20 Schemes, Why I am involved !

A few years ago I was browsing through 9Marks website and came across an interview that Mark Dever did whilst in Scotland with a guy called Mez McConnell. What peeked my interest in Mez's testimony was that he was identified as a pastor in Niddrie, Edinburgh.
Whilst at High School I used to travel from my home in Haddington, East Lothian, 15 miles or so into Edinburgh to play football(soccer) for a club called Edina Hibs whose home field was in Niddrie. During my late teens when I was a member of Musselburgh Baptist Church, I used to pray for the Edinburgh City Mission work in Niddrie and our church soccer team would train at the Jack Kane Centre in Niddrie. So Niddrie was a part of Edinburgh that I was familiar with for two reasons still close to my heart, my love for Christ and my love for the beautiful game, soccer.
As I listened to Mez's testimony I was moved to tears as he testified to the saving power of God in Christ towards him and I found my heart strangely knit with his as he shared his vision for the work of the gospel that he was engaged in Niddrie. I decided that I should write to Mez and encourage him in what he was doing and assure him that I would be praying for his ministry. As we interacted over the next few months it became evident that God was knitting our hearts together beyond mere acquaintance and I rejoiced that God was indeed giving me an opportunity to be involved in gospel work in my beloved homeland of Scotland and more than that, in a place that I was somewhat familiar with.
It is very encouraging to see how the Lord has directed in terms of the raising up the 20 Schemes endeavor and the desire and intention to seek to plant 20 churches in Scotland's poorest housing schemes. This is a noble vision and a tall order in light of the abject darkness that marks Scotland as a whole and the weakness that marks the evangelical church too. However in my recent visits to Scotland, Dec/January 2011/12 and May 2012 I have observed encouraging signs of spiritual stirrings amongst God's people.
I am involved in 20 Schemes because I believe it is a worthy effort at fulfilling the command of Christ to make disciples. I am involved in 20 Schemes because I believe God has raised up Mez for this generation to do a hard yet wonderful work in a tough place. I am involved in 20 Schemes because I believe what Mez is seeking to do is what the church in Scotland should be doing, reaching the lowly, broken and perishing of Scotland's poorest areas. I am involved in 20 Schemes because I believe the planting of churches is the greatest need of any nation. I am involved in 20 Schemes because I still love my kinsmen after the flesh and many of them sit in darkness without hope and without Christ.
Please pray for 20Schemes and for Scotland, a land once rich in Christian faith, but now a land lost in sin and misery and perishing ! If you would like to know more about 20 Schemes please feel free to contact me or look up 20Schemes on Facebook.

Dr James White on Islam at IBC

It was a real joy for us at IBC to see our church well filled for the visit of Dr James White, Director of Alpha and Omega ministries. I have enjoyed the work of Dr White from afar but never had the opportunity to meet him in person. It was a delight to enjoy time for dinner before the meeting and become acquainted with him. Perhaps it was his Scottishness that connected, but it was a real joy to spend time with him and hear of how the Lord has been using him in the whole realm of Islam and his defense of the Christian faith.
Notwithstanding his reasonable attempt at a Scottish accent, not bad for third generation, the material of Dr White's lecture on Islam was excellent. I felt sorry for him having to try to cram what he could into the 75 minutes we had allotted for this gathering. He did a good job in whetting our appetite and helping us to see the importance of understanding Islamic theology if we are going to engage lovingly and meaningfully with the Muslim about the Lord Jesus Christ and the Gospel.
I heartily recommend Dr White's material from last night and I look forward with eagerness to the publication of his upcoming book on Islam. Anything I have read from Dr White has always been helpful and it is with thanksgiving to God that we have such an apologist for the Christian faith in our generation.
It is my hope that we will be able to have Dr White visit with us again for another lecture, or perhaps a longer seminar on Islam or one of the other many subjects he is able to deal with.
For those of you interested in reading the Qu'ran and wonder where to begin please find the link below to Dr White's website.

http://www.aomin.org/aoblog/index.php?itemid=2123

A New Year and New Opportunities !

The dawn of a new year always presents us with time for reflection and meditation. The old year is gone, with all its ups and downs, with all its victories and defeats, with all its progress and regress. Standing on the threshold of a new year we are presented again with the reality of our mortality and at the same time the opportunities that lie before us.
In my meditations on Scripture this week I have found myself thinking about Simeon in Luke 2. His messianic expectation was graciously fulfilled by God and the old saint rejoiced to hold the hope of the world in his arms as Jesus was presented in the temple by Mary and Joseph.
The comment of Luke regarding the Lord Jesus is significant and encouraging to think about at the dawn of a new year. Luke 2v32 'a light for revelation to the Gentiles...', Simeon is recorded here as quoting the words of Isaiah 49v6. The promised Messiah who was destined not only for the glory of Israel, but as a light for revelation to the Gentiles.
A few decades later the apostle Paul would recall this scripture in the face of Jewish hostility to the gospel in Antioch in Psidia, Acts 13v14ff. With the gospel beginning to have a substantial impact upon the Gentiles, the apostle remembered the words of the prophet Isaiah too in Acts 13v47.
What is remarkable about Paul's use of the prophet's words is that they seem to refer not to Christ directly, but to Paul and the witness of the apostles. This is of course in keeping with the fact that the apostles were indeed Christ's representatives to the nations declaring His gospel and establishing the Christian church.
As I pondered this use of Isaiah 49v6 by the apostle Paul I was stirred to realize that this is now the task of the church, to take the gospel of Christ to the nations, to function as a light for the nations, just as God intended.
With Christ as our King, and the apostle's doctrine as our teaching, we are called by God to move into the new year seeking new opportunities to bring the message of Christ to the nations ! What a privilege ! What a blessing ! What a challenge ! The new year brings us new opportunities ! May God guide us and direct us to maximize our opportunities to take the message of Christ to as many was we can ! May God guide us strategically to spread the message of His light that we may bring salvation to the ends of the earth !

The Dark Knight Rises.......

I awoke this morning to the news on the radio of murder and mayhem in Aurora, Colorado. A depraved young man had decided to make the premiere of the new Batman movie his moment of infamy. My heart ached as I heard of the shooting at the theater and the fact so many had lost their lives and even more were injured. A night out at the movies had turned into a nightmare. It was made all the more poignant because my daughter had been at a premiere showing in our own city with her work mates from Chik Fil A and it could have so easily been her caught up in the evil.

This morning I took my other three kids to see the movie just as we had planned, the late night stuff is too much for a mid-forties guy who has more important responsibilities that needs sleep. It felt different going this morning against the back-drop of Colorado. The excitement was tinged with apprehension, the hype was dulled with sorrow and empathy, America is in mourning again as evil has raised its ugly head in a quiet place when it was least expected.

Sitting watching the drama and action of The Dark Knight on the big screen I found myself deeply moved in my soul for this generation and for this Western Civilization we are part of. Batman has always been my favorite superhero figure. He has not super-powers like Superman but he is such an interesting and enigmatic figure. As far as the movie goes, it was not a disappointment, it was classic Batman with all the interesting elements of the plot that makes him who he is. For me as a Christian and a servant Christ I could not help but think about what Batman represents with regards to man's deepest need and deepest struggle. Batman is all about man's need of a Savior, someone who can rescue him from death and destruction. It is impossible to watch the movie and not see this theme at its core. As I thought about this during the movie perhaps the most poignant illustration of it all came at the football game in which a little guy is singing the national anthem and then mayhem breaks loose and everyone is helpless as the evil Bane takes control of the city. Gotham will perish if no one steps in to save it. Sadly there is no one able to save it except.....Batman.

What it is about the American psyche that is fascinated and even obsesses about facing doomsday scenarios, and always looking for a deliverer, and finally finding one ? The impact of the Christian gospel is clearly evident to those who have the eyes to see. Of course there is much that contradicts the Christian gospel, there is much that denies the Christian gospel in this movie, but there is an imprint there that exists. Sadly for many Batman will be only what it is meant to be, a movie, action packed, dramatic and exciting. Their lives will rumble on in this world of evil and in this world of darkness without God and without Christ in spite of the fact they know they cannot fix their addictions, their habits, their sins.....they have no answer for evil when it rises......they have a forlorn hope someone might rescue them from temporal tragedy, but eternal tragedy is something they simply close out their minds hoping it will never come.

As I looked around at the people in the theater this morning and at my kids as they got back into the car I thought about those who went to the same movie just a few hours earlier than we did and who are now in eternity, but for the grace of God it could have been me and my kids. The issue that arises for me as I reflect on these things is this......Batman is not our hope......only Jesus Christ is. If we do not believe in Him then we have no hope in this life or the one that may come upon us much quicker than we expect. Thank God for His Son who came to accomplish our redemption through His resurrection from the dead and give us hope in the midst of such an evil and wicked world ! May we hold fast by grace through faith to the only one who can bring us peace with God and rescue us from the clutches of sin, death and the devil !

Making disciples.....

There is a lot of discussion, debate and division today with regards to the central purpose of the Christian church. Recent years has witnessed an upsurge in interest among conservative evangelicals in social justice and cultural renewal. Such is the interest shown that many churches are now putting a lot of energy into so called 'Seasons of Service' where social projects are dominating the activity of many churches. We are being told it is the church's responsibility to feed the poor, it is the church's responsibility to house the homeless, it is the church's responsibility to stop abortions, it is the church's responsibility to provide health care for the needy etc,etc,etc,etc.....

Whilst all this social concern is admirable to an extent, is it really the church's responsibility to do all the things mentioned above and whole lot more? Should the local church be preoccupied with issues of social justice? Should the finances of the church and the time of the church be dominated by 'Seasons of Service'? Or have we lost our way in terms of the central purpose of the Christian church?

When you read the NT it is very clear that at the center of the church's mission is not deliverance from material poverty, or physical homelessness, or physical health issues, nor dare I say it even the eradication of abortion. The central mission of the Christian church is the proclamation of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The central mission of the Christian church is to make disciples of the nations for the glory of God. When the church moves the proclamation of the gospel and the making of the disciples to the side and replaces it with social justice issues or cultural renewal issues it unwittingly loses its purpose and the power of God in its ranks.

If the Christian church is to enjoy the presence and power of God in its midst it must remain faithful to its calling and keep first things first and central things central. If not then it can be certain that it in a generation if not sooner it will cease to truly be the salt and light Christ calls it to be......

Love Wins - A Sad Case

Over these past few weeks I have become aware of the various discussions surrounding the anticipated publication of 'Love Wins' by Rob Bell, pastor of a church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, called Mars Hill.

Justin Taylor's comments on 'The Gospel Coalition' caused a fuss and then the Martin Bashir interview of Bell on MSNBC this past week certainly caught my interest in the light of Rob Bell's responses.

It turns out that Martin Bashir is a committed Christian himself and whilst simply going after the dis-ingenuousness he perceived in Bell's book, it was clear for any with eyes to see and ears to understand that Bashir understood the Christian Gospel better than Bell and exposed the postmodern nonsense that marks so much of this Emergent Church movement.

I have not read Bell's book, I am not sure I want to fork out any money that might go towards Bell's work if the critique's are accurate. Simply going off the Bashir interview is enough for any truly committed Christian to see that Bell is not an orthodox evangelical Christian and he is certainly a postmodernist in his approach to things. Glad that the exposure of this man was so clear.

Sectarian ? Or True ?

It was very sad for me to receive a message from an old acquaintance back in N.Ireland who felt my posts about the Papal visit to Scotland were sectarian and inappropriate. Sadly it seems that to write as I did about the Roman Catholic Church is to be unwilling to move on and to be somehow stuck in the past of N.Ireland's past.

How should I respond? What should I say? Should I retract my perspectives about the Roman Catholic Church? Should I dumb down my concern for Scotland? Why would a guy that I have regard for and respect for get so offended at what I wrote?

Well at one level I understand it, he is a Roman Catholic and no doubt views my position as hostile to him personally. In reality nothing could be further from the truth. In reality my pointing out the fallacy of the Roman religious system is not to be hostile to any of my Roman Catholic friends, but rather a desire to have them consider what they believe and why? Just like anyone born into a Protestant family, the religion of your fathers needs to be evaluated against the word of God to see if it is according to the truth.

The tragedy and disappointment for me is that there is not really a willingness to consider the issues. Why? Because prejudice is deep-rooted in all our hearts and to examine the traditions of our fathers might result in forsaking them and such a possibility brings with it a price too high to pay. Whether you read my blogs about the Papal visit to Scotland as a Roman Catholic or a Protestant who has grown up in the deeply divided and bitter society like N.Ireland, realize that the Bible defines truth and Jesus Christ alone is the only Savior from sin and one day you and I shall give an account to Him for what we have believed and what we have done with our lives.

For those who might read my blog and think that I only believe Roman Catholicism is a false system, let me make it clear, Liberal Protestantism is no better. God will not ask you when you face Him in judgment whether you were a Roman Catholic or a Protestant, He will ask you if your are trusting only in His Son for the forgiveness of your sins and peace with Him and He will look for the proof of this in the way you have lived your life.

Reflections of the Papal visit to Scotland !

As a Scottish evangelical Protestant Christian it is hard to watch the Papal visit to Scotland without deep sorrow and sadness of heart !

The Head of the Roman Catholic Church is a frail 90 year old German who comes across very gently and softly when he speaks.He struck some solid notes regarding the danger my homeland is in from aggressive secularism and he was correct about the Christian heritage of the land of my birth. However there is much more to who this man is than is frail, gentle appearance.

What he represents is what people need to understand. Reflecting on what the Pope represents is very important. Why? because the solutions to the aggressive secularism of the modern day are not to be found in the Roman Catholic Church or its heretical dogma.

Sitting watching the celebration of the Mass in Bellahouston Park in Glasgow,which is located only a few miles from the hospital where I was born and the street my father grew up in during the Second World War I was both sobered and moved. Perhaps there was a measure of sentiment and homesickness in my heart, but there was more !

Why did I find it sobering ? I was reminded of the fact that the Roman Mass has not changed. It is still a wrong understanding and wrong practice of the Lord's Supper. The doctrine of 'transubstantiation' is a doctrine of Romanism not of Christ. This is not a mere theological footnote to be ignored. Roman Catholicism is sacramentalism, it is the idea that the saving grace of God comes to us through the observation of religious rites, ie baptism and eucharist. It teaches sinners to be dependent upon sacraments and priests and upon the church for their salvation and not upon the one who saves us from our sins, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not an insignificant issue. If God in His word calls us to believe in His Son for the forgiveness of our sins and peace with Him it is plainly wrong to teach people anything else in the name of Christ.

All across Scotland lie the earthly remains of many who in refusing to embrace the heresy of Rome were murdered by her. (See my earliest blog about Patrick Hamilton). Rome has never acknowledged this reality and unless she does any talk of unity with those who understand the issues is merely talk.

Why was a I moved ? Not for the reasons some may have been moved. I was moved to sorrow and heaviness of heart for my fellow countrymen who in sincerity are duped by the Vatican and its advocates. I watched the old, the young, the healthy and the sick, the lofty and the lowly participate sincerely in the Mass, delight in the presence of the Pope and I was reminded of how tragic my homeland is. Rome offers no assurance of salvation, Rome does not preach salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, Rome does not bring the true hope of the gospel to the people. Instead of keeps the people dependent upon a system that is full of pomp and ceremony but empty in terms of spiritual power and grace.

The true voice of the Protestant evangelical Christian in Scotland has been silenced. Few if any will speak up on these issues. Most will keep their head down and plough away in their little corner of Scotland and that is perhaps all they can do at this time in history. Yet today in the city whose motto is 'Let Glasgow flourish by the preaching of His word and the praising of His name', thousands gathered to participate in a ritual that in reality denies the gospel rather than proclaims it !

My prayer is that if nothing else the Pope's visit will thrust the issue of Christianity to the fore in Scottish life and give an opportunity for the true gospel to be explained and proclaimed. May the Lord yet raise up true ministers of the gospel and visit a nation once so singularly blessed with evangelical and biblical Christianity but now so lost in religious formalism and secular relativism. Let us not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes......!

The Pope visits Scotland

At the time of writing the Pope is about to visit my homeland of Scotland. The land of the Patrick Hamilton, John Knox and the Covenanters is no longer a land that truly believes the gospel of Christ or understands what biblical Christianity is all about.

Now a nation of secularism and liberalism with Romanism seeking a resurgence with the Pope's visit. The nation is languishing in darkness and the people are perishing. Secularism and liberalism have no answers for the addictions of alcohol and drugs...Romanism has no answers for the sexual immorality.

Scotland needs the true gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Does it need a political protest from Free Presbyterians? No, i don't think so. How confused such things leave people. I do object to the tax payers money paying for the visit, I do believe the Pope is the embodiment of the spirit of Anti-Christ, but it is the gospel of Christ Scotland needs above all.

May the Lord raise up faithful preachers of the gospel and visit the nation with mercy and grace instead of the judgment that is evidently upon the land in this generation !

California Same-Sex marriage rises again....

Today in California a Federal judge overturned the Prop 8 vote regarding Same-Sex marriage deeming it to be unconstitutional.

It is not a surprise to many of us that the issue is raising its ugly head again. Our land languishes in the mire of moral darkness and the USA is not a true republic or democracy. It is governed in the end by a liberal elite who are intentionally anti-Christian.

The Same-Sex issue will no doubt gain front page news again as the Gay-Lesbian lobby seek to have their way. As a Christian I am not disheartened by the fact sinners are pursuing their sin. It only serves to affirm the truthfulness of the Scriptures. It serves to stir me to greater evangelistic activity. Our hope is not in Federal courts, or political campaigns, our hope is the power of the gospel.

We must strive to love the homosexuals of our generation and offer them the deliverance they so badly need. Deliverance from the enslavement to sinful lusts and practices that are extremely powerful and extremely blinding. Only Jesus Christ by the power of His Spirit can bring any of us out of the darkness of sin and the bondage of our own depravity. We must preach Him, we must live according to His ways and seek to see those lost in their sins rescued before it is too late.

The hostility to our message is intense, it is mighty, but the God of our message is Almighty. Let us commit ourselves to prayer and let us not fight a spiritual war with carnal weapons. The Lord is our strength and the gospel is our confidence. Let us show it by preaching it and living it in the days ahead ! Let us love our enemies and let us tell them of our Savior and let us suffer their vitriol refusing to give in to their carnal demands to recognise that homosexuality is acceptable before God and that same-sex marriage is a civil right, when in reality it is a redefining of a God-given institution.

Upholding the Sanctity of Marriage

Over these past weeks since the close of the 2009 and into 2010 I have been absorbed in studying the subject of divorce and remarriage. My normal expositions of Mark brought me to Mark 10 where our Lord is confronted again by the Pharisees. Their questions regarding divorce faced me with the task of looking again at a subject I had long since thought I settled.

In my deliberations, which I am still in as I write, certain things became clearer to me and some things gave me new perspectives. Perhaps the clearest issues came in terms of what Scripture really says in terms of divorce and what it does not say. The new perspectives came in the realm of emphasis and focus when it comes to this subject.

It was good to see afresh that divorce is not something that is commanded or required of us. In fact God hates it and sin causes it. Those who experience divorce experience something tragic and painful and something that no doubt cuts deep.

When we raise the subject of divorce the issue needs to be done in the context of the biblical emphasis on the sanctity of marriage and not how many reasons does someone have to get out of their marriage. Mark 10 and Matt 19 indicate that when our Lord was asked about lawful divorce He responded by speaking about the sanctity of marriage.

The exception of Matt 19;9 has caused much disagreement in the church, but I am persuaded that DA Carson is spot on when he says it should simply be allowed to have its normative force in the text. The sin of porneia does give concessionary right to divorce and therefore remarriage, if you understand the inseparable connection between the two. The Lord does not command divorce on such terms, nor recommend it, He simply concedes it.

No doubt marriages that can exercise gospel grace and forgiveness when porneia arises are to be encouraged, but the hardness of heart that can exist does mean that divorce will occur. We must work with those whose marriages are tarnished by such sin, but realise that we still must deal with some harsh realities in the realm of broken marriages.

The True Christian by John Calvin

I had the great privilege this past Saturday, Oct 24 2009 to participate in a Reformation Conference at Covenant Reformed Church in Sacramento. As part of the commeration of the great Genevan Reformer John Calvin I was asked to present a paper on Calvin's view of the Christian life.

The past couple of months have been both encouraging and heart searching as I delved into both Calvin's Institutes, Book 2:6-11 and the 'Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life'. What a rich treasure of succinct biblical teaching Calvin gives us on the true nature of the Christian life.

I set out my paper around Calvin's main points as the actual five points of Calvin regarding what it means to be a true Christian. The five points Calvin believed that mark a true Christian's life are...

1. The Pursuit of Holiness

2.The Exercising of Self-Denial

3.The Cultivation of Patient Endurance

4.The Possesion of an Eternal Hope

5.The Wise Maintaining of an Orderly Life

A few weeks before he entered glory in 1564 Calvin wrote to Farel 'It is enough that I live and die for Christ who is to all His followers a gain both in life and death...'

His motto was as ours should be to 'I offer my heart to you Lord, promptly and sincerely...', Christian are you living as Christ calls you to?

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.

Shepherd's Conference 2009

At last I have a wee bit of time to report on the Shepherd's Conference at Grace Community Church.

It was my second time at this Conference and once again I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The hospitality of Grace Community is excellent and the logistics of the Conference are quite remarkable. As usual I came away with a bagful of books, some bought, most given to us !

I was edified and encouraged and refreshed through the worship and the word.

Phil Johnson's paper on the Friday morning was no doubt the most controversial in terms of the modern scene. I thought he did a good job and that what he had to say in the main needed to be said. I do think there are certain trends arising today that need to be addressed. I am hopeful that Phil's willingness to address this issue that has surrounded Mark Driscoll will serve to open up some of the fundamental issues that require attention in the modern evangelical, and even Reformed context.

Thank you Grace for a blessed few days, thanks to Ernie, Dave and Jeremy for the friendship we enjoy and the fellowship God has given us.