Toxic Teaching (Luke 11:45-54) Warning: Babylon is looking good Walking worthy (Ephesians 4:1-6)

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THE NEWNESS OF THE NEW COVENANT:

Jeremiah 31:31-34
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 CONTENTS
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5 minutes wi th Warren Peel
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Theme verses Toxic Teaching

FIRST WORD
Philippians 1:9-11 Luke 11:45-54
Editor


Andy Hambleton
37a Largy Road,
Crumlin
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BT29 4RN
The newness of the new covenant
In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people It is for this reason that Jesus tells his disciples, Beware!
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Phone: 07828 726130 had gathered together that they were trampling one another, Jesus knows that his followers are not immune to the

Sub Editors:
Email: andyhambleton99@gmail.com
11 he began to say to his disciples first, Beware of the leaven
of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up
corrupting effects of hypocrisy. It lurks in every heart, and
threatens to distort our Christian walk, witness and worship
Marcus Hobson
Jeff Ballantine
Warning: Babylon is looking good that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. into acts of showmanship, false-hearted empty gestures
Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard engineered to glean admiration from those around us. As Jesus
Heather Watson Isaiah 47 in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms says elsewhere, if this is the reward we seek, this is the reward

Book Reviews
14 shall be proclaimed on the housetops. (Luke 12v1-3) we will get, and that is all we will get (Matt 6v1-6).

Colin Campbell
Manager
The Evangelical Book Shop
Walking worthy
Ephesians 4:1-6
Iwonder if you saw the recent news story about a Buddhist
man in Thailand, who married his pet snake because he
believed that it was his reincarnated girlfriend? The story
Having called his followers to beware of hypocrisy, Jesus then
reminds them that a day is coming when all hypocrisy will be
overcome with the truth. Nothing is covered up that will not
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appeared in a number of national newspapers and other media
outlets in the UK, and understandably caused a great deal of
bemusement. You couldnt make it up!
Obi tuaries
be revealed, or hidden that will not be known (Luke 12v2).
The true state of peoples hearts will be uncovered. The veneer
of false piety which surrounds the Pharisaical heart will be
stripped away. God will judge the secrets of men by Christ

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18 Except, of course, somebody had. The story turned out to be
completely false (the man featured in the pictures was in fact a
Muslim from Malaysia who trains firefighters to catch snakes).
Jesus (Romans 2v16).

In the light of that day, may God give us hearts that are set
By post inside the UK: 10-00 From the churches
By post outside the UK: 22-00 This is just one example of what has been termed fake news; free from the fake news of hypocrisy so that, by his grace, we

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21 news which is made up and disseminated, usually through
social media, in order to gain attention and profit. In the last
can worship him as we ought: in spirit and in truth.

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In the opening verses of Luke 12, Jesus speaks about a certain
Rev J S Roger kind of fake news: hypocrisy. The hypocrisy of which the
16 Huntingdale Book reviews Pharisees were guilty broadcasted to those around them a
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Reformed Theological College
5 minutes with
Warren Peel
Warren, thank you for taking the time to speak to us today.
Its my privilege thank you!
First of all, let me ask you about life at the Reformed
Theological College. What are you involved with teaching
there? And our readers will be keen to hear about how John
Roger is getting on with his studies there too
Ive been teaching New Testament language and literature
for about 6 years now. Im very thankful to the Lord for how
he led me to study Greek, Latin and Ancient History while at
school and university an ideal preparation for the study of
the New Testament.
Im pleased to report that John Roger is a model student. You
may be aware that one dictionary definition of model is a
small, artificial imitation of the real thing, but of course thats
not the meaning I have in mind! John is a pleasure to teach
enthusiastic, hard-working, appreciative and spiritually-
minded.
I am going to assume that the dictionary definition you have
in mind for model is a person whose profession is posing
for artists or photographers. This puts John in a whole new
light
You also have done some lecturing on the book of Daniel
for the Cornhill Training Course in Belfast. I wonder if you
could share with us some thoughts regarding what the book
of Daniel has to teach us about living as a Christian in the
world today?
Daniel is written by a civil servant in the government of
Babylon who had learned to sing the Lords song in a foreign
land (Psalm 137.4) to live faithfully for God in a culture that
was utterly godless. Again and again the book shows us how
Daniel and his friends avoided the two extremes Christians
4 5
are always tempted towards when confronted by a hostile,
godless world: compromise or withdrawal. They did neither
of these things, but instead trusted the Lord because they
believed he was sovereign even in Babylon. Every chapter
illustrates this point, in vivid and memorable ways, whether
its the stories of chapters 1-6 or the visions of chapters
7-12. We still live in Babylon today, and were tempted more
and more to either compromise with the world or withdraw
from it, and so we need to learn from Daniel how to avoid
those twin temptations.
On a not unrelated point, you are Daniel and Amy
McArthurs pastor. Our readers will of course have been
following the Ashers Bakery case closely over the past few
months. I wonder if, as their pastor, you could tell us how to
continue praying for and supporting them?
Daniel and Amy are a great example of Christians who live out
these lessons of the book of Daniel: they trust that the Lord
is in control no matter how it seems here on earth, and so
honour him above all other considerations. They have been so
encouraged and helped by the countless messages of support
and assurances of prayer from Christians all around the
world, and will be so thankful that their brothers and sisters
in the EPC are praying for them. Pray for Gods ongoing grace
for them to be able to focus on their first responsibilities in
their family, in their church and in their work, without being
distracted by the pressures of the ongoing appeal process
and media attention. Pray that they will continue to speak
and act, like Daniel in Babylon, with grace and respect and
courtesy and so persuade those who oppose them by their
winsomeness and integrity. And above all pray that God will
use their stand to bring many to know him and to help turn
back the tide of intolerance of righteousness that is growing
in our province.
Trinity Reformed Presbyterian Church
I recently noticed that you write for a blog called Gentle
Reformation. For those who have not come across the
website before, please can you tell us a little about it, and
why we should all be following it?!
Its a collaborative effort by pastors from mostly the
Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America to contribute
something online that is orthodox in its theology, irenic in its
tone, topical in its content, pastoral in its intent and wide-
ranging in its scope. Theres a rota for each month, so that
every day a different man posts something new. There is no
assigned topic for the day each man writes whatever the
Spirit leads him to say, so you never know what youre going
to find when you visit! Cryogenics, mercy ministry, salvation in
a dementia ward, the common sin of middle-aged believers,
films, singleness, Katy Perry, the sin of gluttony, what to do if
you struggle with your pastors preaching everything under
the sun is there! But its all written by pastors who want to
build up the people of God.
Some Reformed sites are orthodox but harsh, or a bit abstract
and philosophical. GenRef is run by Barry York, a Pastor who
now teaches Pastoral Theology at Reformed Presbyterian
Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh he is a great example
of a Pastor with a deep love of Jesus Christ and his Church, a
keen mind, a perceptive understanding of culture and people
and he is a great communicator. He is the model the rest of us
aspire to follow in our articles!
Since I only contribute once a month, I feel able to mention
(especially as a testimony to Barrys work) that GenRef was
listed by Tim Challies as one of his top ten blogs for 2016. Do
check it out!
(Editors Note: See Best of the Blogs on page 24 for a
couple of examples of blogs from GenRef which might be of
interest to you)
In the EPC we cherish our links with the Reformed
Presbyterian Church; how can we be praying for you
personally, your congregation at Trinity RP, and the
denomination as a whole?
We feel the same way about our EP brothers and sisters.
Personally, the longer Im in the ministry the more I realise
the truth of what Robert Murray MCheyne said: My peoples
greatest need is my own personal holiness. Or as someone
else put it, The life of the ministry is the life of the minister.
Pray that God would make me worthy of his calling, as a
Christian, a husband, a father, a pastor, and that he would
fulfil every resolve for good and every work of faith by his
power. (2 Thess 1.11). Our congregation has continued to
grow steadily over the years under Gods blessing, and we
have the wonderful problem now of being too big for our
building please pray for wisdom to know how best to deal
with this growth, and for strength for our elders to be able to
pastor faithfully the people the Lord has entrusted to us. And
pray that our denomination will more faithfully seek to make
disciples and strengthen disciples in these challenging days,
trusting in the Lord and not in ourselves.
The final question has been sent in by one of our readers, a
Mr J. Roger, of Ballyclare: What is likely to come up on the
Greek New Testament exam?
Thats a great question. There is likely to be some translation
of sentences from Greek into English; vocabulary will
definitely be tested, as will grammar and syntax. I dont want
to give too much away, but the students would do well to
concentrate on chapters 1-20 of the textbook in particular. I
hope that helps Mr Roger of Ballyclare!
Many thanks again for your time, Warren.
Warren Peel read Classics at Oxford University
before studying theology at the Reformed
Theological College in Belfast and at Queens
University Belfast. Since 2012 he has been
minister of Trinity RPC in Newtownabbey. After
teaching Greek at the Reformed Theological
College in Belfast for several years, he was
appointed Professor of New Testament Language
and Literature in 2014. He is married to Ruth and
they have four daughters.
 Toxic Teaching
Luke 11 v 45-54
If you were to open the cupboard underneath your kitchen sink, I
imagine that you would find there various kinds of cleaning fluids
for all sorts of household chores. Each would have written on the
side of the bottle a series of warnings, telling you what will happen
to you if you get this substance on your skin, or in your eyes, or if you
swallow it. It will cause you all sorts of problems and irritations; it
will make you sick, and it might even kill you. Often there will be little
pictures, illustrating to you what these harmful effects will be.
The words of Jesus in Luke 11v45-54 are a bit like those warnings.
In the midst of a meal time with some Pharisees and lawyers, during
which he has already criticised the nature of their teaching, Jesus
is making clear what the harmful effects of false teaching are upon
those who come into contact with it. And, like those bottles under
the sink, with each warning, he introduces it with a little picture.
The first warning is this: false teaching is hard to bear.
1) Hard to bear
The picture that Jesus uses here is of a man carrying a very heavy
load. We are to imagine this poor chap, with this burden upon his
shoulders. Sweat is pouring from his brow, his face is purple, and he
is trembling under the enormous weight of whatever it is that he is
carrying. Standing next to him is another man, watching this take
place, and not offering any help whatsoever.
Jesus says that the lawyers are like people who make other people
carry heavy burdens, and do not offer any help at all: Woe to you
lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you
yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. (v46)
The burden that such false teaching imposes upon people comprises
all the extra commandments that the Pharisees had come up
with in addition to the requirements of Gods law (see v39-42),
commandments such as the ceremonial washing of hands before
every meal, and the tithing even of the herbs that your garden
produced. They insisted that these things must be done if a person
wants to be in the right with God.
The result was that their hearers, the people who came into contact
with their teaching, were left with this burden that is terribly hard to
bear. People who come into contact with this kind of teaching, today
as well as back then, spend their lives staggering around under an
enormous burden of rules and regulations, thinking that they need
to perform all of these tasks in order for God to accept them. Only if
I live a good, religious, well-behaved life will God be on my side! Its
an impossible burden to carry.
It is a million miles away from what Jesus is all about. Consider these
words of Jesus, from Matthew chapter 11, and notice how radically
different they are to what we read here in verse 46. Jesus says:
Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and
lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is
6 7
easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11v28-30)
Rather than loading his people with burdens, Jesus gives rest to
his people. He gives us rest because he has carried our burdens
for us. By his life of perfect obedience, he has fulfilled all of the
requirements that Gods law calls us to fulfil. Jesus has kept the law
meticulously, and he has done so on behalf of his people. He has
carried that burden for us.
What is more, Jesus has also carried the burden of our sin for us. For
all the ways in which we have broken Gods law, Jesus has carried
that burden of sin and guilt upon his own shoulders, and has paid for
it all, once and for all, at the cross.
Because he has done that for us, he can say to us, Come to me, if
youre heavy laden, and I will give you rest. My yoke is easy, and my
burden is light.
I wonder, do you feel like a burdened person, for whatever reason?
You feel like that man whom Jesus is describing, carrying a heavy
weight on their shoulders, and struggling to make their way forward.
Perhaps it is because youre under the impression that the way to
earn Gods acceptance is by performing onerous religious duties. If
so, hear the words of Jesus to you today. He says to you, Come to
me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
This brings us to the second harmful effect of false teaching:
2) Hostile to the truth
Once again, Jesus introduces this point with a picture. It is the picture
of an ornate tomb.
These lawyers would build expensive, impressive tombs for the
prophets of the past. Of course, by doing so they were seeking to
show off that they were sympathetic to the cause of the prophets. It
was meant to convey solidarity with the great prophets of old. These
were their heroes, and they were the ones following in the footsteps
of the prophets.
However, Jesus puts a very different spin on it. He says that this is
indeed an act of solidarity, but not with the prophets themselves,
but rather with the people who murdered the prophets. Jesus says,
you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your fathers, for
they killed them, and you build their tombs. In other words, Jesus
is saying, by building these tombs for the prophets, you are, as it
were, finishing the job. Your fathers killed the prophets, and you bury
them.
In his commentary on Lukes gospel, J.C. Ryle writes: They professed
to honour the memory of the prophets, while they lived in the
very same ways which the prophets had condemned. They openly
neglected their advice and teaching, and yet they pretended to
respect their graves!
The point that Jesus is making is that those who twist and distort
the Word of God, as these lawyers did, are in fact hostile to the
truth. Their hostility is of the same essence as those who killed and
persecuted the prophets of the Old Testament.
Now, of course, these lawyers had not literally killed any of Gods
prophets (at least not yet anyway). But, nonetheless, Jesus says that
because of the way in which they were twisting the word of God
and adding to the word of God, and encumbering their hearers with
impossibly heavy burdens, it shows that underneath it all they were
deeply hostile to the word of God, the truth. Yes, they were very
religious. Yes, they quoted Scripture left, right and centre, Im sure.
But in their hearts they hated the word of God, just like those in the
Old Testament who murdered the preachers of the word of God.
Their hostility to the truth becomes manifest at the end of the
passage, where their opposition to Jesus begins to intensify, leading
eventually to the cross, where they would have the Word of God
incarnate put to death.
Needless to say, doing so would not go unpunished by God. Look at
what Jesus says:
Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, I will send them prophets
and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute, so that the
blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may
be charged against this generation (v49ff) to know God, instead find themselves locked out of the Kingdom of
We might ask, why would the blood of all of those prophets be
charged against this particular generation, the generation amidst
which Jesus lived? As one commentator points out, Jesus is the focal
point of all of Gods promises. All of the prophets pointed to him,
and therefore, by rejecting Jesus, this generation was by implication
rejecting all of the previous prophets as well.
That judgment came in the year AD70, when the city of Jerusalem
was besieged and conquered by the Romans, and the Temple was
destroyed. But even that temporal outpouring of judgment is a mere
foreshadowing of the final judgment. It reminds us what a serious
thing it is to be hostile to the truth of Gods word, to have that word
of God presented to you, and the message of Jesus offered to you,
like this generation did, and then to turn your back upon it. Today, if
you hear his voice, do not harden your heart!
This brings us to the third harmful effect of false teaching: it hinders
the gospel.
3) Hinders the gospel
Once again, a picture is used by Jesus to illustrate his point. The
picture is of a locked door.
Jesus says, Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key
of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those
who were entering.
First of all we should ask, what does the door itself represent?
It represents entrance into Gods Kingdom. It means coming to
him, and being forgiven and accepted. It means entering into a
relationship with God. It means becoming one of his people.
And if that is what the door represents, then what does the key
represent? The key represents knowledge of the gospel. Jesus calls
it the key of knowledge. The person who has the key of knowledge
has grasped, at least intellectually, what the gospel is. They know
how a person enters Gods kingdom. They understand how a person
becomes one of Gods people and begins living in relationship with
God.
Jesus says, these lawyers had in their grasp the key of knowledge.
Of course they did. They were experts in the Scriptures. They knew
their bibles inside out and would study them every day.
And yet, what did they do with that key of knowledge? Jesus says,
they have taken it away. Dissatisfied with what the bible has to say
about entering Gods Kingdom, they came up with their own spin
on things. They made up all of these onerous religious rules for
people to follow in order to try and work their way into Gods good
books. They threw away the true key, and they tried to fashion an
alternative one, made out of man-made religious observance.
By acting in this way, Jesus says that they have actually done two
things:
Firstly, they have failed to enter the Kingdom of God themselves.
They have locked themselves out! They had the key, but they cast it
aside. By so doing, they have shut themselves out of the kingdom of
God.
But not only that, what is worse still is that they are hindering others
from entering also. Because of their role as teachers of the law,
those who listen to them get influenced by their teaching. Other
people, who went to these lawyers for help and instruction in coming
God also.
These are the harmful effects of false teaching. This is what it does
to those who come into contact with it and drink it in. It is hard to
bear, it is hostile to the truth, and it hinders the gospel.
Thank God that, though these lawyers cast aside the key of
knowledge, it has not been lost. It has been handed down to us in the
Scriptures, and from its pages the Lord Jesus speaks to us. He says
to us, I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will
go in and out and find pasture.
Thats the key of knowledge, isnt it? The way into the Kingdom of
God is through faith in his Son Jesus. Nothing else. No other burden
for you to carry. And if you know that, then you have within your
reach the key of knowledge. What are you going to do with it?
I am the door. If anyone enters by me,
he will be saved and will go in and out
and find pasture.

THE NEWNESS
OF THE NEW COVENANT:
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Behold the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah - not
according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day
that I took them by the hand out of the land of Egypt, my covenant
which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.
But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, says the LORD: I will put my law in their minds, and write
it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
No more shall every man teach his neighbour, and every man his
brother, saying, know the LORD, for they shall all know Me, from the
least of them to the greatest, says the LORD. For I will forgive their
iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
T he above words inform us how God, through the prophet
Jeremiah, announced the new covenant, an administration which
the author of the book of Hebrews applies to Christ (Hebrews 8:8-11).
But precisely how is the new covenant new? This question is not as
straightforward as it may seem, because the blessings of the new
covenant were all enjoyed beforehand! Let me prove my point. Verse
33 promises the blessing of regeneration: I will put my law in their
minds, and write it on their hearts. Sometimes Ive heard people
say that the Spirit of God only rested upon folk in the Old Testament
times, but in this dispensation He indwells them. Thats not true.
Was Abraham not a man of faith (Hebrews 11:8)? How then could
he have exercised faith if he didnt possess the Spirit of faith? Could
he have been the friend of God (James 2:23) without possessing a
new nature? Of course not. By nature he was dead in trespasses and
sins, just like the rest of us, and had he remained in that condition, he
would have been Gods enemy, not Gods friend, so he must have been
regenerate. And what about Moses words to the children of Israel:
And these words, which I command you this day, shall be in your
heart (Deuteronomy 6:6)? Is that not the language of regeneration?
Yet those words were spoken several centuries before this promise
was given! David also prayed: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and
renew a steadfast spirit within me (Psalm 51:10). Strictly speaking
8 9
this is the language of renewal, not regeneration. However, it still
proves my point that believers in Old Testament times experienced
a work of grace in their souls. Joshua too is described as a man
in whom is the Spirit (Numbers 27:18), so plainly, believers in Old
Testament times enjoyed the blessing of regeneration.
The same thing can be said about the forgiveness of sin mentioned in
verse 34: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember
no more. Didnt Moses speak about this same blessing centuries
earlier, when he described his covenant God as: the Lord God,
merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness
and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and
transgression and sin... (Exodus 34:6-7)? And what about Daniel?
Didnt he cry out: To us belongs shame of face... To the Lord our God
belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against
Him? Is this not exactly the same blessing as Jeremiah promised
here? How then is the new covenant new?
One final example. God also promised in verse 33: I will be their God,
and they shall be my people. This is classic covenant language, but
doesnt it sound distinctly familiar? After all, God gave an almost
identical promise to Abraham and his seed in Genesis 17:7, while
Ruth included this element of truth in her confession to Naomi in Ruth
1:16. How then is the new covenant new, if it includes essentially
the same blessings as the old covenant? (Incidentally, I hope by now
you realise that the differences between the two dispensations are
not so great as is sometimes made out. The fact is this: the people
of God throughout all ages are one people and comprise one olive
tree, not two, - see Romans 11, hence the similarity of blessings
enjoyed throughout the two dispensations). Lets now consider the
newness of the new covenant, and as we survey the biblical material,
we discover that scripture provides both a brief answer and a rather
longer answer.
The brief answer is found in the particular Greek word for new that
is used in Hebrews chapter 8. There are two Greek words for new,
one is kainos, which describes a renewal; the other is neos which
describes something brand spanking new. Compare a model T Ford
which has been completely reconditioned, with a new Ford Focus, just
out of the factory. This illustrates the difference between these two
words. It may surprise you to learn that it is the former word kainos
that is used in Hebrews chapter 8 to describe the New Covenant. This
implies that in the New Covenant God did not completely finish with
His people and begin all over again; rather, He built on His previous
covenantal dealings with them, by completing what He had already
begun. Or to put it another way, He took up existing structures,
renewed them and brought them to fruition. This means that in the
New Covenant there is both continuity and discontinuity with the past.
The newness of the new covenant lies along the following lines.
1) Fulfilment
In the New Covenant, salvation was actually accomplished, as
opposed to being enjoyed on the basis of that which was to come.
Hebrews 10:4 informs us that it is not possible that the blood of bulls
and goats could take away sins. Yet David who used this sacrificial
system could also say: blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered (Psalm 32:1), and again: with Him is abundant
redemption (Psalm 130:7). How come? The answer is that believers
in Old Testament times enjoyed these blessings prospectively. They
enjoyed them on the basis of a salvation yet to be procured. We could
say that they enjoyed gospel blessings in a period not characterised
by gospel blessings (see Galatians 3:8).
However, in the New Covenant salvation was actually accomplished
once and for all, for all of Gods people. That which some had already
enjoyed in anticipation of a future work, now became a glorious
reality. The prospective became actual; the typical became reality;
shadows became substance. In the fullness of the time Christ actually
came into this world, and at a particular point in history uttered those
well-known words: This is my blood of the new covenant, which is
shed for many for the remission of sins (Matthew 26:28). Salvation
was about to be accomplished, and all that now remains is for it to
be applied throughout history. For further insight into the distinction
between prospective salvation and actual salvation see Romans
3:25-26 and Acts 17:30.
2) Universality
Solomon said: to everything there is a season, a time for every
purpose under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1). This was certainly true with
regard to the history of redemption, because in the wisdom of God the
great commission was issued at precisely the right moment: Go into
all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16v15).
Psalm 76:1 describes the situation that prevailed in Old Testament
times: In Judah is God known; His name is great in Israel. At that
point, the scope of the covenant was largely limited to folk from the
nation whom God had set His love upon, although a few Gentiles such
as Jethro, Rahab, Ruth and Naaman were also gathered in, hinting at
Gods ultimate purpose for the world. All of this was intentional of
course. God hedged in the Jews temporarily for Himself, separating
them from the world, so to speak, in order to prepare them for the
coming of the Messiah. Only when He appeared, when salvation was
about to be accomplished, and the Spirit sent, could a more open
declaration of Gods will be made known. At Pentecost the time had
come for the gospel to be preached everywhere. The friends of the
Samaritan lady who encountered our Lord at the well made this very
insightful comment: Now we believe, not because of your saying, for
we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ,
the Saviour of the world (John 4:42). This is a feature of the New
Covenant that distinguishes it from the old - universality. Its worth
reflecting on the fact that, had we lived in this part of the world before
Christs coming, we would almost certainly have been lost. Thank God
for the universality of the New Covenant!
3) Perspicuity
Believers did of course know Christ in Old Testament times, because
there never has been, nor ever will be, any other Saviour. Abraham
saw Christs day and was glad (John 8:56). Moses esteemed
the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt
(Hebrews 11:26). However, believers in that dispensation saw Him in
a mirror dimly, so to speak. They saw Him through the shadows, the
prophecies, the types and the symbols. The sacrificial system spoke
of Him, the furniture in the tabernacle spoke of Him, the prophecies
spoke of Him, all of which were a shadow of things to come. But now
the shadows have fled away and the reality has come. Types have
given way to the antitype, prophecies have given way to fulfilment,
symbols have given way to reality. BB Warfield likened the difference
in perspicuity between the two covenants to a dimly lit room filled
with furniture, and the same room with all the spotlights on. Others
have used the comparison of the moonlight and sunlight to depict the
same distinction. Hebrews 1:1 puts it like this: God who at various
times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the
prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son. We know
the same Christ as Abraham and Moses knew, but from our vantage
point in history we have the potential of knowing Him so much better.
Which begs the question do we know Him better?
4) Immediacy
In the Old Testament dispensation believers were prevented from
enjoying full and direct communion with God the way we can. The
people had to learn about Him indirectly through the prophets. They
had to draw near to Him indirectly through intermediaries like Moses
or the High Priest. In other words, there was always something
distant and remote about their dealings with their covenant God.
For instance, at the giving of the law the people were told to keep
their distance (Exodus 19). Only the High Priest could enter the
holy of holies and that but once a year (Hebrews 9:7) Even among
the prophets, Moses was the only one who spoke with God face
to face (Exodus 33:11). Would you rather live in a house still under
construction with scaffolding all around it, or a completed one with
the scaffolding removed? Thats the difference between the two
dispensations.

Today we know an immediacy in our dealings with God unknown in
Old Testament times. The veil has been rent and Christ deals with us
directly without the need of any prophets or priests. Intermediaries
and go-betweens are now a thing of the past. The beggarly
elements have disappeared and we now deal with Christ directly.
These thoughts hint at the difference in immediacy between the two
dispensations.
5) Spirituality
Believers in the Old Testament did of course possess the Spirit of God,
otherwise they couldnt have had any covenantal dealings with God
at all. In fact, sometimes when I read the Psalms, I get the impression
that the Psalmist knew a lot more about experimental religion than I
do. And that was in the shadowy age!
But surely the descent of the Spirit at Pentecost must have made
some difference to the experience of believers, in comparison to
the saints of the Old Testament? While believers from the early
dispensation did indeed enjoy the indwelling of the Spirit, they did
not live in the age of the Spirit, as we do. There was a time when
the Spirit was not, relatively speaking. There was a time when the
answer to Christs prayer was yet future: I will pray the Father, and
He shall give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever
(John 14:16). There was a time when it could be said: the Holy
Spirit was not yet given; because Jesus was not yet glorified (John
7:39). There was a time when the disciples were told to wait for the
promise of the Father (Acts 1:4). But we live in the post-Pentecost
era, the realm of the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there
is liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17)... Theologians struggle to articulate
precisely the difference in spirituality between the two dispensations,
but our Confession of Faith states it as follows: The covenant of grace
is held forth in more fullness, clarity and spiritual power to all nations,
both Jews and Gentiles WCF 7:6. BB Warfield put it like this: In this
dispensation the work of the Spirit has come with a more prevailing
and pervading force. Greater spirituality is certainly a feature of the
New Covenant, in comparison to the Old.
6) Reality
Without wishing in any way to the minimise the experience of Gods
people in Old Testament times, its obvious that the incarnation
made all the difference in the world. Someone has said that it was
a great day when man walked on the moon, but it was a far more
wonderful day when God walked upon this earth. At that point the
New Covenant became a historical reality, because the Mediator was
present among men: He came down to earth from heaven, who is
God and Lord of all. The prophecy of Isaiah came to pass: The people
that sat in darkness have seen a great light. And upon those who
sat in the region and shadow of death, Light has dawned (Matthew
4:16). Amazingly, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John
1:14). Our Lord described the hope of Old Testament saints when He
said: for assuredly I say to you that many prophets and righteous
men desired to see what you see and did not see it (Matthew 13:17).
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Compare that with what John could say: That which was from the
beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,
which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning
the Word of life - the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear
witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father
and was manifested to us (1 John 1:1-2). We could say that Abraham,
Moses and others read the book, so to speak, but the disciples met
the Author. What a great difference the coming of Christ has made to
this world! And now that He has lived, died and risen again, we can
read all about the significance of this saving activity in our bibles. The
shadows have gone; the reality has come.
7) Finality
Old Testament covenants were preparatory and temporary; the New
Covenant is final and permanent. Nothing less than the New Covenant
was necessary, nothing more could have been done, nothing more
is needed, and nothing can be added to it either in this world or the
next. When our Lord uttered those marvellous words on the cross:
It is finished (John 19:30), He was asserting that salvation was
accomplished. Even the enjoyment of the saints in eternity itself is
but the outworking of this new covenant, because thats when the
bud becomes full flower: Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
for the first heaven and the first earth passed away. Also there was
no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming
down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle
of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His
people, God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will
wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death,
nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former
things have passed away (Revelation 21:1-4).
Are you in covenant with God? He is only known through Jesus Christ,
the Mediator of the New Covenant. It is well with us if we can say: My
beloved is mine, and I am His (Song of Solomon 2:16).
Jeff Ballantine, a native of Co. Tyrone, has been a
minister of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church
for 25 years. He is currently ministering in
Groomsport, Co. Down, having previously served
in the Lisburn Road congregation.
Warning:
Babylon is looking good
Isaiah 47
I
magine a nation in tune with the church: where the corridors
of power are governed by a higher throne. Where God is
honoured and His word obeyed. Where politicians are dignified.
Where there is peace and security, and where the nation is
zealous in their practice of religion. Would you like to live
there? A nation with dignity, security and zeal for the things
of God. Doesnt it sound attractive? I wish I could use such
words to describe our own land, but sadly thats not the case.
I wish I could use such words to describe Israel in Isaiahs
day, but again, sadly that was not the case. What is more
tragic however is that these words could be used to describe
Babylon.
Babylon ascribed glory to their chief god Marduk for their
success. He and his son Nebo were honoured and even
paraded in triumph annually at New Year. Their royals kept
the faith, and they lived in luxury. Their citizens enjoyed the
security of belonging to the most powerful nation in the world.
Their education system was thoroughly religious, as we can tell
from Daniel 1; their top students were fed with food sacrifices
to their gods. The nation was zealous in their religion; from the
very youngest to the oldest, they were united and they were
strong.
Little Israel on the other hand was in a mess. There was a
faithful remnant of Gods people, but they could not lead the
nation back to the Lord. As a whole they were poor, weak, and
spiritually cold. As Babylon ascended in power and glory, it
would only become more and more attractive to Gods faithless
people. Hence we have Isaiah chapter 47. It is a timely warning
for Israel and for us, to remember that Babylon is going to fall.
Her dignity will disappear, her security will prove empty and her
religion simply cannot save.
Surely, this chapter is just as relevant for our nation today, and
just as relevant for us as individuals, and as families and even
as a church. There is a very present attraction to look to the
world with its seeming success; a great temptation for us to
seek dignity, security and even religion in what the world has
to offer. We need to be reminded that only in Christ will these
things be found, and found to last. Verse 4 is the confession
that Israel needs to make, because their deepest needs can
only be met by the One that Isaiah calls: Our Redeemer - the
LORD Almighty is his name - is the Holy One of Israel. Here He
is contrasted with the attraction of Babylon.
1. The attraction of dignity
Such an attraction is the attraction of Buckingham Palace.
It is large, majestic, impressive; you can go and watch the
Changing of the Guard which is filled with pomp and glory.
Uniforms are immaculate, helmets are polished, horses well
groomed, and thousands from all over the world are attracted
to the spectacle. In verse 1 Babylon has enjoyed such a throne,
a throne of might and power, a throne which the world was
forced to respect. In verse 5 we can see that the Lord calls
her to sit in silence, and therefore we can say that before this
her throne was once a loud throne. Speeches were made and
speeches were listened to. When Nebuchadnezzar summoned
the people in Daniel 2 and 3 they came and listened. And
when he hears that Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego wont
obey his command he goes into a fuming rage! How dare they
disrespect the throne, the king! Do they not see his position,
his dignity? Everyone else did.
There was another side to this dignity in v.1, where Babylon
was called Tender and delicate. Again in verse 5 we hear of
her reputation as The Queen of the Kingdoms. This is the
other side of royal dignity, the health and wealth of the Queen.
Babylon too - she was given to pleasures; she was no despised
widow, she was not despised as a barren woman, she was the
Queen! She could say in her heart in v.8 I am, and there is no
one else besides me! She had all the luxury her heart desired.
Remember that it was these very luxuries that were used
to entice the young Hebrew men into the ways of Babylon
in Daniel 1. In verse 5 the king appointed for them a daily
provision of the kings delicacies and of the wine which he
11
 drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end
of that time they might serve before the king. There the end
of such enticement was made plain come to Babylon, eat
and drink like kings, be educated in all our ways, full grants for
every Babylonian degree and why? So that you might serve
Babylon!
Let me tell you where that will end, says the Lord. Youre
tempted by this seeming dignity, tempted by the luxury and
success of Babylon, but all is not as it
seems. For it will soon vanish. Babylon will Dont be tempted to exchange Atlantic Ocean. Babylons downfall would
not always have a throne; soon enough the glory of Christ for
she will sit in the dust. She will no longer the glory of the world.
be called tender and delicate, her veil
will be taken from her, so too will her
long skirt because shell be put into the workhouse; shell
become a slave and a captive. Instead of finery, she will go
about naked. She will be reduced to silence and darkness.
No more glory for her, no longer will she be called the lady of
the kingdoms. Her luxuries will disappear and she will be left
desolate.
Dont be tempted to exchange the glory of Christ for the
glory of the world. His dignity is heard in verse 4 the LORD
Almighty is His Name. We are all tempted to run after the
attractions of this world. Perhaps the dignity of higher rank
or position at work, or perhaps the dignity of team captain?
Maybe youll be tempted down the road of increasing luxury,
be it luxury cars, luxury clothes, luxury food or luxury gadgets
but guard your heart! Such luxuries are only for a moment,
dont let them be the things that define your success! These
things fade quickly - team captains dont last long, clothes
go out of style, food goes off and the new car becomes last
year.
Israel were attracted to such things, but in that attraction
there was an unholy discontent, there was an ungrateful and
untrusting attitude to the Lord their God. They were tempted
to abandon the unseen glory of God for the passing visible
glories of Babylon. We need to be reminded just as they were
Babylon will fall. Our hope must rest in Our Redeemer-the
LORD Almighty is his name.
2. The attraction of security
In a fallen world security has a great attraction. Its not just
Donald Trump who wants to build a wall. We lock our homes
and our cars; we secure our phones and our computers. We
live in a fallen world, and its just part of life - theres a need
for security. But not so much in Babylon! Shes not worrying
about the future in verse 7; there she says, I will continue
forever - the eternal queen! and she didnt even consider
her security or reflect on what might happen, after all She
is Babylon! In verse 8 she dwells securely, she says in her
heart I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a
widow or suffer the loss of children. Her present is secure
12
shes not a widow. Her future is secure shes got plenty of
children! She has it made, we might say. Shes not worrying
about what the future might bring, she is unsinkable! Thats
attractive.
Unsinkable attracted many to the Titanic in 1912, that and
of course the dignity and prestige of such a vessel! But the
pride of unsinkable security was her undoing, and in a matter
of hours after striking the iceberg, the ship, and tragically so
many who sailed in her, were lost to the
be almost as quick. Cyrus would take over
quickly and the kingdom would fall. Cyrus
would be Gods shepherd, Gods servant,
even though he would never give God the glory for it. on a
single day: loss of children and widowhood. They will come
upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and
all your potent spells. Their security would be breached and
the kingdom would fall, and the Lord tells them why.
Its because they showed no mercy to Gods people (verse 6),
not even to the aged. Because of their wickedness, because
of their pride, because they never considered the one true
living God who sees their every deed. Because Babylon
herself acts as God, even taking on Gods words as they say
I AM, and there is no-one else besides me. Therefore their
own wickedness will come back on them and they will be left
desolate in a sudden moment (v.11). They wouldnt see it
coming, they never expected it. Their security was so great,
and so attractive - imagine living in a world where you simply
didnt have to take stock of what tomorrow might bring,
compared to little Israel who knew their tomorrows would
mean captivity!
But Israels security was better than they had remembered.
The Lord had entered into covenant with them, and He would
be their God and they would be His people no matter what.
It was God who had given them over to Babylon in verse 6
that was to discipline them, to bring them to repentance,
and to bring them back into loving fellowship with Himself.
Though they may not have felt it; God still loved them, God
still cared for them, and even in Babylon as Daniel could
surely testify, He would be with them. Jesus Himself would
come and stand in the flames of Nebuchadnezzars furnace to
preserve His children!
I will never leave you or forsake you says the Lord. Dont
be tempted by the security of this world, no matter how
attractive it may seem. Money is a big attraction, as is
education, social status, even friends and family. In a
changing world we can be those who trust in the credit
card, trust in the family rallying round, we can find ourselves
trusting in people we know in high places theres an
attraction to such tangible securities. But all such temporal
security is eventually breached, and sometimes in a moment.
But believer, we have an unbreakable and eternal security,
v4: Our Redeemer- the LORD Almighty is his name. Keep
looking to Jesus; He cares for you. Look again to the cross -
every threat, every calamity was put on Him, death itself was
swallowed up in victory. Rest in Him, cast your cares on Him,
trust in your Lord.
3. The attraction of religion
The way Israels religion was going was not attractive. God
kept calling them back to Himself, but they continually
refused to listen. They didnt believe that God had their good
at heart, they didnt want to accept His plans, they wanted
Him to obey them rather than they obey Him! They were
striving with their Maker! They were stubborn hearted, half-
hearted, and cold hearted and in comparison, even the
diabolical religion of Babylon was attractive.
Consider Babylons religion, their energy and zeal, their
dedication, their commitment! Verse 9 speaks about the
multitude of your sorceries, for the great abundance of your
enchantments. They practised their false religion with great
zeal, it wasnt just an hour on a Sunday morning, they were
into it big-time! And in verse 10 they actually trusted in it.
They believed in it sincerely. God challenges them to Stand
now with your enchantments and the
multitude of your sorceries, in which you Keep looking to Jesus;
have laboured from your youth - perhaps He cares for you.
you will be able to profit, perhaps you Look again to the cross
will prevail. They wont prevail of course,
but that doesnt take away from their passion in what they
believe and practise. They have laboured in their religion from
their youth they had their Sunday Schools, YPAs, camps.
They really worked at it! Even though they were tired (v13),
they still read their magic books, and prayed to their gods.
They watched the stars and made predictions every month,
they paid heed to what their stargazers were telling them -
their religion was to them a tangible comfort (v14), it was like
a campfire they warmed their souls with!
So there was a very real attraction for Israel who were far
from the Lord. Here was a practical religion that seemed
to work. They were zealous in it, and the rewards flowed...
Babylon was doing well. Their gods were being glorified and
followed with enthusiasm, the nation was secure and they
enjoyed care-free living with luxury and dignity... which was
far more than could be said for Israel. But dont be tempted
says the Lord, dont fall for the siren of Babylons religion,
because as successful as it seems, its all about to fall. The
true and living God will soon move in judgement on all their
wicked practices, and all their trust, all their passion and zeal,
will prove to be useless. When the Lord bares His arm, they
will see that the real God is not a camp fire with which to
warm yourself, He is a consuming fire! And no one will be able
to save them.
Dont be tempted to run after the comfortable gods of this
age. Many people still read the stars and believe them, but
it is a wicked sham they cannot save, they cannot produce
any spiritual good, they only cause spiritual harm as they
turn people aside from the one, true living God. You may not
ever fall for that, but you may be tempted to warm your soul
by other fires. Gods of entertainment the TV guide is your
bible. Gods of luxury and wealth where your Bible is the
Amazon app, and your Sabbath is Black Friday. Gods of family
where your photo album is your bible. Just what is it that
you turn to, to warm your heart?
These things in the right place can be wonderful blessings
from God, but the temptation, the attraction, is to worship
the created, rather than the Creator. Our Redeemer - the
LORD Almighty is his name - is the Holy One of Israel. He is
the Holy One. He alone is worthy of our hearts worship and
adoration. He is a consuming fire. He is not a campfire that
we have under our control. And perhaps thats our greatest
temptation...
The temptation to worship the Lord God as if He were tame,
as if He exists just to fulfil our desires. To go to church with
the thought: I hope I get something out of this today
without considering that I owe Him
wholehearted devotion and worship. To
read your Bible in the expectation that
God will comfort you but not challenge
you. To have wonderful and tender
thoughts of Jesus as your Saviour without the vision of
seeing Him as Lord of all. Isaiah reminds us that Jesus is Our
Redeemer - the LORD Almighty is his name - is the Holy One
of Israel.
He alone has all dignity. He alone is our keeper. He alone is
the One True God. Dont be tempted to lessen Him in any way,
dont be attracted to a Jesus who is less than the infinite,
eternal and unchangeable Son of God. No other Jesus will do.
He alone is Our Redeemer and we need to be redeemed!
He alone is the LORD Almighty and we need to be kept!
He alone is the Holy One of Israel we must worship
Him alone!
Robert Johnston is minister of Knock congregation in East
Belfast. He is married to Julie and together they are blessed
(and kept busy!) with three young children; Ben (10), Luke (9)
and Sophie (6).
13

Walking Worthy
Ephesians 4:1-6
H ave you ever received a letter from an old friend whom you have
not spoken to for years? Well, Ephesians is a letter that renews
an old relationship. Paul has been to Ephesus on several occasions in
the past. In fact, during his third missionary journey he stayed there
for almost three years. Paul knows many of these people, and many
of them have been converted through his ministry. So this letter
renews that old acquaintanceship, and it does so on a truly grand
scale.
Paul begins by painting a glorious picture of salvation in the opening
three chapters, and from the outset the apostle stresses that this
salvation is, from beginning to end, the work of the Triune God. If you
are a Christian, you are so, not because you gave your heart to Jesus,
but because you were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the
world (1:4). And motivated by love, it has been Gods determined plan
since before the world was, to make you his son or his daughter (1:5).
And in time and in space, God the Father sent his Holy Spirit into your
spiritually dead heart to give you life, and to unite you to his Son. And
in Christ, we have redemption, through His blood, the forgiveness
of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He has
lavished on us (1:7-8a NASB).
Now, if the opening three chapters of Ephesians are more doctrinal
in nature, the remaining three chapters are more practical, as Paul
gets down to the nitty-gritty of Christian life. During the course of
the coming articles our focus is going to be chapter four, where the
apostle will have a lot to say about how we live as Christians. Thou hast the true and perfect gentleness,
1) How We Are To Walk
In this first article we are going to consider what has been described
as the preface to the second half of Ephesians (F. Thielman). We
find this preface in 4:1-6, and in these verses Paul explains two
important and closely related ideas. Firstly, Paul explains how we are
to walk as believers. When you think about it, you can actually tell
quite a lot about a person from the way they walk, cant you? A proud
person may walk with their head up, and their nose in the air. A busy
person may walk briskly, and with determination written across their
face, and a shy person may walk with their head down, never looking
anyone in the eye.
Well, how are we to walk as believers? How are we to walk in the
14
light of everything that Paul has said in the previous three chapters?
Well, the apostle tells us in v1 to, walk in a manner worthy of the
calling with which you have been called (NASB).
Friends, we are to walk in a manner worthy of our high calling as the
redeemed of Christ. But what does that look like? Fortunately for us,
Paul explains what he means. In a carefully crafted section of our
passage (v2&3) the apostle tells us four things about the way we are
to walk. Firstly, he tells us to walk with all humility and gentleness
(v2a NASB). Now, because we are so familiar with the Scriptures,
were not surprised that Paul mentions humility. But the word Paul
uses here is very rare in wider first century Greek literature, and
whenever it is used, it is always used in a negative light. In fact, just
a few years after Paul writes these words, the Praetorian Guard
will murder the Emperor Galba, and they will justify their actions by
claiming he is, amongst other things, a humble man. You see, in the
environment in which Paul operates humility is not considered a
virtue.
Pauls thinking is not governed by the world, by Greek and Roman
ideas of virtue, but by Scripture, where humility, which is the opposite
to having an exalted view of self, is prized. And Paul adds to this the
idea of gentleness. Now when we think about this, what the apostle
describes here immediately reminds us of the Saviour himself. We
sometimes sing:
no harshness hast thou and no bitterness:
make us to taste the sweet grace found in thee
and ever stay in thy sweet unity.
Friends, we are to walk worthy of our calling, and to do that we have
to be marked by humility and gentleness. As we shall see a little later,
Paul wants us to walk this way particularly in relation to one another.
As we live as communities of the Lords people, cheek by jowl, we are
to have a humble view of self, and we are to deal with one another
gently. Anything less is unworthy of our calling.
So to walk worthy is to be humble and gentle. But what else does it
mean? Well, secondly, Paul tells us to walk with patience (v2b). Now
bearing in mind what the apostle has just said (v2a), and what he
is about to say (v2c), it is clear patience here has the idea of being
patient in circumstances where you are sorely tested. Now even in
everyday life, there are times when our patience is sorely tested,
arent there? Imagine that you are in the car, youre in a hurry, and for
the entire journey youre stuck behind a driver doing 20 mph when
they could be doing 60, and there is no opportunity to overtake! In
situations like that your patience is sorely tested, isnt it? Well, there
are times in church life when our patience is sorely tested by one
another, and in those situations, Paul is saying we are to go the extra
mile. We are to be patient.
This becomes even more clear when Paul gives us the next
characteristic of walking worthy, because thirdly he says, we are to
bear with one another in love (v2c). This final phrase is incredibly
disarming, isnt it? It closes the door to a grudging forbearance, and
challenges us to love one another.
So to walk in a manner worthy of our calling, means that we are
walking with humility and gentleness, with patience, and with
forbearance. And fourthly, Paul tells us we are to walk this way eager
to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (v3 ESV).
Now that word eager (ESV) or diligent (NASB), shows us that this
walking requires effort on our part. We are not to be like dog walkers.
If you have ever had a dog, you will know what I mean. With a dog,
you walk a few yards, and then you stop. You walk another few yards,
and then you stop again. And so it goes on! But thats not what Paul
has in mind. A better picture would be to think of lycra-clad power-
walkers, who are vigorously striding down the street, and getting
up a sweat. Thats what we are to be like as we seek to maintain
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. And notice, we are not
seeking to establish unity, but to maintain a unity that has already
been established by the Spirit of God.
2) Why Walking This Way Is Important
So Paul has shown us what it means to walk in a manner worthy
of our calling. We are to walk with humility and gentleness, with
patience and forbearance, and our goal is to maintain that unity
already establish by the Spirit of Christ. So what is the other idea Paul
explains here? Well, secondly, Paul explains why walking this way is
so important. Think of those Lycra-clad power-walkers again. Why
do they do what they do? Why do they stride down our streets so
vigorously? Well, no doubt they are trying to lose weight and to keep
fit. Thats why they do what they do.
Well, friends, why are we to walk in the way Paul has described? Now
we might think Paul has already given us the answer, when he says
we are to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (v3),
and that is true. But Paul takes that idea of unity, of oneness, and he
runs with it. In the remarkable passage that follows (v4-6), Paul uses
the word one seven times, and he builds up to a startling climax.
Lets take a look at what the apostle says. We will move relatively
quickly through the first six ones (v4&5), and then we will spend
a little more time considering the climax. So why is maintaining
this unity important? Well, firstly, because there is only one body
(v4a). Paul is obviously speaking here about the body of Christ, the
church. There is only one church, and we are all members of that
church. Secondly, there is only one Spirit (v4b). There is only one
Holy Spirit, and we share him, because he indwells us all, and unites
us into one body. Thirdly, there is only one hope (v4c). Through the
gospel we have all been reconciled to God, and we all share the same
hope of heaven and life eternal. Fourthly, there is only one Lord
(v5a). Now notice that in v5 Paul picks up the pace, dispensing with
all conjunctions and qualifying phrases (he also uses one in three
genders), and says, one Lord. Friends, we are all saved by, and united
to, the same Lord Jesus Christ. Fifthly, there is only one faith (v5b).
We all believe the same thing. And sixthly, there is only one baptism
(v5c). We are all stamped with the name of the Triune God.
It is an amazing passage, isnt it, and it is so disarming! You cannot
argue against Pauls logic for maintaining unity. There is one body,
one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. But the
apostle isnt finished. Seventhly, there is only one God. Paul says, one
God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (v6).
Now in the first place, the apostle probably has in mind the universal
sovereignty of the first Person of the Godhead over all believers
(if all is masculine), although, it may also include his universal
sovereignty over everything that exists (if all is neuter).
Now it is here that Paul reaches the climax of his argument for
maintaining unity. Back in chapter one the apostle tells us that it
is the Fathers will to unite all things in Christ both in heaven and
on earth (1:10). That is the Fathers goal, thats what he is working
towards, and friends, the church has a critical place in that plan to
unite all things in Christ (Thielman). Friends, it is here in the church
that the plan to unite all things shines at its brightest. He is Father of
us all, we are all united in the Son, and we are all indwelt by the Holy
Spirit. Friends, we are one, and it is our glorious calling in this world to
reflect that oneness in practical ways.
Friends, can you see the glory of our calling? As we reflect upon this,
you cannot help thinking of what Paul will go on to say in chapter five,
and how Christian marriage is to reflect the mystical union between
Christ and his church (5:32). Here in chapter four we have something
similar, in that it is our great calling as a church to reflect the Fathers
plan to unite all things in his Son. And remarkably, we are called to do
this in our relationships with one another. May God grant us the grace
to fulfil this high calling.
Rev. Andrew J. Lucas was born in London and grew
up in Buckinghamshire. He studied theology at the
Evangelical Theological College of Wales, and has
been minister of Omagh Evangelical Presbyterian
Church for the last ten years.
15
 OBITUARIES
Mr Lawrence Dunlop
On Monday 21st November 2016, peacefully in hospital, Mr
Lawrence Dunlop was called into the immediate presence of his
Saviour. The Dunlop family were associated with the Evangelical
Presbyterian Church right from its inception and, indeed,
Lawrence was the first child to be baptised within the newly
formed church. Having been brought up in a Christian home he
wandered away for a time from the things of the Lord, but as a
young man he cried to the Lord for mercy and God drew him to
himself.
For many years Lawrence was involved in various business
ventures such as Farwell Industries and Adamsez where he
was highly regarded by his employees, many of whom were
present at his well attended funeral service in Stranmillis Church.
Lawrence was a man of strong convictions but also of great
kindness, and many are those who experienced his generosity
and thoughtfulness. Lawrence was married to Thelma in
March 1957, and God blessed them with four children Roger,
Heather-Joy, Jenny and Jonathan. Lawrence had a strong sense
of family and we know that his loved ones miss him very greatly.
We assure them all his children, in-laws, grandchildren and
great-granddaughter - of the prayers and sympathy of the
Stranmillis congregation and of the wider church.
GNB
Mrs Letitia Jane Hoey
Mrs Letitia Jane Hoey passed into the immediate presence of
her Saviour late in the evening of Monday 28th November. She
had been a member in Ballyclare since 1954 along with her late
husband Tom who died in 2001.
Born into a farming environment, Letitia was to lose her mother
16
OBITUARIES
when just three months old. Her father, said to be a very go-
and physics at Queens and then moved to Edinburgh to study Mr Neal Killen
to be an Actuary (the maths of insurance). In these early
ahead type of farmer, would remarry, and left a lasting influence
years James was a deacon in Botanic Avenue and occasionally
on his daughter in that she shared his get-up-and-go outlook On the morning of Saturday 21st January 2017 Neal and
preached there too. He also became an elder in Free St Columbas
on life. She would train and make great achievement at Cornells Deborah Killen were taking part in the parkrun at Ward Park,
in the Free Church of Scotland while in Edinburgh. Tragically his
Business School in Belfast and go on to work, albeit briefly, for
mathematical genius would never be employed, because in the Bangor. They regularly participated in parkruns, although this
the Imperial Civil Service, a career curtailed by the outbreak of
strange providence of God James suffered a diabetic coma while was their first time at the Bangor venue. A short distance into
war in 1939.
in Edinburgh and the entire course of his life changed. He had to the run Neal collapsed and died. He had appeared to be in good
Tom and Letitia would marry in 1943 and before long two
retire in 1976 at the age of 31. health and was very active. He was 48 years of age. It is difficult
daughters would arrive, Elizabeth & Catharine. This was to be
His subsequent life was overtly marked by weakness and
followed some years later by a son, John. There are many happy to express the depth of grief and loss which we feel within the
suffering, but it was also marked by faithful devotion to the Lord.
memories of those days at the farm in Mallusk. With the family congregation of Stranmillis. Neal, along with Deborah and their
Though his usefulness in terms of Mathematics had come to a
growing up Letitia would return to work, ending up as personal children, Nathan and Julia, was actively involved in the life of the
sudden stop, his usefulness in the kingdom of God continued to
assistant to the factory manager at Michelin.
develop and deepen. He undertook simpler tasks like putting out church and we are simply reeling at Neals sudden homecall.
Mrs Hoey will be remembered for the strong concern she
chairs for the mother and toddler group, and he did it faithfully.
showed for the children of the congregation, often enquiring
He gave generously to the church, to missions and to various Neal served as a deacon in the church and was well known and
about them. Her health had deteriorated during 2016 but she
relief agencies. He did the business of prayer faithfully too: respected by all within the fellowship. He was very supportive of
made strenuous efforts to be present for the baptism of one of
prayer letters were always on his table in Palmerston, especially
the little ones on Sunday 20th November, and it was in the early the ministry of the Word and set us all a great example in terms
Catherines and Peters.
evening of that same day that she suffered the stroke that would of prayerfulness and service. Converted in his teenage years,
He did serious Bible study too, reading through expositional
eventually lead to her death.
commentaries and biographies supplied by his little brother John, Neal owed a great deal to the Crusader/Urban Saints movement
Our sympathies go to Elizabeth, Catharine & John and the wider
and wearing out Bibles in the process! He loved the word of God, in which he had been actively involved for many years, serving at
family.
he loved it preached and he loved to read it. Virtually every time a time as the Chairman of the Ireland Council.
We mourn her loss but rejoice that we knew her and that she is
I went to visit James in Palmerston residential home, the Bible
with Jesus which is far better.
was on His lap and there he was, reading away, listening to the
Although holding a very responsible post in his place of work,
very voice of God in His breathed-out Word.
which involved him regularly travelling to the United States, he
James loved church, he never missed; we knew something was
wrong when James didnt appear, he was brilliantly dependable. never allowed the things of this life to take him over. He touched
We may be tempted to think that after he had suffered so much many lives and, without being aware of it himself, was a spiritual
James had perhaps some very good excuses to disengage from mentor for many younger Christians.
busy church life; but he loved the Lord, and being a faithful Our loss within Stranmillis is great but our thoughts and prayers
servant was not a hardship to be endured, but a relationship to are especially with his family, whose sense of loss is greater than
be enjoyed.
we can ever understand. Please remember Deborah, Nathan and
His good and faithful service stands as a challenge to us all,
especially when in the Lords providence our plans in life are Julia in your prayers. Please pray too for the wider family, Neals
forced to change, and more especially when in the providence of mother, Mrs Wendy Killen, and his brothers, Roy and Ian.
God He gives us weakness instead of greatness. His life proved
the truth of what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:9 My grace is For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith
sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. (Acts 11:24)
Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that
the power of Christ may rest upon me.
GNB
RJJ
Mr James Grier
James Gillespie Grier was born on the 3rd March 1945, and
the Lord called him home to heaven on the morning of 23rd
December 2016. James heard the Gospel from his earliest days,
from godly parents who spoke much of Christ. Whether it was
on Saturday afternoon walks or Sunday evening, standing by
the piano singing hymns or cuddling up on the sofa for Pilgrims
Progress; he was encouraged to love and follow Jesus. When he
was 13 years old, James professed faith in Christ under his own
fathers (Rev WJ Grier) preaching in Botanic Avenue IEC.
James was a high-flyer at school, and went on to study maths
17
 FROM THE CHURCHES
The Ladies Meeting, Finaghy
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5 v 8
The Ladies Meeting in the Finaghy congregation has been
in existence for a long time. Its origins can be traced back to
small gatherings in homes where ladies got together to knit
small garments for the work of missions. Meetings on the
church premises followed after the ladies sought approval
from Rev. CE Hunter and the Session. Session minutes show
that approval was given in January 1967. The Ladies Meeting
has therefore now reached its fiftieth anniversary a golden
moment! The Ladies Meeting aimed to be a means of outreach
to the ladies of the area and to bring them to faith in the Lord.
Those aims remain to this day.
Phyllis Tinsley, its current leader, says, We are thankful to the
Lord that the Ladies Meeting has continued over the years
and that the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is still presented
each week. In past years a large number of ladies have
attended from the housing estate
round the church with up to forty in
attendance. We meet every Tuesday
night during the season which runs
from September to June many of
the ladies would like it to run every
week even across the summer! I
think this reflects the important role
it has as a social outlet for the ladies,
some of whom are well up in years,
face loneliness and find it difficult to
get out and about. The arrival of the
minibus is always welcome! It is a
lifeline for some, a highlight of their
week - the fellowship, friendship,
love and prayers for each other are
very evident.
We have a variety of speakers.
Some are ladies giving their
testimony to saving faith in Christ.
We also have those engaged in full
time work of various sorts. We are
always keen to give opportunities to
young men who are starting out on
their preaching career, lay men and
missionary organisations from near
and far. We were delighted to have
the ladies from Knock EPC conduct
our meeting recently. Traditionally,
our own minister speaks on the third
Tuesday each month of the season.
Here are comments from two
speakers who have been coming to
the Ladies Meeting for a long time:-
18
Ernie Croft
It is a blessing to be with the redeemed, the sincerity of praise
and worship, and the spirit of God is evident in the meeting,
and where loving thy neighbour is clearly practised.
Mervyn Langtry, Clerk of Session, Finaghy EPC
I first preached at the Womens Meeting in Finaghy in June
1974. It was the very first occasion Id preached anywhere.
My text was John chapter 6 verse 37. What really stands out in
my memory is just how warm and welcoming it was. Ive been
privileged to be invited back at least once a year ever since, 43
years and its still as warm and welcoming to-day.
Phyllis goes on, Im always amazed that the ladies come out
even on the coldest winters night and in all weathers. On the
wettest of nights, when you think no one will come out, you
look round and its a full attendance!
One of the features of the meeting is the ladies generosity in
giving to the Lords work. This means
we are able to give a little support
to quite a lot of different people and
aspects of the Lords work both in
Northern Ireland and worldwide.
If you glance down our financial
statement for 2016 youll see we
supported outreach in the Republic
of Ireland, Uganda, Japan, Nigeria,
Tanzania, Italy, South Africa, Poland,
Israel and the Middle East, as well as
organisations like the Helping Hand,
the Haven and the Christian Institute
locally. At Christmas we always
have a lovely tea together, and an
outing in June, but our primary aim
is to present the gospel to the ladies
of Finaghy as we long to see the
Lord bringing them to faith in Him.
Every week we are all challenged by
Gods word to our own hearts, His
presence is very evident in our midst
and we give Him praise.
We give thanks that the Ladies
Meeting has been such a blessing
to so many over its fifty years, and
we want to acknowledge the debt
we owe to those like Mrs Sadie
Millar and Mrs Jean Gibson who did
so much in years gone by to foster
the wonderful togetherness we still
enjoy today.
FROM THE CHURCHES
Ignite
Ignite is the combination of the Senior YPAs in the
denomination which meets every other month on a Friday
night. Our format has been fairly consistent over the last few
years. There is a relaxed atmosphere to begin, as this allows
the young people to catch up with others they might not have
seen since the last meeting. Sometimes, we would play a few
games to get the teenagers involved with one another.
The meeting starts with singing a few choruses or hymns
followed by either a testimony (given by a leader or one of the
young people) or a book review. Reviews of books have been
given in the hope that it would encourage reading. We would
then have our talk. Over the last few years we have looked at
different Bible characters and last year we looked at the life of
the Lord Jesus.
Different speakers from both inside and outside the
denomination have been invited to speak. This year we have
been going through the book of James. This of course is a
very practical book of the Bible and, in our last meeting, Phil
McClelland from First Antrim Presbyterian was our speaker.
Phil looked at James 3, and the theme of Does your tongue
need taming? This passage came with several challenges,
both for the Christian and the non-Christian. We were told
that all of us have a problem with our tongues, as this is a
result of the fall and sin. This can lead to a separation from
South Sudan
Andrew and Eunice (Moody) have watched how the situation in South Sudan has developed over the years and have felt burdened
about the state of the church there. In 2016 they entered South Sudan twice to teach local pastors and do some medical work.
They now hope to focus their ministry on building up and equipping the Christians in South Sudan. Andrew plans to be involved in
training pastors from South Sudan either in the country, if the political situation allows, or in Ugandan refugee camps where there
are currently over one million South Sudanese refugees.
(Crosslinks issue 01/17)
God and a poor witness to others, whether in school, college
or University. However we were also brought the hope and
encouragement that there is a solution for our hearts, who
is the Lord Jesus Christ, and that if we turn to Him, believe
and follow Him, the Lord Jesus can in turn help to tame our
tongues.
We would always finish the night with supper, and were sure
that all the mums and dads in the denomination dont need to
be told that their teenagers eat well. We can say the same for
the family of some our leaders too, who can also put away a
slice of pizza or two on a Friday night!
We usually have around 15-20 teenagers from the
denomination who come along to our meetings. This year has
definitely seen a younger age group of 15-16 year olds, with
many maybe just coming for the first time. This has given the
young people and leaders the opportunity to meet new faces
and to build friendships with the other teenagers from other
congregations.
At the time of writing we will have just one meeting left, along
with a BBQ on 20th May at Andy & Mary Hambletons home to
round the year off. It would be great to see more teenagers and
young people from the denomination come along.
David Roger
At the time of writing, major fighting in
South Sudan has stopped, but there is
random violence and looting, bandits
make road travel very dangerous, there
are severe shortages of food and fuel,
and inflation is at 600%. There are huge
numbers of displaced people within
the country as well as refugees who
have fled to neighbouring Uganda and
DCR.
(Barnabas Fund February prayer notes)
Hundreds of pastors and evangelists
from South Sudan (SS) have been trained
in our (MERF) centre in Lockichoggio in
northwest Kenya, near the border of SS.
After four months of in-depth biblical
training, the men return to their beautiful
but war-torn country to proclaim the
gospel of peace.
(MERF News Jan/Feb 2017)
19
 FROM THE CHURCHES
Junior Camp Reunion
Junior Camp reunion on Saturday 18 February was a reminder
of the great responsibility and privilege it is to care for the
children of our church. Forty 8-11 year olds attended a
sample day of camp held in Ballyclare EPC. It was lovely to
see them renew friendships from last summer and relive
memories as we watched camp slides together. The first-
timers quickly fitted in and all seemed excited at the prospect
of camp in the summer. Of course, craft and games were key
features, along with quizzes, competitions and good food.
The afternoon outing for swimming in the local leisure pool
was a highlight, although leisure may not be the best word
to describe what went on; some male leaders were heard to
say that they would not need to exercise for a week. Despite
being tired, the children engaged well in the final meeting
and listened attentively to the wonderful story of Christs
transfiguration. We sent them home happy, with brochures
and booking forms, but we trust also with something of Gods
word in young minds and hearts.
Heather Watson
Senior Camp reunion / YPA weekend
A small group of just nine young people headed to the BB
centre at Ganaway, Millisle, on the Friday night of 10th
February. Our speaker was Rev Robert McCollum from
Newtownards RPC and he began a short series of talks on
the theme Theres a Psalm for that! When the world is
falling apart turn to Psalm 2: recognise the rebellion and
then listen for the laughter. When lacking self-worth turn
to Psalm 8, and see who made you and find Him who still is
mindful of you! We all learned to turn to the Psalms for the
many circumstances we face in this life. Think about it: theres
a Psalm for every situation!
We played games to break the ice, we enjoyed great food and
lots of it, thanks to Irene our cook, we reached great heights
on the climbing wall, we watched some rugby, we played
table tennis, pool and some full-sized snooker. The electricity
went out in our accommodation and we had to move to
another venue on the same site, but the Lord had it all
sorted for us, and the BB staff were helpful too! We finished
in Groomsport EPC on the Sunday, where we heard of the
delights and duties of serving the Lord. And following another
great Sunday lunch we went home happy campers.
Rev Robert Johnston
20
FROM THE CHURCHES
C amp
M atters!
Essential Information
that congregations would gather expectantly
Junior Camp: Dunluce School, Bushmills:
1-8 July: Heather Watson 028 9334 0634
Inters Camp: Moyallon Centre, Portadown:
30 June-7 July: Robert Johnston 07876 655001
Senior Camp: Ballyclabber RP Church, Coleraine: 8-15
July: Mark & Jacqui Thompson 07746 345389
*Booking forms are out*
Get yours in church or online at:
www.epcni.org.uk
*Bookings are coming in*
Dont leave it too late to apply for a brilliant,
fun-filled week with friends, with lots of time to study the
bible and worship God.
If youre too old for the above, there are still spaces for
leaders and cooks (male & female)
Speak to your minister if you can help.
Many hands make light work
Could you help before camp with preparation of craft or
visual aids? Could you help transport supplies or luggage
for the start of camp? Could you lend a hand in the
kitchen for a few hours one day? Could you come on the
last day to help with the clean-up operation? Speak to
one of the leaders-in-charge or anyone on a camp team.
Pray for camp
Pray at home and in your church and come to the Camps
Prayer Meeting on Monday 5th June 2017 in Knock EPC
(starting at 8pm with a cup of tea).
Wed love to have your support.
Thank God for the provision of a day of rest
and worship in our weekly calendars. Pray
to receive Gods word each Sunday and that
ministers and laymen would know the Holy
Spirits help in preparation and His anointing
as they preach
Pray that the Father of mercies and God
of all comfort would minister to those who
mourn the passing of loved ones. Ask that
they would know His grace sufficient for
every need. Praise God for the certain hope
of heaven for those who are His. Thank Him
for the testimony of Christian funeral services
and pray that unbelievers will be troubled by
thoughts of mortality and would seek and find
salvation
Praise God for 50 years of fellowship,
missionary support and outreach in Finaghy
Ladies Meeting. Pray that the ladies
meetings in other churches would also be a
blessing to those who attend and be used to
bring ladies into Christs kingdom
Give thanks for safe and happy camp
reunions in February. Pray that something of
the godly influence and teaching given would
remain with those who attended. Pray that
many would now apply for summer camps
and that, as well as wanting a week of fun,
they would have a hunger and thirst
after righteousness
Please pray that camp teams of leaders
and cooks would soon be complete and that
Gods will would be sought in all plans and
preparations. Uphold Mark & Jacqui in prayer
as they take on the responsibility of Senior
Camp for the first time, also remembering
Robert as he takes over Inters Camp
21

Praise God for the ongoing work of Ignite
and for the young people who attend.
Thank Him for the commitment of the
leaders. Pray for spiritual life and growth in
individuals and for mutual encouragement
in the things of God.
Give thanks for Christian lives from the
past which have inspired and helped you.
Pray that Christian biographies, including
Story-a-month Club, would stir children and
young people to love for God and zeal to
serve Him
Praise God for His mercy in sending
light to a dark continent at the time of the
Reformation. Give heartfelt thanks for the
Reformers, the truths they taught, the stand
they took and the benefits we still enjoy.
Pray that the Sunday School project on
Martin Luther will have been very useful in
reminding young and old of these things
Pray for Andrew and Eunice Moody as
they take up their new work in South
Sudan. Pray that they would know renewed
strength for the task as they wait upon the
Lord and that they would be of great help to
the needy Christian community in that land
22
BOOK REVIEWS
Title: Let the Children Worship
RRP: 6.99 Special Evangelical
Presbyterian Price: 4.99
Author: Jason Helopoulos
Publisher: Christian Focus
Publications
Let the Children Worship by Jason
Helopoulos is a short, easy to
read book that is a much needed
encouragement to all parents who face the weekly struggle
of including our covenant children in the worship of God,
while trying to maintain some form of peace in the pews.
Perhaps most importantly and helpfully it brings us back
to the importance of corporate worship and the privilege
it is to meet together as the bride of Christ. It challenges
the current popular idea that children need their own age-
appropriate worship, and instead commends the biblical
example of how children, even nursing babies, were included
in the worshipping assemblies of Gods people. Including
our children in the worship of the Living God has eternal
significance and benefit for our children and the entire
congregation. This book is full of practical advice not only for
parents but for church leaders and, equally important, for the
rest of the congregation who are essential in the part they
play as the covenant family in helping to support parents, and
in making children feel that they are part of the body of Christ.
Alison Burke, Ballynure
Jason Helopoulos is associate minister in Kevin DeYoungs
church, University Reformed Church (PCA). He is author of
several books including A Neglected Grace, The New Pastors
Handbook and Let the Children Worship and is a regular
contributor to The Gospel Coalition.
Title: Revolutionary Work
Author: William Taylor
In the third chapter, Taylor takes us through Ephesians 6
in which he teaches us that although we serve One who is
Publisher: 10publishing higher than our boss at work, we should respect those in
Published: 2016 authority over us and in doing this, bring glory to God. In order
Pages: 119 to do this we should be conscientious at all times, not just
RRP: 4.99 when the boss is looking! He argues that in Ephesians 6, Paul
says nothing about the kind of work we are to do, but has a
Special Offer for Evangelical
lot to say about the way in which we are to do it and shows
Presbyterian Readers: 3-50
us that we should be motivated by a boss, goals and rewards
that are not of this world. What is important is who we serve,
We spend more time working
the way we serve and the the kind of rewards we expect from
than doing almost anything else,
our endeavours.
yet work is often difficult, unsatisfying and frustrating.
Sometimes our efforts feel never-ending, and the idea that
In the fourth chapter, Taylor shows us that no matter how
we should be working for the Lord is often squeezed out. This
important we think our work is, there is more important work
book helps the reader develop a theology of work so that we
going on, that of kingdom-building! God is doing His work,
might avoid some of the usual pressures and pitfalls we often
Jesus Christ is bringing in His harvest and whatever we do
face in the workplace, and come to appreciate our work and
vocationally, there is Kingdom work to be done. The amazing
consider our careers appropriately.
thing about this is that God has given us a privileged part
in His great eternal work. Therefore, in any working life, we
The book is split into two sections. The first contains four
shouldnt be tempted to be so career-focused that we neglect
short chapters looking at different aspects of work from a
the work God has for us to do in His church.
biblical perspective. Chapter one takes us all the way back
to the book of Genesis (chapter 2) and shows us the origin,
The second section of the book is much shorter and deals
dignity, responsibility, and necessity of work. Taylor shows us
with issues such as how to assess our talents, a passionate
that work, as it was originally designed in creation, is good.
call for Christians to consider the Arts as a career path,
He shows us that we are made to work and that it draws
and has a helpful section on how churches can help their
its dignity from the fact that our Creator is a worker. And
members in this whole area of work. The final chapter of the
he shows us that we should work diligently because we are
book is taken up with frequently asked questions about work
responsible both horizontally, to those we work for and with,
and contains some very useful advice on how to think about
as well as vertically, to God, for how we carry out the work He
our career paths, how we use our money, using our money to
has entrusted to us.
support those going into or already in ministry, etc.
In chapter two we find ourselves in Genesis 3 where we
This book is certainly worth reading alone or in a group
confront our work as cursed, frustrating, painful, and even
and would particularly benefit those thinking through their
futile. The author doesnt set out to be deliberately gloomy
career options, someone on a gap year, or even the seasoned
about the prospect of us finding fulfilment in our work here,
campaigner who wants to be reminded of how we can be
but he does give us a large dose of realism in that whatever
wise and godly workers. It is very easy to follow, has short
we end up working at, we shouldnt be surprised if it isnt
chapters and is practical. The reader will be blessed and
always free from difficulties! This is liberating for the Christian
encouraged by Taylors insights and wisdom and I heartily
and provides a helpful sense of perspective so that, we dont
recommend it!
become disillusioned when things are going against us.
Our society seems to have many views on work, ranging from
working in a boring job that we hate, to finding what really
makes us happy and pursuing that. However, what the author
sets out here is a biblical view of work, one that is more
realistic, but ultimately one that is liberating.
As Taylor puts it,
We do not need to be enslaved by our work or totally
depressed by it. As we put our work in its rightful, God-given
place, we will find real joy and lasting purpose as we work for
God.
23
 Best of the Blogs
A selection of online blogs and articles to challenge and
encourage you in your walk with God and his people
Why the local church really matters (Tim Challies)
(www.challies.com/articles/why-the-local-church-really-
matters)
beneath the skin to the needy soul, recreated in Gods Image.
If such shabby partial thoughts keep arising in our hearts,
let us remember Gods choice, for we were clothed in rags &
remember that in the Gospel we are heirs of grace & glory.
The Greatest Inauguration Day Ever (Warren Peel)

As we prepare to worship God tomorrow, it may do us good (www.gentlereformation.com/2017/01/20/the-greatest-

to pause for just a few moments to consider the local church.
What is the church? Why has God called us into these little
communities? Does the local church really matter? It does!
The local church is foundational to Gods plan for his people.
In their book Church in Hard Places, Mez McConnell and Mike
McKinley offer 6 reasons that the local church matters.
The Doctrines of Grace: Total Depravity: The T in Total
(Tim Bertolet)
(www.placefortruth.org/blog/doctrines-grace-total-
depravity-t-total)
What is the total in total depravity? When we speak responsibility forliability forthe sins of his people.
of total depravity, we do not mean that every person is as
quantitatively bad as they could possibly be. We do not mean
that every person has committed every possible sin or that
every person does all the heinousness of a Stalin or Hitler.
We consider it to be Gods common grace and providence
that in his creation God often restrains evil. He often allows
unbelieving sinners to do projects and works of social good. A
Boy Scout can be both an unbeliever who is totally depraved
and a person who helps the old lady cross the street.
John Calvin on the True Church (Sinclair Ferguson)
(www.reformation21.org/blog/2016/05/john-calvin-on-the-
true-church.php)
inauguration-day-ever/)
Why does the sinless Lamb of God go down into the
Jordan and stand in the place where sinners stand? Its
precisely because he came into the world to stand in the
place of sinnersto take our place. To live the life of perfect
obedience that we cant live and then to die to cursed death
under the wrath of God that we deserve. He came to be
our substitute. And here, as he begins his public ministry
on Inauguration Day, Jesus formally accepts the task of
being the Saviour of the world. He is baptized because he is
identifying with those he has come to save. He is accepting
the task of being the sin-bearer and is symbolically assuming
5 Ways Porn Lies To You (Tim Challies)
(www.challies.com/articles/5-ways-porn-lies-to-you)
Theres a lot of porn in the world. When I first began to write
the articles that would become Sexual Detox, this sin was still
lurking in the shadows. Few people knew just how deep and
deadly it was. Nearly a decade later, we get it. We know now
that nearly every boy and a great many girls will be exposed
to it, struggle with it, and even become addicted to it. So
every now and again I like to return to the topic, hoping to
offer hope. Today I find myself considering porns ugly lies.

When is a church not a church? How do we recognize the

true church of Jesus Christ? And how do we discern the false?
Calvins answer, in the Institutes 4.2.1 - 4.2.12, to what
was in his day - and remains - an important question, is,
essentially: the ministry of the Word and of the sacraments
of baptism and the Lords Supper are the hallmarks of the
true church. Where these are lacking, surely the death of the
church follows.

Presbyterian Partiality? (Andrew Kerr)

(www.gentlereformation.com/2017/01/14/presbyterian-
partiality/)

Lets stop being impressed by status, rank & wealth. Let

us refuse to permit outward appearances or circumstances
to influence choices in churches. Pray for a heart that sees

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