PRESBYTERIAN THOUGHTS

“The man that loves you the most is the man that tells you the most about yourself.”
– Robert Murray McCheyne

Today is my 29th birthday. It has been a wonderful day!

I had the opportunity to lead worship at chapel at Puritan Seminary.

This was my outline of Revelation 19.11-16:
I. The Character of the Rider
A. Faithful
B. True
C. Judges war righteously
II. The Artillery of the Rider
A. The Description of the rider
1. Eyes as a flame of fire
2. Kingly attire
3. Called the Word of God
B. The description of the rider’s army
1. Martyrs of Revelation 6
2. On white horses
3. No weapons but righteousness
III. The Purpose of the Rider
A. smite the nations
B. rule with a rod of iron
C. tread the winepress
D. proclaim himself King of King and Lord of Lords.

And what did I get for my birthday you ask?
Let me preface with ‘Thou shalt not covet’:
I received volume one, number one of the Reformed Presbyterian Covenanter from January, 1863.

I also received the new edition of the 1599 Geneva Bible in Genuine Leather.

Happy birthday to me!

He who, in reading the Bible, has accumulated numerous promises to be readily available upon becoming subject to a trial has a great advantage (II: 619).

1. To remember that we are all subject to failings and infirmities, of one kind or another.—Matt 7:1-5; Rom 2:21-23.

2. To bear with and not magnify each other’s infirmities.—Gal 6:1.

3. To pray one for another in our social meetings, and particularly in private.—James 5:16.

4. To avoid going from house to house, for the purpose of hearing news, and interfering with other people’s business.—Lev 19:16.

5. Always to turn a deaf ear to any slanderous report, and to allow no charge to be brought against any person until well founded and proved.—Prov 25:23.

6. If a member be in fault, to tell him of it in private, before it is mentioned to others.—Matt 18:15.

7. To watch against shyness of each other, and put the best construction on any action that has the appearance of opposition or resentment.—Prov 10:12.

8. To observe the just rule of Solomon, that is, to leave off contention before it be meddled with.—Prov 17:14.

9. If a member has offended, to consider how glorious, how God-like it is to forgive, and how unlike a Christian it is to revenge.—Eph 4:2.

10. To remember that it is always a grand artifice of the Devil, to promote distance and animosity among members of Churches, and we should, therefore, watch against everything that furthers his the Devil’s end.—James 3:16.

11. To consider how much more good we can do in the world at large, and in the Church in particular when we are all united in love, than we could do when acting alone, and indulging a contrary spirit.—John 13:35.

12. Lastly, to consider the express injunction of Scripture, and the beautiful example of Christ, as to these important things.—Eph 4:32; 1 Pet 2:21; John 13:5,35.

(via Crazy Calvinist)

It is no secret that I would like to preach in the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America when I am completed with my Master’s of Divinity. I am attempting to compile a list of websites that will be of interest to anyone who would like to know more about the RPCNA. Please add to this list via the comments section if you know of any more.

Main denominational website

Wikipedia definition and articles

Position paper on worship and history

A downloadable and printable Constitution (what they believe)

A list of Congregations

Some of their Youth Ministries

Short Term Mission trips

Home Missions and Church Planting

Exciting Foreign Missions (including one in Japan and one in Cyprus)

Their denominational college

Their denominational Seminary

Their denominational publishing house

Meet The Puritans has won book of the year by Shepherd’s Scrapbook. This book is a worthy tome and is an excellent reference for those who want to get to know the Puritans better. Beeke and Pederson have given a biography of each Puritan- American, English, Scottish, and Dutch. They also list the Puritan books that have been reprinted in the last 50 years. Rev. Ray Lanning has compiled a wonderful glossary of terms, places, and concepts.

The book retails for $35, but at Heritage Books you can get one for $25. I will also pick up a copy for anyone local. (I have a loaner copy as well- if you would like to add it to your library, but would like to peruse it first, let me know.)

Today Thanksgiving is called Turkey-day and it is when people over-eat and sit and watch NFL football all afternoon (at least that’s how it was in my home growing up). Historically it was a great time of thanking the Lord for his provisions and a day set apart for worship and for prayer. Do we come to the Thanksgiving table with that same devotion to Christ that our Puritan forefathers did?

Our Corne did proue well, & God be praysed, we had a good increase of Indian Corne, and our Barly indifferent good, but our Pease not worth the gathering, for we feared they were too late sowne, they came vp very well, and blossomed, but the Sunne parched them in the blossome; our harvest being gotten in, our Governour sent foure men on fowling, that so we might after a more speciall manner reioyce together, after we had gathered the fruit of our labors; they foure in one day killed as much fowle, as with a little helpe beside, served the Company almost a weeke, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Armes, many of the Indians coming amongst vs, and among the rest their greatest King Massasoyt, with some nintie men, whom for three dayes we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed fiue Deere, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed upon our Governour, and upon the Captaine, and others. And although it be not alwayes so plentifull, as it was at this time with vs, yet by the goodneses of God, we are so farre from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty. -Edward Winslow, December 11, 1621

They begane now to gather in ye small harvest they had, and to fitte up their houses and dwellings against winter, being well recovered in health & strenght, and had all things in good plenty; for some were thus imployed in affairs abroad, others were excersised in fishing, aboute codd, & bass, & other fish, of which yey tooke good store, of which every family had their portion. All ye somer ther was no wante. And now begane to come in store of foule, as winter aproached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degree). And besids water foule, ther was great store of wild Turkies, of which they took many, besids venison, &c. Besids they had aboute a peck a meale a weeke to a person, or now since harvest, Indean corne to yt proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largly of their plenty hear to their freinds in England, which were not fained, but true reports.
-Governor William Bradford

I have been meditating on Christ’s kingdom a lot of late. I have been especially moved by the amount of places in Scripture that present the kingdom of Christ as one that will issue forth as a force that will not be stopped.

In our time, and from our point-of-view, it may seem as though the cause of Christ is being lost in our culture. We cannot despair. He who is called Faithful and True is riding forth to conquer- and he will.

Revelation 19. 11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.