The current pandemic has brought upheaval to everyone's life. We must never forget that God is absolutely sovereign meaning He is completely in control. As the Psalmist says: "But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases" (Psalm 115:3); and again "Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps" (Psalm 135:6). At the same time we must remember that not only does God love us, but in his very nature He is love; "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him" (1 John 4:15-16). Combining these two facts together points us to this great promise; "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).
With this in mind, during our time of closure we sought to follow the advice of Ephesians 5:16 and make the best use of the time. In support of that, I will posted various resources here to help you take advantage of time freed up by travel restrictions in order to pursue a deeper relationship with the Lord. These remain vary profitable resources.
With this in mind, during our time of closure we sought to follow the advice of Ephesians 5:16 and make the best use of the time. In support of that, I will posted various resources here to help you take advantage of time freed up by travel restrictions in order to pursue a deeper relationship with the Lord. These remain vary profitable resources.
Gordon Fee, now 86, is Professor Emeritus of New Testament Studies at Regent College in Vancouver and author of a number of very influential books and articles. He has an uncanny combination of profound insight and deep spirituality which shines through in all of his work. In these two videos, a much younger Fee delivers two lectures on the Kingdom of God. The videos may be old but the teaching is timeless. Correctly understanding the Kingdom of God should be of vital importance to each of us since, as Christians, we are its citizens. Two things stood out to me in these videos. One is just how passionate Fee is for the Word of God. For him Biblical and theological studies are clearly much more than just academic exercises. The other thing is his incredible depth of knowledge. Notice that he has absolutely no notes, and the few times he does double check a reference from his Bible it is only the chapter and verse numbers he confirms. He has the actual texts memorized in multiple English translations and the original Greek.
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Throughout the history of the people of God, be it as recorded in the Old Testament narratives or the annals of church history, living faithfully in times of peace has been challenging. There is a tendency for complacency to slowly creep in resulting in a gradual drifting away. Currently, spiritual apathy is a significant problem for churches in the west who have enjoyed a prolonged freedom from religious persecution. We lack the spiritual urgency of our persecuted brethren in other parts of the world. Jesus warned us this would be a danger for the church as it awaited his return. His parables in Matthew chapters 24 and 25 focus on this very topic. In the following two videos Don Carson, with his wealth of background knowledge, brings two of these parables to life and impresses upon us the urgency to live well for Christ today. They come from a larger series he delivered at a conference and are linked here in the correct order they were delivered, even though the parables themselves are out of sequence.
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One way our congregation has been able to minister outside of our walls to the broader community has been by providing a monthly Reflection article to the Cochrane Times-Post. We have done this monthly since December 2018. I have compiled all of our Reflection submissions to date, in chronological order, into a single file. This document can be of use in three ways. At exactly 300 words a piece, each Reflection is an appropriate size for a brief devotional. If you take the time to look up, read, and reflect upon the contained Scripture references each Reflection has the potential to turn into a full fledged topical Bible study. If you read all of the Reflections back to back in one sitting they complement each other by providing a growing picture of practical Christian living.
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D. A. Carson graduated from the same seminary I did, albeit about two decades earlier. Don has gone on to become one of the world's most highly regarded conservative biblical scholars. He has a wealth of knowledge, a keen eye for detail, and the ability to explain the Bible in a way that is deep enough to challenge scholars yet still understandable to new Christians. His teaching is without compromise, challenging, encouraging, and very practical. In the first video Don brings the parable of the rich man and Lazarus to life. In the second video he explains the true nature of our Christian freedom.
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One of the downsides to the highly individualistic nature of our contemporary western culture is that both as individual Christians and as congregations we tend to have a minimal sense of continuity within the Church universal. Many Christians may have some sense of being a part of something bigger within the context of their own denomination but even that tends to be very limited. Learning Church history is a very neglected component of spiritual formation. As we take the time to learn about the history of the Church we come to appreciate the place we occupy within the body of Christ. It helps us understand how we got to be where we are, introduces us to inspiring stories of our brethren who have gone before us, and we can learn from the mistakes of others. Since we are a Reformed church it is helpful for us to understand our roots in the Reformation. The following two videos by Ryan Reeves, Associate Professor of Historical Theology at Gordon-Conwell Seminary take us through the Church leading up to the Reformation and then through the reasons for the Reformation.
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Reformed theology is undergoing a resurgence in Evangelical circles. Two leading voices are Mark Dever and Sam Storms, both of whom are very successful pastors, as well as professors, speakers, and authors. Both are known for their powerful and practical messages. In the first video, Mark Dever gets us to think about what makes a Christian unique. In the second video, Sam Storm discusses the importance of holiness of heart. What these two messages have in common is the recognition that holiness sits at the core of the Christian calling. These two videos present encouraging and challenging messages from Scripture that each of us, no matter our level of spiritual maturity, need to be reminded of daily.
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In 2005 the editor of The Gospel Witness magazine asked me to write a series of articles on four assigned topics. In the first article, at the height of the open theism debate, I examined key issues in open theism related to divine foreknowledge and human free will. Happily the false teaching of open theism has faded significantly since then, however we can always benefit from sharpening our understanding of the interrelationship between the foreknowledge of God and our human will. In the second article I discussed spiritual gifts from the perspective of the Gospels, rather than from the Epistles of Paul, with an emphasis on our accountability for how we use our spiritual gifts. In the third article I over-viewed Galatians, providing a guide for reading and understanding this letter of Paul. In the fourth article I over-viewed Isaiah, providing a guide for reading and understanding this prophetic book.
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Messianic Psalms are Psalms that speak prophetically about the promised Messiah. The New Testament writers identify their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. As we've been making our way through Hebrews we have witnessed the author refer to Messianic Psalms a number of times in support of his case for the superiority of Jesus, for instance his citing Psalm 110 with reference to Melchizedek. Exegetical Tools, a ministry devoted to equipping people to study their Bible more deeply, has put together a series of devotions on five Messianic Psalms. These devotionals are short, substantial, and accessible. These are worth reading prayerfully, reflectively, and repeatedly. In them you will find echoes of much we have considered so far in Hebrews.
The Story of the King: Psalm 2
The Story of Suffering: Psalm 22
The Story of Commitment to God and His People: Psalm 69
The Story of Melchizedek: Psalm 110
The Story of God's Cornerstone: Psalm 118
The Story of the King: Psalm 2
The Story of Suffering: Psalm 22
The Story of Commitment to God and His People: Psalm 69
The Story of Melchizedek: Psalm 110
The Story of God's Cornerstone: Psalm 118
During the Advent and Christmas season Christians reflect on the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the time God became man to visit and deliver his people. During Holy Week and Easter weekend Christians reflect on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ which secured the final deliverance of the people of God. We all have some level of understanding of these events but too often in our day the understanding is superficial. To more fully know Christ, and to understand more fully what we have in him we need to answer two questions: Why did God become man? and What was the purpose of the cross? The following two videos dig into these questions. In the first video G. K. Beale, Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary and ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, answers the question 'Why did God become man?' (or cur deus homo as it was asked a millennium ago in latin). In the second video Tom Wright explains the significance of the cross in depth with passion.
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Ligonier Ministries is a first rate Reformed teaching ministry. To help you maintain your daily growth and the discipleship within your family and community, for the first time ever, they have made their entire library of hundreds of teaching series free to stream. Whatever your interests, they have something for you. View or listen to more than 200 series on a wide range of topics at the following link; Ligonier Teaching Series.
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Adversity provides fertile soil for refocusing and so this is an ideal time for us, both as individuals and as a congregation, to refocus on fulfilling what God has called us to. To do that we first need clarity as to what God calls all Christians to in life. Tom Wright is one of the top New Testament scholars of our day. He is an engaging, witty, and powerful teacher with a profound knowledge of scripture. The following two messages layout, with clarity and conviction, what the Lord calls us to by way of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These are must viewing for anybody serious about growing in their Christian calling.
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