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From Faith to Faith
July 2006 VOL. XXII No. 7 Senior Pastor: Dr. Carl W. Bogue Assistant Pastors: Rev. Bruce Buchanan & Rev. James Kobb
VBS dates to remember:
Craft Team Meeting July 15 at 9:30 a.m.
Ladies of Faith Church: WIC will be having a Tea Brunch on Saturday, July 15th from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. No details were available at the time the newsletter was printed. Watch the bulletin and vestibule table for more information.
A congregational meeting has been called for July 2nd immediately following morning worship for the purpose of acting upon Dr. Bogue’s request to retire at the end of the year and for the congregation to set up a pulpit committee to begin a search for the new pastor. The Ordinary Means of Grace—Apostolic in Origin by Rev. Bruce Buchanan “The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption, are his ordinances, especially the word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation.” Shorter Catechism answer 88 In this second installment of this series on the means of grace, I want to begin again by restating the comment that prompted this study: “we are an ordinary means church.” As the New Testament church came into existence, we read in Acts 2:42: “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” On this verse, Calvin writes: “Luke is recording those things which constitute the form of church visible to the public eye” (Commentary, loc. cit.). Breaking down the description, there are three distinct parts: 1. The apostles’ teaching and fellowship—the key point here is the close connection of the church to the persons of the apostles. These men were identifiable as those who “had been with Jesus” (Acts. 4:13). The new Christians then attached themselves to these men inseparably. Above all else, first they were “devoted” to the Word of God as it proceeded from the apostles’ mouths. Closely related to this was their attachment to the apostles’ fellowship. Having been together with Jesus, these men were a brotherhood like no other. They were the nucleus of a new social organization, a new community, a new culture. If you did not devote yourself to their fellowship, conforming to it in both style and substance, then evidently you were more interested in forming your own fellowship. But the principal way the apostles’ fellowship was plainly distinguishable from any other gathering was by their doctrine, by the Word of Christ which they taught. And so it is today. We define the closeness of our fellowship with other believers, with other churches, as far as we agree on what constitutes biblical faithfulness, or conformity to the apostles’ teaching. The closer we are to full agreement, the more diligently we seek united, organic fellowship. The apostolic fellowship (the church organization) is not “a means of grace;” it only forms the social context for the ministration of those means. 2. The breaking of bread—this language specifically denotes the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 10:16). That is, it was a mark of the church that they adhered to the sacramental ordinances of the Lord as well as his teachings. This repeated practice naturally follows from the first point, as an aspect both of the apostolic doctrine and fellowship. Neglecting the Lord’s Supper for months or years (or never celebrating this sacrament) is an indication that Christ’s commandment is being despised. What about baptism? The nature of baptism is that of an “initiation” rite. Baptism is non-repeatable for each individual. The church doesn’t devote itself to “baptisms” in the ongoing way it does to the communion meal. Going an extended period of time without a baptism, while nothing to be boasted of, it is not alone an indicator of a church’s commitment to keeping Christ’s sacraments. Nonetheless, as baptism is a requirement for admission into the visible church (see the immediately previous verse, Acts 2:41), it too is included in this principle. 3. Prayer—sometimes so neglected in our own day as to be forgotten, prayer was the third identifiable mark of the early church. Its inclusion here is evidence enough that the church, “gathered for prayer” after the manner of the apostles themselves, was a corporate as well as individual habit. Indeed, it is the very first corporate practice of the apostles mentioned in the book of Acts (1:14). It was in the context of the prayerful apostles that the Spirit fell.
Prayer is our seeking intimacy with our God. As Dr. Reymond points
out (Systematic Theology, pp. 912 n.1, 973), prayer is a “fruit of
grace” (after Berkhof), and the “first expression and exercise of
faith” (after Jones). Yet, “because of ‘its instrumental function in
progressive sanctification and perseverance,’ it is thus ‘coordinate
with the Word and sacraments as means of grace.’” (next installment: Ordained by Christ)
Preaching Schedule
Missionary Updates
Hans and Gretchen Deutchmann – Czech Republic: Hans reports that he was in Spain recently for four days of meetings with the European MTW team leaders which was a great time of teaching, worshiping and fellowship. Please pray for their pastor Rene and his wife Renata who is expecting their third child and has been in constant pain throughout her pregnancy. Also their little baby has a serious heart defect. Please pray for revitalization of their little church. It is almost time for summer camps there and they request prayer as they plan and prepare.
Bill and Susan Carr – South Africa: Much has happened at the seminary since their last letter. They moved their campus to Bronkhorstspruit in January. Eden congregation (a strong supporter of missions and ministerial training) erected a beautiful office facility for them. In the coming months they will be building a library, some classrooms, and a limited number of dormitory rooms. Susan continues to teach 5th and 6th grade children. Beyond her classroom duties and voluntary small group tutoring sessions, she is taking advantage of the trust given to her by both students and parents to speak the gospel. The Carrs have several prayer requests: (1)That they will soon receive telephone service at the seminary. They have no phones, faxes or emails. (2) They are seeking independent accreditation of their programs and do not have the manpower to do the lengthy and time-consuming process. Please p ray that God would provide the personnel for this task and also additional teaching staff. (3) Sakkie Webber is the pastor of the Eden congregation. Please pray for his daughter Tereza, a pharmacist, who has been diagnoised with M.S. (4) Bills’ father, Clifford Carr, has had a heart attack. Please pray for his recovery. He lives in Falls Branch, TN.
Congratulations to Rol and Fern Richards who will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on July 27th!
From the Pastor’s Study
By now most of you will have heard that I have requested December 31, 2006, to be my retirement date. That is still a good ways off, and there is a lot to be done between now and then.
However, this decision has led me to be even more focused in what I will be doing between now and then. Reflection on this has taken me to my preaching schedule and what I hope to do in the time left. I am going to do something different than I ever done in this column, namely to share some of my plans in this area. I thought about taking requests and suggestions, but that didn’t seem orderly enough. So, subject to change of course, here is where I think I will do for the next six months. Four areas came to mind, in addition to a limited continuation of the ~.
I am first of all going to revisit the doctrine of creation. I anticipate three sermons dealing with just the big picture, but a picture which is often forgotten or overlooked, not to mention attacked, by much of the church as well as non-believers. Basically we see the beginning and the end as set forth in Genesis.
The second cluster of sermons was a surprise to me. It just sort of surfaced as many thoughts went through my mind. The one dominant characteristic of this congregation, at least in the past decade or so, has been the blessing of covenant children born to this congregation. What a wonderful thing to observe – such blessing. But I was struck by all the young lives that I will not get to see as they grow in the Lord. I am also aware that many of them – a large number – can hear and understand the preached Word. Among other things, there will surely be a lot of weddings in the future. I will not be here to counsel or observe or officiate, but I can say something before I go. It suddenly struck me that before I leave, I would like to revisit the area of marriage – its seriousness, blessing, and problems, as well as its covenant nature. I hope to be blessed of God to say something to these young people that will help them to glorify God and not make mistakes in their marriages. It won’t be so much about finding that special person God has in mind for them, but it will be about how to make it what it is supposed to be. And, God willing, maybe someone currently struggling with marriage will find a refresher course.
A third area I want to examine is repentance. I continue to hear from time to time misunderstandings about this important doctrine. And if the doctrine is wrong, the daily practice will not only be dishonoring to God – it will cause pain and broken relationships. Repentance is not an “I’m sorry” without consequences, but a whole life and practice before God and according to His Word.
Finally, time permitting, I would like to spend a significant number of sermons on the doctrine which is synonymous with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, namely, justification by faith alone. Pastor Kobb brought up a issue in this past month’s Prayer and Praise that is causing great schism and apostasy in the church of Jesus Christ. This issue was certain a part of my motivation, but it is far broader than that. Justification is the all or nothing of the Christian faith. If you are justified before God, you are saved and have eternal life. If you are not justified, then you are under the wrath and curse of God. The answer is not just about saying, “I love Jesus,” or “I am saved,” or “I believe Jesus died for me.” We still have to know what these statements mean. In this critical area, every man must be a theologian. Not an academic with lots of degrees, but someone who has true knowledge of God and the way of salvation. So for one last time in my ministry here, I hope to review in as elemental and yet profound way as possible, how you have a right standing before God. If you don’t have that, nothing else matters. So, hopefully we can underscore and highlight this truth.
I bring this information to you, to answer the wonder you may have about why I will be doing what I will be doing. I may be led to change directions, but for now this is where my mind and heart is.
We would like to thank all of the church family for the many prayers, visits, cards, and support you generously gave our family over this past year. It has meant so much to all of us. We would also like to thank everyone who had a part in the delicious luncheon that was served after the funeral. All the many generous offers were greatly appreciated. May God bless you all. In Christian Love, Edana Bruder and family
Please note the new email address for Randey and Karla Richards: sadie06@earthlink.net
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