Be an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). Yes, continue doing what you are doing for evangelism (you are doing something, right? 2 Timothy 4:5) but make sure to not neglect preaching to where the lost congregate. It is preaching that God most greatly blesses. If revival will break out in our land, we must rediscover the promise and power of preaching. Pastor, God has given you the gift of preaching the Word. You were not given that gift to only preach to saved people. You are equipped for the work of open air preaching. Your ordination is proof of it.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. My contact information is on the church website. Please also check out our Dallas RPCNA Facebook page for more pictures and videos from our event.
Christ, Code, and Kids 