Month: October 2016

Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

This Sunday morning our sermon will come from James 2:8-10. In this passage we are introduced to what James refers to as the “royal law” (v. 8). He then identifies this blessed law as Leviticus 19:18—“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  This Old Testament precept is inserted into the section where James continues to deal with the sin of showing “partiality” (v. 9) within the body of Christ.  In effect, James argues that to practice such favoritism (remember, they have treated the rich man more honorably than the poor man simply because of his status, 2:1-7) is a violation of this divine “law.”

Several pertinent questions surface here that we shall attempt to answer on Sunday. First, why is this precept called “royal,” and what is its connection to the “whole law” of God (v. 10)?  Secondly, are believers in Christ still under the “law,” and if so, in what way?  And third, what is it to “love” ourselves, and how do we define the kind of “love” called for here in distinction from other varieties of love?  Perhaps we can consider these important questions as we prayerfully prepare our hearts for Lord’s Day worship.

Announcements

Speaking of Sunday, don’t forget that we will have a brief Called Meeting of the Congregation immediately following our worship on Sunday.  This meeting is for the purpose of Officer Elections.  The Session is delighted to recommend the following men for election to service. Each has been examined and trained for their respective duties, and each man is willing to serve if elected to Office.

The Office of Elder—Mr. Crawford Dillon

The Office of Deacon—Mr. Ben Calvert, Mr. Norman Dean, Mr. Bill McNeese, and Mr. David O’Neil

The vote will be by ballot and is open to all Communing Members of our Church.

And speaking of service to the Lord and His Church, we are so thankful for Mrs. Ashley Turnbull who has served faithfully as our Coordinator for Children’s and Women’s Ministries. So many wonderful things have happened under Ashley’s diligent leadership in both of these vital areas, and one of them is the growth of our ministry to our little ones. This is not at all surprising, and we knew that there would come a day when this part of her ministry would assume the priority. In light of this, the Session has recently asked Ashley to focus all of her energies and time on Children’s Ministries. We are very excited for her, as this will help to relieve the many burdens of leading two vibrant ministries on a part-time basis.  In the meantime, our ministry to our Women will continue under the structure that Ashley has in place. And in the near future, the Session will identify someone to coordinate the ministry activities of our Ladies. Thank you, Ashley, for your tireless service to our Lord’s Church, and we love you and your family dearly and always support you in our prayers.

Finally, just one more reminder to our men. Our annual ‘Stay at Home Men’s Retreat’ begins tonight at the Church at 6:00 PM with our Men’s Fellowship Dinner.  Then, tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM we will gather for breakfast and Bible Study at the Church.  I hope to see you there!

I love you all with all my heart, and can’t wait until we gather together in worship before our great King and High Priest,

Mike

Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

The Sure Cure for Worldliness and Pride

In chapter two of the Epistle of James (2:1-4), the brother of our Lord confronts the awful presence of pride and worldliness in the Church.  You will remember the scene.  Two visitors come into worship.  One is a rich man, stunningly appointed with the finest apparel and glittering jewelry.  The other is a poor man, dressed in tattered clothing. The wealthy man is excitedly ushered to the best seat in the house, while the poor man is simply ignored, except for hearing the blunt order to stay in his place. Such an attitude (and in worship of all places!) manifests the undeniable presence of rank worldliness.  It betrays pride and the worship of men and things. It is antithetical to the Gospel and disgraceful to God the Father.

But how is such a terrible sin among God’s people cured?

The answer is discovered in 2:5—

“Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?”

The inspired remedy for what plagues the Church is a healing dose of the doctrine of election! Nothing eradicates human pride, prompts Gospel-humility, enflames worship, motivates holiness, and promotes the love of God more than this beloved (but frequently maligned!) truth. God has “chosen”!  Plain and simple!  We have not chosen Him. He chose us, and He did so in eternity past.  And the Father has taken special delight in choosing the “poor in the world” as trophies of His sovereign grace. It’s not that He has only chosen from the “poor,” but that His true people have largely been elected from among those whom the world ignores—the weak, the marginalized, and the neglected (like the poor man who wandered into the worship service).

This is also Paul’s bold and pride-destroying message to the Corinthians:

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord”–1 Corinthians 1:26-31.

This Lord’s Day we will also “consider” our “calling” as we explore James 2:5-7 where the blessed truth of God’s elective mercies is presented as the antidote to all such worldliness and prideful thinking.  And we will indeed come away boasting, but our boasting will be in Him!

Officer Elections on Sunday October 30

Immediately following our service of worship next Sunday, October 30, there will be a brief called meeting of the congregation for the purpose of Officer Elections.  The Session will present five men to you for your consideration, one for the Office of Ruling Elder and four for the Office of Deacon.  Each of these men have been nominated by the congregation and trained and examined by the Session. And each has indicated their willingness to serve if elected.  The Officer Candidates are:

Office of Ruling Elder: Mr. Crawford Dillon

Office of Deacon: Mr. Norman Dean, Mr. David O’Neil, Mr. Ben Calvert, and Mr. Bill McNeese

The Session joyfully recommends each of these brothers to the congregation for election.

May our Lord bless you all with His peace and grace, and I can’t wait to see you on Sunday!

With His love,

Mike

Brothers and Sisters in the Christ,

This coming Lord’s Day we will begin to examine the second chapter of the Epistle from our Lord’s brother James. And when we arrive at this place we discover what some New Testament scholars have called the heart and core of the Epistle. For here is where we will find that well-known, if not somewhat controversial, teaching about the relationship between faith and works—a teaching that some have argued is in direct contradiction to what the Bible affirms in other places about faith in Christ and salvation (2:17-26).  But as we have already discovered, there is no contradiction to be found here. James is sounding the same gracious Gospel preached by Jesus and the Apostles. But his particular focus, a most important and legitimate one, is on the fruit of true faith in Christ—the works that faith produces—the transformation of the soul that results from the salvation that is ours by faith alone in Christ alone.  James is concerned that all those who profess to be believers in Christ should, as empowered by grace itself, display the evidence of the gift of eternal life, all for the glory of God.

At the very beginning of the chapter James will show us yet again how true faith in Christ transforms us into the people of God we should be. And he will do so by addressing a danger, and a potential sin, that might otherwise bring dishonor to the name of our Lord. The sin exposed in 2:1-4 is that of showing favoritism, or partiality, to certain people. And of all things, James envisions this occurring as the Church gathers for weekly worship on the Lord’s Day. The J. B. Phillips translation expresses it well:

Don’t ever attempt, my brothers, to combine snobbery with faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ! Suppose one man comes into your meeting well-dressed and with a gold ring on his finger, and another man, obviously poor, arrives in shabby clothes. If you pay special attention to the well-dressed man by saying, “Please sit here—it’s an excellent seat”, and say to the poor man, “You stand over there, please, or if you must sit, sit on the floor”, doesn’t that prove that you are making class-distinctions in your mind, and setting yourselves up to assess a man’s quality?—a very bad thing.

On Sunday we will seek to discover how this could happen, and especially during worship.  And we will consider the contemporary applications of this passage to our own life as a worshiping community.

May our Father bless you all with peace and rest, and I look forward to seeing you on the Lord’s Day!

All my love and prayers, always,

Mike

Beloved Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,

On Sunday we will look once more at the very strong words found in James 4:4-10.  As you remember, James is concerned that his readers manifest a true faith in Christ as opposed to the “worthless” religion of which he speaks in 1:26. And his immediate concern in this passage is the avoidance of all worldliness.  James warns us here against establishing a “friendship with the world,” either through negligence or deliberate choice (4:4).  Then, with his typical practical approach, He lays out a specific plan of action in verses 5-10.  And you can see that this plan revolves around the cultivation of humility and its accompanying graces, including submission, resistance, drawing near to the Father, confession of sin, Godly sorrow, and the hope of future exaltation.

Men’s Fall Bible Study Begins This Sunday at 5:00 PM

I am looking forward with great excitement to our Men’s Fall Bible Study that begins on Sunday. We will be studying one of the classics of the Christian faith written by A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy. Our first lesson will include a brief look at Tozer’s life and legacy and the opening chapter of the book entitled ‘Why We Must Think Rightly About God.’ We will meet for three consecutive Sundays from 5:00 until 6:30 PM at the Church in the Education Wing.  Then, the study will conclude with our ‘Stay at Home Men’s Retreat’ on Friday night October 28 at 6:00 PM and Saturday morning October 29 at 8:00 AM.  All the men of the Church are invited, and guests are most welcome!

Youth Bible Study is This Sunday

Mr. Ken Burnett will be leading our Middle and High School Bible Study this Sunday afternoon from 4:30 to 6:30 PM.  The Youth will be meeting at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Todd Holloway, 710 Cherry Tree Road.  For more information contact Ken.

Young Adult Bible Study Begins This Coming Monday Night

Our Young Adult Bible Study will begin this coming Monday night at 6:30 PM at the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Jeffery, 2812 Centerridge Road.  We will be considering the topic of ‘Spiritual Gifts.’  If you are a single or married Young Adult you are invited to attend.  We will meet on October 10, 17, 24, and November 7.  For more information contact John or Leslie.

May our Lord richly bless each of you, and I can’t wait to see you on Sunday morning!

With love for you all,

Mike