I saw moreover in my dream, that the Interpreter took him by the hand, and had him into a little room, where sat two little children, each one in his chair. The name of the eldest was Passion, and the name of the other Patience. Passion seemed to be much discontented, but very quiet. Then Christian asked, “What is the reason of the discontent of Passion?” The Interpreter answered, “The governor of them would have him stay for his best things till the beginning of the next year; but he will have all now; but Patience is willing to wait.”

Then I saw that one came to Passion, and brought him a bag of treasure, and poured it down at his feet: the which he took up and rejoiced therein, and withal laughed Patience to scorn. But I beheld but a while, and he had lavished all away, and had nothing left him but rags. The said Christian to the Interpreter, “Expound this matter more fully to me.”

So he said, “These two lads are figures; Passion of the men of this world, and Patience of the men of that which is to come: for as here thou seest, Passion will have all now, this year, that is to say, in this world; so are the men of this world; they must have all their good things now; they cannot stay till next year, that is, until the next world, for their portion of good. That proverb, ‘A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,’ is of more authority with them, than are all the Divine testimonies of the good of the world to come. But as thou sawest that he ahd quickly lavished all away, and had presently left him nothing but rags, so will it be with all such men at the end of this world.”

One doesn’t have to look far nowadays to see criticism of the church. It’s popular to view Jesus as the eternal rebel, as the one man willing and able to buck all the trends. Meanwhile, His bride is viewed as a stale, establishmentarian, out-of-date institution. The church (we’re told) is an organism not an organization. But does this popular view reflect the teachings of Scripture? What exactly is the Church and why should we value her? In this week’s link Rev. Kevin DeYoung speaks to these questions. We hope you enjoy it!

To listen to this week’s link go here

God does not put us through pain and suffering for no reason. James talks about this when he says in James 1:2-3, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” God does everything for His glory and we are often the beneficiaries of that (Psalm 23:3). 2 Corinthians tells us that God comforts us so that we can comfort others (2 Corinthians 1).
The pain that we are going through is not pointless, nor is it random. It is happening at a specific time for a specific reason, and through it God is glorified. To the believer this is a tremendous truth! Not only do our trials make us stronger and better prepared to help others; they also bring glory to God! This can be an incredible promise, but it is something more. God does not just ask us to help others. He does not just want a select few to counsel and advise those in need. He commands us all to comfort others.

All the pain, tears, and suffering that we experience have a purpose. One of which is that we might experience the comfort of God, and thereby comfort others. Without suffering comfort is meaningless. Unless we experience pain we cannot have healing, without sin there can be no redemption. It is the very suffering we experience that brings the comfort we crave. God allows us to suffer in order to know Him more intimately. Think of Job. Stripped of everything he ever valued; health, love, family, friends, wealth, and even God. (Or so he thought!) Yet it was through this suffering and pain that Job experienced God like never before.

Yet is this comfort a private thing between us and God? Are the trials, and subsequent, comfort, only for us? No. 2 Corinthians 1:3-6, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.”

God’s grace is often nuanced and multifaceted. He takes private suffering and comfort and transforms it into a powerful tool of ministry. Suddenly our experiences with sin and pain become means of comfort, love, and redemption. As we experience trials we grow in character and godliness. God, in His mercy, comforts us and we grow into a deeper relationship with Him. However this comfort & redemption are not private matters to be stored within the deepest recesses of our hearts. God gives us the opportunity to minister to others with the comfort, that He gave to us in our trials. As we comfort one another we have an increased sense of community. As we experience trials we grow in grace and receive comfort that can be applied to others. And through it all God is glorified.

Pain is inevitable. Yet God transforms even the most tragic events, (like the cross) into glorious moments. He takes the horror of sin, and grants transforming love. So the next time you experience suffering, remind yourself that God has a greater purpose. To comfort you in your affliction, and prepare you to comfort others as well.
Soli Deo Gloria!-To God alone be the glory!

The first preacher we’d like to highlight is Dr. Sinclair Ferguson. As his bio says:
Sinclair Ferguson is senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, S.C., and Distinguished Visiting Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Seminary. One of the most renowned Reformed theologians in our day, Dr. Ferguson is also a member of the Council of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. He is a prolific author whose many books include The Holy Spirit, Taking the Christian Life Seriously, and Kingdom Life in a Fallen World. | more
You can listen to Dr. Ferguson here.

The second preacher we’d like to highlight is Rev. Charles R. Biggs. Rev. Biggs is the Pastor of Ketoctin Covenant Presbyterian Church in Purcellville Virginia and is a graduate of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

You can listen to Rev. Biggs here.

The third (and final) preacher we’d recommend is Dr. George Grant. As Dr. Grant’s bio says:
The author of more than five dozen books, George Grant is pastor of Parish Presbyterian Church in Franklin, Tennessee, founder of Franklin Classical School, chancellor of New College Franklin, and president of King’s Meadow Study Center.

You can listen to Dr. Grant preach here.

“In [their] thoroughness they were extreme, that is to say, far more thorough than we are, but in their blending of the whole wide range of Christian duties set forth in Scripture they were extremely balanced. They lived by “method” (we would say, by a rule of life), planning and proportioning their time with care, not so much to keep bad things out as to make sure that they got all good and important things in – necessary wisdom, then as now, for busy people!”

Few quotes better sum up Richard Baxter’s recently re-published work “The Godly Home.” However, before I discuss the book, I should mention a few things about this edition. The Godly Home is a 2010 reprint of several chapters from Baxter’s 992 page work A Christian Directory. This classic work was Baxter’s magnum opus, and serves as a stunning collection of practical theology. Baxter designed this work to be, well, a directory for the Christian. It contains discussions on virtually every aspect of the Christian life and seeks to provide biblical and pastoral advice for all of these topics. The Godly Home is a reprint of Baxter’s chapters discussing marriage, parenting, and the family.

This new edition is very well put together. The editor (Randall J. Pederson) sprinkles the book with many helpful footnotes and explanatory features. His restructuring of the work makes for a clean and easy read. However, this book is not necessarily designed for someone to sit down and read straight through (although it can be done). It is laid out in a topical format, (for example Baxter will devote one chapter to marriage, one to family worship, one on the responsibility of parents to children, one on the responsibility of children to parents, etc…) and it can be a bit tedious to read all at once. For someone who is already on board with what Baxter is saying it can feel a bit repetitive. However, the exhaustive nature of this work is also its biggest strength. As Packer said above, the Puritans lived by method, and Baxter here gives us a step by step, point by point, look at the method of godly life. Baxter’s writing style is clean and easy to read, and he clearly writes with a pastor’s heart. All in all, I would really recommend this volume. For seasoned Christians, it will prove to be a helpful exposition on the structure and functions of the family. And for new believers (many of whom have no idea what a Christian home should look like) this book could well be the resource that keeps them from floundering.

“Remember, it is not hasty reading, but serious meditating upon holy and heavenly truths, that make them prove sweet and profitable to the soul…It is not he that reads most , but he that meditates most, that will prove the choicest, sweetest, wisest and strongest Christian.” – Thomas Brooks (1608-1680)

To listen to this week’s link go here

Recently I preached a sermon on Psalm 119:9-16 on the value of God’s Word in helping a young person keep his way pure. In that sermon I mentioned the advantage that a young person has who has been trained to hide or treasure God’s Word in his heart (Psalm 119:11). But so many families & churches have gotten away from memorizing & meditating on Scripture, thus leaving their young people susceptible to the Devil’s ploys, not unlike the times of the Reformation. During the time of the Reformation there was a terrible ignorance of the Scriptures and doctrines of the church. To help remedy this dilemma, the leaders of the Reformation used the catechisms to catechize people and strengthen their understanding of the Word of God. It can be argued that today, much like in the time of the Reformation, the church is terribly ignorant of the Scriptures. Tolerance, relativism, & postmodernism have seeped into the church and influenced the thinking of many Christians, tempting them to think & live unBiblically. How can such a pagan tide be turned and the church returned to a Christian world & life view? The Bible tells us that it is the Word of God along with the Holy Spirit that changes the heart of man (Rom. 10:17; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17; Heb. 4:12, 13; John 16:7, 8).

Catechizing may be a strange word to many today, but actually it has been a time-honored and effective practice throughout the history of the church. Catechism comes from a Greek word used in the Bible, katacheo, which simply means instructed or taught (Luke 1:4). Catechism is a method of instruction that uses a series of questions and answers to teach its participants the basic Christian doctrines; thus developing in the minds & lives of the participants a fundamental understanding of what the Bible teaches. Of course the questions & answers were not randomly selected by the authors of the catechism, but were taken from the Bible.

If you are not familiar with the concept of catechizing or are not convinced of its validity for today then let me recommend J.I. Packer & Gary A. Parrett’s book, Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old-Fashioned Way. In this book they make the case for a recovery of significant catechesis as a nonnegotiable practice, urging evangelical churches to undertake this Biblical ministry for the sake of their spiritual health and vitality.

Once you decide to catechize your kids, let me suggest that you may want to get a copy of the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechism (with Proof Texts). This compact, yet readable version of the Confession & Catechism is not only useful for family worship time, but is also a good size to carry with you so that you can read & memorize it on your lunch break.

It is good to memorize the Westminster Shorter Catechism along with the Scripture verses, but memorization is not enough! It is important to understand and to meditate on what the answers to the Westminster Shorter Catechism mean. To aid you in this, our family has benefited from G.I. Williamson’s The Westminster Shorter Catechism: For Study Classes. This illustrated manual offers clear exposition of each of the 107 questions in the Shorter Catechism. Each lesson includes Scripture proofs, as well as questions for review or discussion. A valuable aid for group instruction or private study, this volume has been used successfully by homeschoolers, pastors, Sunday school teachers, and parents.

Another helpful resource is Starr Meade’s book Training Hearts, Teaching Minds. This is a book of daily devotional readings which…

• Aids memorization by devoting six days per question.

• Explains the catechism in simple language.

• Provides six different meditations on the main points of each question.

• Includes key Scripture readings.

• Takes just a few minutes each day, allowing time for discussion and review.

• Is useful in the home, church, or classroom.

To make things even easier, Starr Meade’s devotional is based on the Modern English translation of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. These resources are available at http://www.wtsbooks.com

So while it is true that in memorizing Scripture you could start almost anywhere (i.e. your kids Sunday School memory verses, the Roman’s Road, the Navigator’s Memory System, etc) I would recommend using the Westminster Shorter Catechism. The advantage, like I said before is that as Christians memorize the catechism & the corresponding Scriptures they fill their minds with the framework by which to think and approach life (a Christian worldview). I have to say that my family has greatly benefited from this discipline.

Our goal has been to memorize one question & answer of the Westminster Shorter CatechismWestminster Shorter Catechism memorized. If your children are younger you may choose to move at a slower pace. It may take you four, six or even eight years to memorize these great truths. Nonetheless you are still hiding God’s Word in your child’s heart. What a blessing! along with at least one verse each week. What a blessing to know that you are helping your child treasure up 52 verses a year. In just a little over two years you could have the entire

One last word; let me encourage you grandparents to memorize the Shorter Catechism with your grandchildren. Often parents get so caught up in the mundane tasks of raising their children that they are tempted to forget the important things such as hiding God’s Word in their children’s hearts. As grandparents, you have a special opportunity to help your kids hide God’s Word in the hearts of your grandkids.

One special way to do this is through music. Holly Dutton has taken the time to put all the questions & answers to the Westminster Shorter Catechism to music and put them on four CD’s (http://www.reformedmusic.com) . What a great gift to give to your grandchildren and to sing along with them!

In Christ,

Rick