…Brian asks here.
Continue reading “Biblical Proof for a Charismatic Style Service?”
Sep 28 2009
How Emergent Was the Ancient Church?
Thanks to Fr. Stephen for this tip, which has helped to provide fodder for a few other posts this week. Blame him if you don’t like them.
Nathan Busenitz has posted on the growing trend among some in the Emergent Church to ‘get back to the roots of Christianity.’ I have to wonder if they would feel the same way if they read either Justin or Pliny the Younger’s account of the early Christian worship service:
Oct 12 2008
Sunday Morning – Going Up or Coming Down?
Remember the old Johnny Cash song about waking up Sunday morning with a severe hang over?
Just asking, of course.
Well, I finished with Cyprian’s most important Treatise last week(it was on Church Unity), so I get to move on to Tertullian’s ‘On Modesty’. We’ll see how that goes. We had a book sale yesterday and I was able to pick up a few good books, namely Calvin’s Institutes of Religion, Augustine’s Confessions, and a book detailing John Chrysostom’s full views on marriage. All should be interesting reads. I also got one of the various creeds over the last 2000 years or so.
Got a few more, but they are the obligatory commentaries and church histories.
I see that I have made some waves over the John Crowder ‘prophecies’. Let’s see how that turns out, shall we?
I have not had a great deal of time to devote to more theological studies, but I intend to return shortly. I am enjoying the series on Sirach and will continue that. I would also like to get to Wisdom, as I believe chapters 2-6 give us something of a shadow of the ministry and life of Christ on earth as well as the thoughts and motivations of the Pharisees.
I would also like to devote a bit to the idea of the ‘mystical body of Christ’. I take what I consider a ‘high view’ of the Church – that the Church is the body of Christ corporate. I’ll get to it later.
Anyway, I guess we are going to head up the ‘holler’ for Church shortly. We thought about stopping by McDonald’s this morning, but we will see. I usually take as much times getting dressed as my son, daughter AND wife! Something that none of them fail to remind me. And of course, this is my post is my ‘work limit’ for the day. I might stay around to answer comments, maybe, but the majority will have to wait until tomorrow.
If you are coming down this morning, like the singer sang, then perhaps you wouldn’t mind going up the holler with me, and getting something that will take that need for drugs away from you, or perhaps your lifestyle. Perhaps you will find something up there that will turn your life around, so instead of coming down on Sunday morning, you can be going up.
Join us, this morning, why don’t you?
Sep 07 2008
Join me this morning
This morning is a going to be a rather good morning at Church, not that the rest aren’t. This morning, though, we have two visiting pastors. These two and the pastor of our congregation make up our Organization’s Bishop Board. Both have been in the ministry for more years that I have been alive, but neither have lost the zeal.
Both are great preachers and men of God who serve as examples for the rest of us. I am looking forward to listening to one of them this morning. My wife is scared of one, don’t know why, but she is.
I am sitting here, listing to Bluegrass Gospel on Xm 14. I grew up with a healthy love of bluegrass gospel. I enjoy the simplicity of the tunes. I am tone death, but I can listen to Bluegrass and pick up the different instruments, the tone of the voices, and most of all, I can actually keep time with them – most of the time.
My daughter, 6, is reading to my son, 4, some little books. Most of the time, they get along pretty well. Better than I did with my siblings.
My wife is busying preparing to get everyone dressed.
I am slow moving this morning, as usually, and looking forward to a coffee stop, or maybe just a gallon of espresso.
I will have to upload a picture of our Church soon. Growing up in Louisiana, I was always told of this church on the side of the mountain. And my dreams of moving to West Virginia included coming to this church. I was led to believe that it was the most beautiful church that some had seen. My first trip to this church, well, it did not disappoint. Indeed, it is the most beautiful church that I had ever seen. I still love seeing it as I turn that last curve heading up the ‘holler’ (hollow for the rest of you folks).
Well, that’s where I am heading this morning. To join my brothers and sisters in Christ in worshiping our Great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. We will sing the songs of praise to our king, make our prayer request known, share a burden or two. We will hear, undoubtedly, some preaching. But, we will be in the presence of those of the common Faith.
Why don’t you join me?
Jul 20 2008
It's Sunday morning – have you made room for God?
We all know the story of the woman who built a room for the prophet of God. No need to rehash that. But the lesson of the story is that we have to make room for God. It’s Sunday morning, you know, the First Day of the week, the Lord’s Day. Give it Him.
Don’t think that you can set home, watch a televangelist, watch a Gaither video and claim that as Sunday service. Get up, get dresses, and take yourself and your family to a service. Click here for the only place that I would recommend. If you don’t have a local congregation to go to, then stay home, turn off the tv, maybe turn on a gospel station, read the bible and just worship God. Maybe even invite a neighbor over.
We’ll be praying for you.
May 27 2008
Sermon Notes 5/26 – Doctrine
Today, we read that many Protestants are converting to Catholic or Eastern Orthodox in droves and the reason that they give is that they desire something concrete. People are leaving the light weighted mega churches who teach only a good life and seeking something that is rooted to history. Protestants have focused on the manner of life, shouting from the rooftops throughout history “Faith Alone!” or as John Calvin said, “Sola Fide!” Their historical insistence that all one has to do is to in some way mention the name of the Lord and they are saved has eroded their denominational boundaries and is drawing everyone together into one fold, with no difference or distinction any more. How many times have we heard the sinner, justifying himself, say that it doesn’t matter what we believe, if we live a good life, we are all going to the same place? Although this is a recent invention, the seeds to this were sown centuries ago when people freely left the Doctrine of the Church and created their own doctrine.
We can find people that live lives of service, devoted to their fellow man in all religions. We can find good moral people that don’t even believe in God. They might have throngs of people mourning their death, but unless they lead a life in subjection to the doctrine of the Word of God, it was for nothing. If living a devout life was all it took, then Cornelius would have not needed Peter.
Doctrine – διδασκαλία (didaskalia)
1) teaching, instruction
2) teaching
a) that which is taught, doctrine
b) teachings, precepts
The etymology of the word ‘doctrine’ has it first being used to describe generic teaching about a subject, but by the time Paul wrote to Timothy, it came to mean ‘instruction on how to do something’. There is a difference that is rarely seen in the modern era. When we teach something, we do so in a very general format covering only the basics, but when we instruct, we get into the precepts and learn the minute details of how to do something. When Paul used Doctrine, he did not mean the everyday conversation about Christ, in that when a Saint speaks to a sinner, but the instructions of the Church.
In 1st Timothy 3:15-16, we read ‘But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.’
In this we come to understand that the Church itself is the column and stay of the Truth. The ‘Stay’ or keep of an ancient Castle was the place where the defense was kept, where the most prized possessions were, in a time of war, moved to protect them. Here we see Paul telling Timothy that the Church is the very place where the Truth is kept from invaders and those that would seek to destroy it.
In Acts 2:42, Luke tells us, ‘And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.’
These very first converts, having no Tradition or great theologians to follow relied only on the very thing that the Apostles’ taught. Steadfast, as we all know, means to be steadfastly attentive unto, to give unremitting care to a thing and to continue all the time in a place. How could a steadfast commitment to the Doctrine that the Apostle’s taught be seen as a good thing if the Doctrine was meant to change?
The young man Timothy was told by Paul in 1st Timothy 4:6, “If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.” Paul did not instruct Timothy to seek something new, or to seek a change, even slight, in the Doctrine of the Church, but to constantly bring the people back to it. In other words, bring the people back to the doctrine, don’t bring the doctrine up to the people.
In Paul’s second letter to the young minister, he encourages Timothy to “(2Ti 4:2-5) Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort[1] with all longsuffering[2] and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. ”
Throughout the history of the persecutions of the primitive Church, we read that those Saints where not killed for the way of life, but for their doctrine. We all know of Saul of Tarsus persecuted the Church not for the life that the Saints lived, but for the name and doctrine that they proclaimed. In Acts 5:28 We read of a trial before the Sanhedrin, where the Jewish leaders asked Peter and John, saying, ”Did not we straightly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” The Jewish leaders cared very little for the manner of life of the Church, but for their doctrine!
Around 113, the Roman ruler of Palestine wrote the emperor saying that it was not for their manner of life that he was persecuting them, but for their insistence that Christ was God and in the Roman mind, that made them atheists. During later controversies with the Trinitarians, the discussion never brought it self to the manner of life of those people that, like us, insisted that Christ was God, but always focused on their doctrine.
2Jn 1:9-10 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:
The aged Apostle warns us that we have to have the doctrine of Christ or we have not God. If we do not stay in the Doctrine we loose God.
Hebrews 6:4-6, 10:26-29
