A Church departed from the Faith....a Nation perishing in sin....

Pray for Scotland ! The Church of Scotland have allowed the installation of an openly practicing homosexual to the ministry. Scott Rennie (pictured right) is in need of repentance and true faith in Christ and to forsake his sin. Sadly he has been recognized as a minister of Christ !

I have long believed my homeland's national church to be apostate and this does nothing to change my view. There are good solid Christian brothers and sisters within her ranks but alas is it not time to separate as those in 1843 ?

The testimony of a church that is muddied and unclean is no testimony at all. A willingness to suffer for the gospel materially and socially will surely bring greater honor to God than the fudging engagement in a discussion about whether or not same sex relationships are viable. A Christian surely has no business sitting down to even pretend to discuss such sin as if it were an open question before a holy God!

Where are the voices of truth and righteousness in the land ? The nation languishes in darkness and evil continues to abound and we think signing a petitition is all we can do to promote the gospel, little wonder the darkness is so great !

The Glory of Marriage

Elaine and I just recently celebrated our 17th Wedding Anniversary. As I reflected on the blessing that is mine in my beloved wife I am reminded of the mercies of God to me in giving me such a precious gift in life.

Seventeen years have gone in so quickly in many ways, yet much has happened and many experiences have marked our lives together. We had the blessing of taking a couple of days away at San Simeon on the Central California Coast. In visiting Hearst Castle the tragic monument to William Randolph Hearst, the Rupert Murdoch of the 1920's and 1930's we enjoyed watching the amazing sunset over the Pacific, and enjoyed the quaint shops of Cambria. It was good to have time to discuss important family matters and just relax and rest.

The companionship, friendship and love that I share with my wife is more and more precious as the years go by. God has given us a glorious thing in marriage, God will bring it to an end one day, but until then we desire it to be all that God intended. How blessed I am. I love you Elaine and rejoice in what we have by God's grace.....soli deo gloria...

Enjoying Essential Christian Doctrine

We are approaching week four of our Thursday morning class and the commitment level continues to remain high. We have around 40 regularly committed. This week we will be looking at the Incommunicable Attributes of God as we move from looking at what the Scriptures teach about themselves to what the Scriptures teach about God.

One aspect of the whole subject I have been wrestling with is the concept of time as it relates to the eternality of God. Grudem's treatment is interesting but falls short in my judgment. Is it really accurate to say there is no time with God in eternity past? Does communication between the three persons of the Trinity in eternity past demand no concept of time at all or time in a manner we cannot fully grasp? Surely it is the latter? However I do freely confess understanding past, present and future in an eternity before the world began is a difficult concept. Certainly in terms of time as we understand it, God created it. Yet surely for the eternal God-head to communicate there must be some realm of past, present and future involved?

I am left to follow Calvin and Paul's example and bow in wonder, awe and amazement at the great anf glorious God who is and was and is to come and who in the fulness of time sent His own Son to save us from our sins.....

Essential Christian Doctrine Class Gets Going !!!

It was a great encouragement to have 30 of our folks turn up at 6:00AM in the morning to study the Word of God.

We began a class on 'Essential Christian Doctrine' yesterday morning, Thursday 4th June at 6:00AM. We will be using Wayne Grudem's edited text 'Bible Doctrine'. I was so encouraged to see the hunger amongst our younger people for this instruction, may the Lord meet with us week by week through the summer and build us up in Him to impact our city for His glory and the triumph of the gospel !!!!

Gospel Coalition 2009

It is two weeks since the Gospel Coalition Conference in Chicago. I am only now getting a chance to post something on it.

I attended TGC with my good friend Reddit Andrews. It was a spiritually enriching time with good preaching and good fellowship. The theme of 2 Timothy was well chosen and I enjoyed working through it during the week with the various men assigned portions. Mark Driscoll probably dealt the least with the text whilst Phil Ryken and Ligon Duncan were thorough. Piper, Chappell and Copeland all brought truth through diverse personality and style which I was blessed by. CJ Mahaney's message on 1 Peter 5 and pastoral ministry was a highlight for me. Truly it is a great and glorious privilege to be a minister of the New Covenant. I also greatly benefitted from Keller and Carson's messages. Akith Fernando from Sri Lanka gave food for thought regarding suffering for the gospel.

I am encouraged by what I experienced at TGC and look forward to being involved in the future.

Patrick Hamilton - Reformation Martyr

The picture above has an important place in Scottish Christian history. It marks the spot in St Andrews where Patrick Hamilton was burned at the stake for his faithfulness to the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Murdered at the hands of evil men who believed that a right standing with God was to be found through the Roman Catholic Church and the doctrine of works righteousness, Patrick Hamilton preached the message of salvation by grace alone in Christ alone. The Christian gospel had set him free and he believed it was the only hope for Scotland.

Of noble birth, Patrick Hamilton was born in 1504. In 1520 he went to Paris, France to study and where he came into contact with the writings and teachings of Martin Luther. Returning to St Andrews in 1523, initially as a student, then tutor, he was becoming increasingly committed to the historic Christian gospel.

Hamilton began to attract the attention of the notorious and merciless Cardinal Beaton. The avowed Romanist was committed to preventing the truth of God's word taking root in Scotland. Sensing his danger, young Hamilton fled to Germany and the university of Marburg in early 1527. He would soon return to his beloved Scotland to face his divine destiny.......(to be continued)....

Scotland's Christian Heritage Remembered !!!!

If you visit my beloved homeland of Scotland today you will realize that it is a land of great spiritual darkness and moral decline. There are some good solid churches sprinkled throughout the land of rolling hills, rugged mountains, twisting rivers, mists and cold northerly winds. However most who live in Scotland today are secular and without any knowledge of the period of conflict, turmoil and bloodshed that made her a great nation......

It is strange how living in the USA I am caused to reflect more deeply on my beloved homeland than I did during my years in N.Ireland. Perhaps it is because I am reading about the Covenanters to my son, Andrew before he settles down for the evening. Perhaps it is because this year commemorates the birth of Calvin in 1509 and his influence on Scotland has piqued renewed reflections in my heart.

Whatever the reasons, I intend to post some biographical material about those of whom the world was not worthy, Christians, true disciples of Jesus Christ who influenced the nation of my birth and who were devoted to the true gospel of Christ. Many of them shed their blood for the sake of the gospel and all of them believed they were not their own but were bought with a price, the precious blood of Jesus.

We will begin soon with the three earliest reformers.....Patrick Hamilton, George Wishart and John Knox.