"The scandals of moral failure on the part of church leaders has caused tremendous injury to the cause of Christ." Dr. Albert Mohler
A Note of Appreciation to Christ My Hero
I want you to know that I have been greatly blessed and encouraged by your blog and have found your zeal for Christ and the courageous and personal stand you have taken to defend His Truth, His Honour, His Name, and to uphold the gospel standard and advance His Cause, a great source of inspiration in my walk with the Lord.
I believe the Lord raised your blog to sound the alarm in Zion, but sadly, those who occupy the pews of the FPC, for the most part, have refused to listen and have responded with a yawn of collective indifference. The disappointment expressed in these words taken from your 'Final Note' post echo my sentiments as well . . . "I have become dreadfully disillusioned with those I know who remain in it and refuse to voice their protest. I am horrified that they are content to remain silent." Their sustained silence in the wake of the disturbing trend of compromise and spiritual declension taking place in the FPC can only be construed as their tacit approval.
As Martin Luther has well said:
"You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say."
"If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the Word of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Him. Where the battle rages there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battle front besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point."
(Luther’s Works. Weimar Edition. Briefwechsel [Correspondence], vol. 3, pp. 81f.)
The statement of rededication made by the Presbytery to oppose Ecumenism has sadly been shown to be an empty committment devoid of any substance, for the very words and actions of some of their most prominent members/leaders, who have attended Ecumenical Services and Events unimpeded, serves to seriously undermine their resolve. FPC Minister Ivan Foster has pointed this out in the plainest of terms in several of his articles at his Burning Bush website. The inconsistent and ambiguous message this sends has left many FPC members feeling confused as to their stand on this vital doctrine of biblical separation.
Those whose allegiance wrongly lies with their church, rather than Christ, were offended by the boldness in the very public witness and testimony you have borne at your blog, most notably family (Matt. 10:36-38) and friends who remain in the FPC. Many have vented their anger at you for so doing, seeking to ascribe blame to the messenger, rather than to those who occupy the highest positions of spiritual rule in the FPC, who by their words and actions have brought the gospel witness of their denomination into disrepute. Still others are unable to objectively assess the situation because of their deep affection and high regard for a mere man ("whose breath is in his nostrils" Is. 2:22) and whose duplicitous career as politician and preacher has been found to be the very source of their present troubles. Notwithstanding, those who by His grace are of like precious faith, saw it for the labour of love it was, and a work solely undertaken to bring glory to GOD!
As Martin Luther has well said:
"You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say."
"If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the Word of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Him. Where the battle rages there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battle front besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point."
(Luther’s Works. Weimar Edition. Briefwechsel [Correspondence], vol. 3, pp. 81f.)
The statement of rededication made by the Presbytery to oppose Ecumenism has sadly been shown to be an empty committment devoid of any substance, for the very words and actions of some of their most prominent members/leaders, who have attended Ecumenical Services and Events unimpeded, serves to seriously undermine their resolve. FPC Minister Ivan Foster has pointed this out in the plainest of terms in several of his articles at his Burning Bush website. The inconsistent and ambiguous message this sends has left many FPC members feeling confused as to their stand on this vital doctrine of biblical separation.
Those whose allegiance wrongly lies with their church, rather than Christ, were offended by the boldness in the very public witness and testimony you have borne at your blog, most notably family (Matt. 10:36-38) and friends who remain in the FPC. Many have vented their anger at you for so doing, seeking to ascribe blame to the messenger, rather than to those who occupy the highest positions of spiritual rule in the FPC, who by their words and actions have brought the gospel witness of their denomination into disrepute. Still others are unable to objectively assess the situation because of their deep affection and high regard for a mere man ("whose breath is in his nostrils" Is. 2:22) and whose duplicitous career as politician and preacher has been found to be the very source of their present troubles. Notwithstanding, those who by His grace are of like precious faith, saw it for the labour of love it was, and a work solely undertaken to bring glory to GOD!
"We love him, because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
Abstain from all appearance of evil." 1 Thess. 5:21-22
"for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." Gal. 1:10b
These solemn words of Charles Spurgeon seem especially fitting in this season, and are offered here by way of approbation to your witness and by way of exhortation to all who own Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour.
"for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." Gal. 1:10b
These solemn words of Charles Spurgeon seem especially fitting in this season, and are offered here by way of approbation to your witness and by way of exhortation to all who own Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour.
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Excerpt from sermon by C. H. Spurgeon entitled JESUS, THE KING OF TRUTH
"Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice." —John 18:37.
And now, beloved, this is the way in which Christ’s kingdom is to be set up in the world.
For this cause was the church born, and for this end came she into the world, that she might set up Christ’s kingdom by bearing witness to the truth. I long, my beloved, to see you all witness bearers. If you love the Lord, bear witness to the truth.
You must do it personally; you must also do it collectively. Never join any church whose creed you do not entirely and unfeignedly believe, for if you do you act a lie, and are, moreover, a partaker in the error of other men’s testimonies.
I would not for a moment say anything to retard Christian unity, but there is something before unity, and that is, "truth in the inward parts" and honesty before God. I dare not be a member of a church whose teaching I knew to be false in vital points. I would sooner go to heaven alone than belie my conscience for the sake of company. You may say, "But I protest against the error of my church."
Dear friends, how can you consistently protest against it when you profess to agree with it, by being a member of the church which avows it? If you are a minister of a church, you do in effect say before the world, "I believe and teach the doctrines of this church;" and if you go into the pulpit and say you do not believe them, what will people conclude? I leave you to judge that.
I saw a church tower the other day, with a clock upon it, which startled me by pointing to half-past ten when I thought it was only nine; I was, however, quite relieved when I saw that another face of the clock indicated a quarter past eight. "Well," thought I, "whatever time it may be, that clock is wrong, for it contradicts itself." So if I hear a man say one thing by his church membership and another by his private protest, why, whatever may be right, he certainly is not consistent with himself.
Let us bear witness to the truth, since there is great need of doing so just now, for witnessing is in ill repute. The age extols no virtue so much as "liberality," and condemns no vice so fiercely as bigotry, alas honesty.
If you believe anything and hold it firmly, all the dogs will bark at you. Let them bark: they will have done when they are tired! You are responsible to God, and not to mortal men.
Christ came into the world to bear witness to the truth, and he has sent you to do the same; take care that you do it, offend or please; for it is only by this process that the kingdom of Christ is to be set up in the world.
Now, the last thing is this. Our Savior, having spoken of his kingdom and the way of establishing it,DESCRIBED HIS SUBJECTS:"Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice."
That is to say, wherever the Holy Spirit has made a man a lover of truth, he always recognizes Christ’s voice and yields himself to it. Where are the people who love the truth? Well, we need not enquire long. We need not Diogenes’ lantern to find them, they will come to the light; and where is light but in Jesus? Where are those that would not seem to be what they are not? Where are the men who desire to be true in secret and before the Lord? They may be discovered where Christ’s people are discovered; they will be found listening to those who bear witness to the truth. Those who love pure truth, and know what Christ is, will be sure to fall in love with him and hear his voice.
Judge ye, then, this day, brethren and sisters, whether ye are of the truth or not; for if you love the truth, you know and obey the voice which calls you away from your old sins, from false refuges, from evil habits, from everything which is not after the Lord’s mind. You have heard him in your conscience rebuking you for that of the false which remains in you; encouraging in you that of the true which is struggling there. I have done, when I have urged on you one or two reflections.
The first is, beloved, Dare we avow ourselves on the side of truth at this hour of its humiliation? Do we own the royalty of Christ’s truth when we see it every day dishonored? If gospel truth were honored everywhere, it would be an easy thing to say "I believe it;" but now, in these days, when it has no honor among men, dare we cleave to it at all costs?
Are you willing to walk with the truth through the mire and through the slough? Have you the courage to profess unfashionable truth? Are you willing to believe the truth against which science, falsely so-called, has vented her spleen?
Are you willing to accept the truth although it is said that only the poor and uneducated will receive it? Are you willing to be the disciple of the Galilean, whose apostles were fishermen? Verily, verily, I say unto you, in that day in which the truth in the person of Christ shall come forth in all its glory, it shall go ill with those who were ashamed to own it and its Master.
In the next place, if we have heard Christ’s voice, do we recognize our life object? Do we feel, "For this end were we born, and for this cause came we into the world, that we might bear witness to the truth?"
I do not believe that you, my dear brother, came into the world to be a linen draper, or an auctioneer, and nothing else. I donot believe that God created you, my sister, to be merely and only a seamstress, a nurse, or a housekeeper.
Immortal souls were not created for merely mortal ends. For this purpose was I born, that, with my voice in this place,and everywhere else, I might bear witness to the truth. You acknowledge that: then I beg you, each one, to acknowledge that you have a similar mission. "I could not occupy the pulpit," says one. Never mind that: bear witness for the truth where you are, and in your own sphere. O waste no time or energy, but at once testify for Jesus.
***********
Truly you have "fought a good fight." (II Tim. 4:7) You have rightly "contended for the faith . . . once delivered to the saints." (Jude 3) You have been "set for the defence of the gospel." (Phil. 1:17) You have taken a stand for Christ, all that He is for and all that He is against.
May the Lord be pleased to bless and prosper the future labours you undertake for His eternal praise and glory.
A friend in Christ & a kindred spirit,
June A. Nadolny
"Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice." —John 18:37.
And now, beloved, this is the way in which Christ’s kingdom is to be set up in the world.
For this cause was the church born, and for this end came she into the world, that she might set up Christ’s kingdom by bearing witness to the truth. I long, my beloved, to see you all witness bearers. If you love the Lord, bear witness to the truth.
You must do it personally; you must also do it collectively. Never join any church whose creed you do not entirely and unfeignedly believe, for if you do you act a lie, and are, moreover, a partaker in the error of other men’s testimonies.
I would not for a moment say anything to retard Christian unity, but there is something before unity, and that is, "truth in the inward parts" and honesty before God. I dare not be a member of a church whose teaching I knew to be false in vital points. I would sooner go to heaven alone than belie my conscience for the sake of company. You may say, "But I protest against the error of my church."
Dear friends, how can you consistently protest against it when you profess to agree with it, by being a member of the church which avows it? If you are a minister of a church, you do in effect say before the world, "I believe and teach the doctrines of this church;" and if you go into the pulpit and say you do not believe them, what will people conclude? I leave you to judge that.
I saw a church tower the other day, with a clock upon it, which startled me by pointing to half-past ten when I thought it was only nine; I was, however, quite relieved when I saw that another face of the clock indicated a quarter past eight. "Well," thought I, "whatever time it may be, that clock is wrong, for it contradicts itself." So if I hear a man say one thing by his church membership and another by his private protest, why, whatever may be right, he certainly is not consistent with himself.
Let us bear witness to the truth, since there is great need of doing so just now, for witnessing is in ill repute. The age extols no virtue so much as "liberality," and condemns no vice so fiercely as bigotry, alas honesty.
If you believe anything and hold it firmly, all the dogs will bark at you. Let them bark: they will have done when they are tired! You are responsible to God, and not to mortal men.
Christ came into the world to bear witness to the truth, and he has sent you to do the same; take care that you do it, offend or please; for it is only by this process that the kingdom of Christ is to be set up in the world.
Now, the last thing is this. Our Savior, having spoken of his kingdom and the way of establishing it,DESCRIBED HIS SUBJECTS:"Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice."
That is to say, wherever the Holy Spirit has made a man a lover of truth, he always recognizes Christ’s voice and yields himself to it. Where are the people who love the truth? Well, we need not enquire long. We need not Diogenes’ lantern to find them, they will come to the light; and where is light but in Jesus? Where are those that would not seem to be what they are not? Where are the men who desire to be true in secret and before the Lord? They may be discovered where Christ’s people are discovered; they will be found listening to those who bear witness to the truth. Those who love pure truth, and know what Christ is, will be sure to fall in love with him and hear his voice.
Judge ye, then, this day, brethren and sisters, whether ye are of the truth or not; for if you love the truth, you know and obey the voice which calls you away from your old sins, from false refuges, from evil habits, from everything which is not after the Lord’s mind. You have heard him in your conscience rebuking you for that of the false which remains in you; encouraging in you that of the true which is struggling there. I have done, when I have urged on you one or two reflections.
The first is, beloved, Dare we avow ourselves on the side of truth at this hour of its humiliation? Do we own the royalty of Christ’s truth when we see it every day dishonored? If gospel truth were honored everywhere, it would be an easy thing to say "I believe it;" but now, in these days, when it has no honor among men, dare we cleave to it at all costs?
Are you willing to walk with the truth through the mire and through the slough? Have you the courage to profess unfashionable truth? Are you willing to believe the truth against which science, falsely so-called, has vented her spleen?
Are you willing to accept the truth although it is said that only the poor and uneducated will receive it? Are you willing to be the disciple of the Galilean, whose apostles were fishermen? Verily, verily, I say unto you, in that day in which the truth in the person of Christ shall come forth in all its glory, it shall go ill with those who were ashamed to own it and its Master.
In the next place, if we have heard Christ’s voice, do we recognize our life object? Do we feel, "For this end were we born, and for this cause came we into the world, that we might bear witness to the truth?"
I do not believe that you, my dear brother, came into the world to be a linen draper, or an auctioneer, and nothing else. I donot believe that God created you, my sister, to be merely and only a seamstress, a nurse, or a housekeeper.
Immortal souls were not created for merely mortal ends. For this purpose was I born, that, with my voice in this place,and everywhere else, I might bear witness to the truth. You acknowledge that: then I beg you, each one, to acknowledge that you have a similar mission. "I could not occupy the pulpit," says one. Never mind that: bear witness for the truth where you are, and in your own sphere. O waste no time or energy, but at once testify for Jesus.
***********
Truly you have "fought a good fight." (II Tim. 4:7) You have rightly "contended for the faith . . . once delivered to the saints." (Jude 3) You have been "set for the defence of the gospel." (Phil. 1:17) You have taken a stand for Christ, all that He is for and all that He is against.
May the Lord be pleased to bless and prosper the future labours you undertake for His eternal praise and glory.
A friend in Christ & a kindred spirit,
June A. Nadolny
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