Vol. 7, No. 2 O R D A I N E D S E R V A N TE R V A N T ORDAINED SERVANT Statement Of Purpose...

Rev. Bruce Coie - 1907-1998

Published byThe Christian Education Committee

of

THE ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

April, 1998

Vol. 7, No. 2

O R D A I N E D S E R V A N T

ORDAINED SERVANT

Statement Of Purpose

Ordained Servant exists to provide solid materials for the equipping of office-bearers to serve more faithfully. The goal of this journalis to assist the ordained servants of the church to become more fruitful in their particular ministry so that they in turn will be more capableto prepare God's people for works of service. To attain this goal Ordained Servant will include articles (both old and new) of a theoreticaland practical nature with the emphasis tending toward practical articles wrestling with perennial and thorny problems encountered byoffice-bearers.

Editorial Policy

1. Ordained Servant publishes articles inculcating biblical presbyterianism in accord with the constitution of the Orthodox PresbyterianChurch and helpful articles from collateral Reformed traditions; however, views expressed by the writers do not necessarily representthe position of Ordained Servant or of the Church.

2. Ordained Servant occasionally publishes articles on issues on which differing positions are taken by officers in good standing in theOrthodox Presbyterian Church. Ordained Servant does not intend to take a partisan stand, but welcomes articles from various viewpointsin harmony with the constitution of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

Published for the Christian Education Committee of the Orthodox Presbyterian Churchunder direction of

Dr. James Gidley, Mr. David Winslow, Rev. Larry Wilson and Rev. William Shishko

Contents: Vol. 7, No. 2

A Postscript to Perfecting Fellowship, by John P. Galbraith....................................................................................25

Some Thoughts on the Practice of Ecumenicity, by William De Jong...................................................................27

A Sample Sessional Calling Record, by David Winslow...........................................................................................29

On Doing Home Visitation, by Eric Fennema................................................................................................................32

Charles Hodge on Presbyterian Union and Ecumenicity, by D. G. Hart & John Muether................................35

Pastor to Pastor: The Riches of Spurgeon (Part 1), by William Shishko........................................................38

Book Reviews: (1) Creation and Change, by Douglas F. Kelly, reviewed by Harry Zekveld.........................41

(2) Christ-Centered Preaching, by Bryan Chapell, reviewed by James Visscher................43

“

Ordained Servant — Vol. 7, No. 2

Ordained Servant (USSN pending) is published quarterly by Pleroma Press, PO Box242, 5645 73rd St SW, Carson, ND 58529-0242. Copies to ordained officers of theOrthodox Presbyterian Church are paid for by the Committee on Christian Education.Others remit $12 per year. Periodicals postage pending at Carson, ND. POSTMASTERsend address correction changes to Ordained Servant, PO Box 242, Carson, ND

58529-0242.

Please send all materials intended for possible publication in Ordained Servant to the Editor, G. I.Williamson, 406 Normal College Ave., Sheldon, IA 51201. (Or send it in a text file, by Email to:[email protected]). Please send all requests for additional copies, or back issues, to the Publisher,Stephen Sturlaugson, PLEROMA PRESS, Box 242, Carson N.D. 58529. Telephone: 701-622-3862(Email: [email protected]), or download them from The Orthodox Presbyterian Church's Web siteon the Internet at: http://www.opc.org.

As should be obvious from “PerfectingFellowship”1 the need for the members of thebody of Christ to share God's blessings ofgrace and understanding with one anotherhas become a burden of the heart. The needfor it was felt by our whole church throughthe 1960s and into the early '70s when theChristian Reformed Church (CRC) and theOrthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) wereexploring the possibility oforganic union. When discus-sions on that matter began,the differences in the polityof the two churches was farand away the prime con-cern, but that decade turnedout to be a crucial time whensignificant doctrinal ques-tions arose in the CRC. Asthese replaced polity in theforefront of discussions andbegan to appear as barriers,recognition—at one point—was given to the need to discuss potentialdifferences before they would become real-ity. But they were never effected and the restis history: differences became established, achasm widened, and ultimately those who onceconsidered union have severed their officialrelationship. The need for better fellowship

was there then; more than ever, therefore, forboth construction and prevention, should wenow see the need for not only mutual concernfor brothers and sisters, but also for help toeach other.

IntrachurchRelations

That concern and help,however, may not be limitedto interchurch relations butshould apply even more so tointrachurch relationships.Woeful it is that two sepa-rate churches have beenparted even further; howmuch more if a church thatis one be divided into twobecause its members werecontent to go their own wayswithout the graces and wis-dom that others could have

shared. We should all know this; we are chil-dren of the Reformation. We are also OrthodoxPresbyterians, who came through a much morerecent, and similar, division, caused by peoplegoing off in their own directions. And we shouldknow the cost to the honor and cause of Christ.

The principle that the parts of the body ofChrist should go to each other to ask for or givehelp ought not to be limited to interdenomina-

A Postscriptto the Orthodox Presbyterian Church

(and others who may benefit)

On Perfecting Fellowshipby

John P. Galbraith

Ordained Servant — Vol. 7, No. 2 25

1 The reference here is to the ICRC address by Rev.Galbraith as it appeared in Ordained ServantVol. 7, No. 1.

The principle that the partsof the body of Christ shouldgo to each other to ask foror give help ought not to belimited to interdenomina-tional matters—general as-semblies or synods helpingone another. It is a biblicalprinciple designed for thewhole body.

A POSTSCRIPT TO PERFECTING FELLOWSHIP


tional matters—general assemblies or synodshelping one another. It is a biblical principledesigned for the whole body. It is for the church.It is just as true, just as valid, for individuals,for sessions, and for presbyteries, actively toseek help from, or to offer help to, our counter-parts and those over us: persons from personsand the session, sessions from each other andfrom presbytery, presbyteries from one anotherand from sessions, and from the general assem-bly. Phil. 2:4, "Let each of you look out for...theneeds of others", and 1 Cor.12:26, "If one member suffersall...suffer; if one member ishonored, all...rejoice", andRom. 12:15, "Rejoice withthose who rejoice, and weepwith those who weep" all di-rect us to a better fellow-ship, a oneness, so that yourconcerns are my concerns,and yours are mine. Orderli-ness is not primarily a mat-ter of discipline but of fel-lowship. It can come to discipline, but first it isthe parts of the body being knit together inChrist and his Word by the Spirit.

Steps

Though this subject needs a much longertreatment, we have been asked to be brief. Letit suffice, then, for now, to suggest that:

(1) Jesus prayed in John 17 not primarily fororganizational unity, but for spiritualunity measured by his Word,

(2) no one person, session, presbytery, or gen-eral assembly, has a corner on graces andwisdom,

(3) if pride stands in the way we should swal-low it and be willing to go to school, as itwere, to be taught by others.

(4) we need the benefit of the graces andwisdom that others have,

(5) being a presbyterian church, help fromthose of like faith is at hand,

(6)␣ our duty is to seek to preserve and enrichthe unity in the faith that God has givenus, and

(7) we must not let past history repeat itself.

Does your session or presbytery have aproblem? Study it, but also find out who else

has had that problem. Askhow they dealt with it; tellthem how you have seen it.Discuss a solution together.Is your session planningsome changes in your churchprogram? Bounce it off an-other session or individualswho might be helpful. Basi-cally, get out of the mindsetthat sets you, your session,your presbytery off as inde-pendent from your counter-

parts. Don't be Presbyterians at presbyterymeetings only. Being a Presbyterian, whatyou do may help or hurt all the others of us.Be active to ask help, be ready to give help.We need to perfect the fellowship within ourchurch. And the church of Jesus Christ will bestronger for it.

John P. Galbraithgave the openingmessage for theI n t e r n a t i o n a lConference of Re-formed Churches(ICRC) as it met forthe fourth time inSeoul, Korea. This

article, which is a Postscript tothat message, is addressedaddressed to the OPC.

…get out of the mind-set that sets you, yoursession, your presby-tery off as indepen-dent from your coun-terparts. Don't bePresbyterians at pres-bytery meetings only.

I’d like to make a few comments aboutsome of the critical things being saidabout Reformed churches in general andthe Canadian Reformed churches in par-ticular. I’ve spent timein a number of differ-ent Reformed denomi-nations: I was raisedCanadian Reformed.While living in HollandI attended the Neder-lands GereformeerdeKerken (which split offfrom the Liberated inlate 1960s). I served asa pastoral intern at theTrinity OPC in Chi-cago, IL and the FirstCRC of Taber, AB andam now a minister inthe URC. At seminary,some of my fellow stu-dents called me ‘Mr. Ecumenical.’ Need-less to say, having spent some time in anumber of different communions, I havecome to know—in some measure—thestrengths and weaknesses of each.

Today I enjoy a lot of interaction withwhat you would call mainstream evan-gelical Christians. I serve as adjunct fac-ulty at the Peace River Bible Institute,where the makeup of both students andfaculty is generally Baptist (most of whomare ‘progressive’ dispensationalists). Ialso host a fellowship group in my housefor area ministers who are interested in

Some Thoughts On

The Practice of Ecumenicityby Bill DeJong,

Pastor of Covenant Reformed Church (URCNA)

Grande Prairie, AB


the Reformed faith. Ministers from theChristian Missionary Alliance church,Baptist churches, Church of Christ andEvangelical Free churches attend fre-

quently and eagerly.

Here’s what I wantto say: Many main-stream evangelicalsare looking at Re-formed churches with‘beady eyes’ and ‘drool-ing mouths.’ What theylike about Reformedchurches is exactlywhat some peoplewithin Reformedchurches don’t like,such as: time-tested,historical, orderly lit-urgies , catechismpreaching, expository

preaching (in series), God-centered wor-ship services (as opposed to man-centeredentertainment), psalm singing, the im-portance of the covenant, etc.

Half of the membership of the churchI serve comes from non-Reformed back-grounds (a number of families from theRoman church, as well as Pentecostal,Baptist, Mennonite, Lutheran—you nameit) and non-Christian backgrounds. Forall of these people, coming to the Re-formed faith has brought a deep sigh ofrelief—finally they can worship God inspirit and in truth, without being put on

My message, therefore, tothose in confessional Re-formed churches is this :keep doing what you are do-ing, but do it better than ithas ever been done before.The greatest revival Chris-tendom has ever known—the Protestant Reforma-tion—was not innovation,but restoration and recov-ery of the truths and prac-tices of historic Christianity.

28 Ordained Servant — Vol. 7, No. 2

THE PRACTICE OF ECUMENICITY

edge by distasteful worship services andquestionable teaching.

The message Ihave, therefore, forthose in confessionalReformed churches isthis: keep doing whatyou are doing, but doit better than it hasever been done be-fore. The greatest re-vival Christendomhas ever known—theProtestant Reforma-tion—was not innova-tion, but restorationand recovery of thetruths and practicesof historic Christian-ity. Keep up the good exegesis, keep therespect for tradition, keep the worshipservices focused on the glory of God, keepcatechism preaching, keep expositorypreaching, especially textual-thematic,covenant-historical preaching.

That’s precisely what the church todayneeds to do: put away efforts to modernize(against tradition) and try to mobilize(with tradition). And by ‘with tradition,’ Idon’t mean an archaeological reconstruc-tion of the past, like meticulously follow-ing Calvin ’s l i turgy or even theWestminster Directory. Simply ‘goingback’ never constitutes genuine reform.What we need to do is preserve the ‘heart’of what has been passed down to us by ourecclesiastical forefathers and make that‘heart’ the source of our church life today.This, in my little experience and littleknowledge, is much more than simply pas-toral (a good enough reason). It is faithfuland it is fruitful.

And this is precisely what is beingdone, in greater or less degrees, in the

Canadian Reformed churches, Free Re-formed churches, Free Churches of Scot-land, Orthodox Presbyterian churches,

United Reformedchurches and oth-ers . Much im-provement isneeded, but thefoundation for adivinely blessedrole in the widerchurch and worldhas been laid.

So be carefulwhen you criticize.Not only are youcriticizing the verychurches evangeli-cal Christians are

looking to for leadership and directionbecause they LOVE what they see andhear; you are also criticizing the body ofChrist, which He purchased with Hisown blood. In a day in which the churchis hated (by the world) and criticized(from within the church), the love ofChrist for His body will be sure andsteadfast. And that’s the source of myhope for the future.

William (‘Bill’) De Jong is a

1996 graduate of Mid-America

Reformed Seminary which is

now located in Dyer, Indiana.

He is now serving as Pastor of

the Covenant Evangelical Re-

formed Church, Grande Prarie,

Alberta, Canada—a member of

the new Federation known as

the United Reformed Churches

of North America.

What we need to do is preservethe ‘heart’ of what has beenpassed down to us by our eccle-siastical forefathers and makethat ‘heart’ the source of ourchurch life today. This, in mylittle experience and littleknowledge, is much more thansimply pastoral (a good enoughreason). It is faithful and it isfruitful.

On the following page you will find theSessional Calling Record sheet used byour ruling elders when they are doinghome visits. You are free to copy it foryour own session’s use if you think that itwill prove helpful. Perhaps your sessioncould discuss it, comparing it to the oneyou use now and make improvements.

Why use a written sheet with ques-tions and spaces for answers? Couldn’tthis questionnaire lead to a rather woodenapproach to home visits? My answer isthat it can serve as a very helpful guide,but that it shouldn’t be used slavishly. Atthe same time it can serve to bring aconversation back on course when it hasgotten far afield from the purpose of thevisit. It also forces the elders to ask ques-tions that they might prefer just to slideby and avoid. I do not recommend readingthe questions and writing the answersduring the visit.

My approach is to have the CallingRecord on my lap so that I can occasion-ally glance at it. I will only write downsomething that seems extremely impor-tant to note immediately. After the visitis over and I am in the car or at home I fillin the answers to the questions that werecovered and add extra comments. Afterall, this is supposed to be a conversationnot an examination.

Since our goal in doing Home Visits is

to help the lambs of the flock see theirlives hidden in Christ, our Good Shep-herd; to encourage them to follow Him inthe obedience of faith, we don’t want vis-its to turn into a time to criticize thepastor. The question is not “Do you likethe pastor’s preaching?”, but “Are youunderstanding it” and “Do you see thatyou are growing spiritually through it?”.Of course these do allow for negativeremarks but also for clarification as towhere the problem lies, and follow-upquestions can help members learn how toget more from the sermons. My pastorreminds us that we are his “eyes andears” in the congregation so even nega-tive reviews about his preaching need tobe carefully evaluated in session meet-ings.

Do you involve your deacons in HomeVisits? If so you’ll find that there are anumber of questions that could be del-egated to them. In any event decide withyour calling partner, elder or deacon, whois going to handle what portion of thevisit responsibilities. In a future articlewe hope to deal with one of the numberone problems that you find in your homevisits: the disrepair of family devotions.

Until then may Godly richly bless youin your care of the flock.

David Winslow, Ruling ElderGarden Grove OPC

A SAMPLE␣ ␣

SESSIONAL CALLING RECORD ␣

by ␣

Ruling Elder David Winslow␣ ␣



SESSIONAL CALLING RECORD

Family Name: _____________________________ Date: __________________________

Elders: ______________________________________________________________________________

Adult Members of family present: _____________________________________________________

Names and ages of children: __________________________________________________________

Bible passage read:___________________________________________________________________

QUESTIONSA) WORSHIP

1) Do they attend regularly AM ____________ PM ______________

If not, why? _____________________________________________________________________

2) How do they view the service? Any special problems? Any changes desired? ____________

________________________________________________________________________________

3) Are they understanding the preaching? Are they growing spiritually through it?

________________________________________________________________________________

4) Are there special needs that could be met by sermons on particular topics? ______________

________________________________________________________________________________

5)␣ Do they prepare for worship? Do they know how to get the most out of a sermon?_____

________________________________________________________________________________

6) Are they endeavoring to keep the Lord’s Day holy? ______ If so: how? ___________________

________________________________________________________________________________

7) Do they practice biblical giving? __________________________________________________

B) EDIFICATION:

1) Do they attend Sunday School?___________________ If not why not? ________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Is there a topic they would like to see covered?___________________________________

2) Family and private devotions, what is their practice?______________________________

______________________________________________________________________________


Do they need help or materials ?______________________________________________

3) Are the children being catechized? _____________________________________________

4) Do they attend Prayer Meeting or other mid week Bibles studies?_____________________␣ ␣

______________________________________________________________________________

5) Any special health concerns?__________________________________________________

6) Finances in order? ____________________________________________________________

7) Family relations? _______________Marital relations?_____________________________

8) Do the children attend Christian school? Is not is there a desire for this? _______________␣ ␣

_____________________________________________________________________________

9) What spiritual needs do they see in their lives?___________________________________␣

______________________________________________________________________________

How could the church assist them with these needs? ______________________________␣ ␣

______________________________________________________________________________

C) OUTREACH:

1) Would they help with survey calling or other outreach efforts?________________________

2) Have they invited neighbors or friends to church?__________________________________

3) Do they practice hospitality as a means of reaching people?__________________________

4) Do they bear witness for Christ at their place of work?_______________________________

D) GIFTS:

1) What gifts do they have that can be used in the life of the church?___________________

______________________________________________________________________________

2) Would they like opportunities and training? _____________________________________

E) PROBLEMS UNCOVERED/ADVICE GIVEN:

1) ________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

2) ________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

In a reformed church order book we read the following:“The elders, with the minister[s), shall have super-vision over the congregation...They shall, with theministers), exercise pastoral care over the congre-gation.”

“Pastoral Care shall be exercised over all the mem-bers of the congregation. The minister of the Wordand the elders shall conduct annual home visita-tion.”1

These two articles of a reformed church order,are a succinct description of the biblical calling ofthe elders and ministers of the Word in their task asoverseers of the church of Jesus Christ.

The purpose of this article is to examine thistime honored reformed practice of “family visita-tion.” What is it? Why is it important? How shouldit be conducted?

What is family visitation?

It is one of the official means by which theruling elders, the ‘overseers’ exercise oversight,pastoral care, shepherding - in the church of JesusChrist. Family or house visitation is when teams oftwo elders (or an elder and a minister) personallyvisit the home of a church member or family todiscuss the spiritual vitality of their Christian lifeand the life of the church as a congregation, thebody of Christ.

What is the purpose of family visitation?

Family visitation receives its Biblical focusfrom the words of the apostle Paul, when he ad-dressed the Ephesian elders, in Acts 20:18-21, 28-31. “You know that I have not hesitated to preach

On Doing Home Visitation

by

C. Eric Fennema


anything that would be helpful to you, but have taughtyou publicly and from house to house...I never stoppedwarning each of you, night and day with tears.”

When we read the above passage, and the otherpassages concerning the work and calling of theundershepherd, we could summarize the purposeof family visitation as pastoral care. Family visita-tion has a threefold purpose:

(1) It is intended to strengthen the spiritual lives offaith of the members of the congregation ofChrist.

(2)␣ It is intended to challenge the worship andwitness or service of the members of the body ofChrist, that it may be found acceptable to theLord.

(3) It is intended to promote and encourage thefellowship or communion of the saints of thehousehold of God.

The purpose of family visiting, in other words,is to see that God's Word is alive and functioning inthe hearts and lives of the members of the church ofthe Lord Jesus Christ. By this means, the officebearerscalled to and entrusted with the souls of God’speople, are enabled to check the spiritual pulse orwelfare, the condition of the body of Christ.

The Importance of Family Visitation

Family visitation is important, therefore, be-cause the elders come as representatives of JesusChrist, the Head of the church, in his kingly office.The elders have been given by Christ the calling to“watch over your souls, as men who must give account.Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that wouldbe unprofitable for you.” (Hebrews 13:17)

As Berghoef and De Koster rightly emphasizein their guide for church leaders, “A regular pro-gram of family visitation promises the followingbenefits:

1 The Revised Church Order Commentary, by I. Van Dellenand M. Monsma, 1967, Zondervan Publishing Company,Grand Rapids, Michigan.


FAMILY VISITATION

1 - It extends the care and supportive concern ofthe Church into the homes of the membership.2 Thessalonians 5:11-13)

2 - ␣ Family-visiting provides ways to determine theprecise needs of the congregation...

3 - It allows the elders to assess the people's reac-tion to the preaching and teaching and all theother functions of the Church.

4 - Visiting establishes a meaningful relationshipbetween eldership and congregation apart fromemergency situations...

5 - It provides a way to detect problems...”2

Their whole seventh chapter on “Visiting the Mem-bership” is worth the reading and study by theeldership.

How should family visitation be conducted?

First, we ought to be reminded of the negative.It should not be conducted as a Bible Study or aprivate preaching session or worship service. Cer-tainly, the Word of God must be the starting pointand guide for the visit. Certainly, the Word of Godought to be explained and applied from house tohouse. Surely, in one respect, we are worshippingthe Lord. But family visitation is to be viewed asChrist, through His ordained representatives, com-ing to our house, so that elders and church mem-bers might together “examine yourselves to seewhether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Doyou not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless,of course you fail the test? And I trust that you willdiscover that we have not failed the test.” (2 Cor.13:5-6)

Self-examination, as the body, and as membersof the body is not a matter of condemnation accord-ing to the apostle. It is the fruit of faith. Self-exami-nation is not meant to cause us doubt, to questionour salvation, our adoption as God's children,whether we are dead or alive. Just as a doctor's

examination, a physical examination does not checkwhether you are alive, whether you have a heart...butwhether you are well, whether your heart is operat-ing properly. So family visitation is to be conductedas a spiritual checkup as the body of Christ and asmembers of the body.

Of course, we need a standard, and that mustbe in the church, the Word of God. This standard,the Bible, the Church as a body, as a whole has beencalled to be the pillar of the truth. The church holdsup the truth by her confessions of faith, her creeds.Therefore, the Scriptures as explained by the con-fessions of the Church, the common faith are cer-tainly a necessary ingredient in family visitation.

Family visitation is found beneficial when itbegins with a “family visitation sermon” at thebeginning of the year. A family visitation guide forthe church members is made available so that thefamily prepares for this important visit. These aredistributed to the families generally a week beforethe visit is scheduled. An example of such a guide isappended to this article. Families are encouraged todiscuss this guide before the visit by the elders.These visits can be made once a month by the wholeeldership (in teams), and covering the congregationin about a year's time. This way the eldership keepsa regular contact with the whole congregationthroughout the year.

The elders, in their first meeting of the year aregiven a more detailed guide for understanding andapplying the passage in discussion with the family.A basic theme and a main question are the commonfocus for the visit, and generally has to do with theissue of spiritual growth. Areas of concern to whichthe passage is applied range from worship, public-family-personal, stewardship, participation inchurch life...to our witness or conduct in societywith our neighbors.

This kind of preparation for family visitationby both elders and church members has been blessedby the Lord, and strengthens, builds up the body ofChrist. As the apostle has said, “Always give your-selves fully to the work of the Lord, because youknow that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1Corinthians 15:58b). Have you considered familyvisitation?

2 The Elders' Handbook, A Practical Guide For Church Leaders.by G. Berghoef and L. De Koster, 1979, Christian's LibraryPress, Grand Rapids, Michigan.


A PLAN FOR

The following is a sample of material for churchmembers which supplements the material for el-ders presented on the previous two pages. Guidessuch as the following are provided for members ofthe congregation each year in preparation for theannual family visitation.

A FAMILY VISITING GUIDE

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-20

This month we hope to have “family visitation” atyour home. Hopefully this letter will help this visitbecome a blessing to all.

The purpose of family visitation is threefold:

(1) to strengthen our spiritual lives of faith,

(2) to challenge our worship and service, and

(3) to promote the fellowship of the saints in sum-mary, to see if God's Word is alive and func-tioning in all of our life.

The elders come as representatives of Christ and hisKingly office, who have been given responsibilityto “watch over your souls as men who must give ac-count. Let them do so with joy, and not with grief, for thatwould be unprofitable for you.” When the elders come,the Lord is proclaiming his love for you! (Hebrews13)

Before the elders arrive, it would be well for you togather as a family, to discuss the passage in the lightof the following questions. Our aim in family visi-tation is not the church as an organization remem-ber, but to help each family live closer to the TriuneGod and His Word.

Ephesians 6:10-20

The basic message is: The Christian life is the life ofa soldier

This life needs to be strong in the Lord...it needs thearmor of God and prayer.

Main question:

1 - Do you believe you are living as a good soldierof Jesus Christ? Why or why not?

2 -␣ What do you believe it means to be a goodsoldier of God? What makes a good soldier?

Do you find this to be true in your life? Why orwhy not?

What does a good soldier need?

How do you face defeats? victories? enemies?

3 - What do you believe we as soldiers...personally,as a church, face as enemies (evils, dangers) inthe world today?

How can we fight them?

4 - How would you describe your prayer life? Whydo we need prayer? How can it be improved?

5 - Where do we need the armor of God? Cf. 5:21-31,6:1-9,20ff

We pray for the Lord's blessing on our meeting,and on your home.

Yours in Christ’s service, THE ELDERS

C. Eric Fennema is presently

serving as pastor of the First

Christian Reformed Church of

Rock Valley, Iowa. This article

resulted from a paper he

presented recently at a meeting

of the Barnabas Fellowship of

Reformed Pastors in Northwest

Iowa. We thank Rev. Fennema

for his response to our request

for this article.

It is difficult to read early issues of theNew Horizons magazine without getting theimpression that its editorial vision was tosee that the magazine and the denominationit served go out of existence. Picking upwhere the recently defunct PresbyterianGuardian left off, the New Horizons from itsfirst issue in 1980 enthu-siastically outlined thenew opportunities that laybefore the Orthodox Pres-byterian Church as it con-templated union with thePresbyterian Church inAmerica and (at the sametime) with the ReformedPresbyter ian Church,Evangelical Synod. Liber-alism was dying, and a union with theseallies would launch conservative AmericanPresbyterians into a strategic new era, re-sulting in a denomination over ten times thesize of the OPC and providing an organiza-tional structure better tailored for nation-wide witness. Already partnered in the joint-ownership of Great Commission Publica-tions, a merger would align the OPC with afast-growing missions program. As onewriter enthusiastically put it, “we aren’there to reach the Presbyterian Church USA,but all of America — one at a time!” To manyobservers, this ecumenical moment wasunique and had to be seized. In the words ofa letter writer, “now is the time to effect aunited church that will be a clear testimonyto the Reformed faith.”

Charles Hodge

on

Presbyterian Union & Ecumenicity


As the decade unfolded, the hopes of unionwere dashed, first by the refusal of the PCA toreceive the OPC in 1982, and then in 1986when the General Assembly declined to jointhe PCA (the plan of union received a major-ity, but fell short of the required three-quar-ters majority). Disappointed commissioners

filed a protest against theAssembly that they claimedhad “neglected tostrengthen its impact forministry in the world.” Theprotest went on to describethe vote as “a serious set-back to our hopes for aunited, vital, biblical andnationwide Presbyterianchurch.” Even worse for

such disappointed commissioners was the im-pression the vote cast upon the OPC: “wecommunicate to the PCA and to the world anattitude of superiority…The crossroad hasbeen reached and the Assembly has chosen acourse. In our judgment this course looks back-ward instead of forward, inward instead ofoutward, and is exclusive rather than inclu-sive. Our deepest concern is that this coursemay not be altered in the future.”

Along with its disappointment, the pro-testers suggested that they would considerdenominational alternatives: “given this di-rection, some may be confronted with newchoices.” The result for many was “voluntaryrealignment” of ministers and congregationsinto the PCA.

“…the hopes of unionwere dashed, first by therefusal of the PCA to re-ceive the OPC in 1982,and then in 1986 whenthe General Assemblydeclined to join the PCA”

by

D. G. Hart and John R. Muether


Charles Hodge on Presbyterian Unity and Ecumenicity

When the 1991 General Assembly won-dered whether it ought to pursue “Joiningand Receiving” any longer as the instrumentfor merger with the PCA, it seemed that thedecade-long ‘window for union’ had closed.As the Committee on Ecumenicity and Inter-church Relations turned from the PCA andbegan active conversationswith the Reformed Churchin the United States and theReformed Presbyter ianChurch of North America, ita lso appeared that thechurch was divided. A pro-test at the 1991 Assemblyvoiced concern that “the OPCas a whole [was] not unitedas to our future ecumenicaldirection.”

What is striking aboutthe rhetoric surrounding the union that didn’thappen was its similarity to arguments thataccompanied a union that did happen, acentury earlier in American Presbyterianhistory. More precisely, it was the 1869reunion between the Old School PresbyterianChurch and the New School PresbyterianChurch that healed the breech that took placein 1837. That reunion was also accompaniedby a pervasive sense that Presbyterians wereconfronting a unique ecumenical moment. TheCivil War had just ended, and the Northernstates were becoming a Union not only inname but also in reality. As steamships werebringing immigrants to American shores andrailroads pushing the population westward,the cultural landscape was changingdramatical ly , and Presbyter ians werepersuaded that only an organizationallyunited witness could position the church tocapita l ize on nat ionwide evangel ist icopportunities. And with the emergence ofAmerica as a world power, the church wasnow poised to engage in world-wide witnessand cultural transformation.

Both camps generally expressed optimismover this moment. New School theologianHenry Boynton Smith cheerfully proclaimedthat Presbyterian sectarianism was “losingits tenacity,” and he saw in a united churchthe prospects of “the most effective Chris-tian organization on the continent.” For their

part, Old Schoolers such asLyman Atwater and A. A.Hodge returned the enthusi-asm in kind, and pronouncedthe New School “theologicallysound.”

In the midst of this north-ern ecumenical spirit CharlesHodge provided a voice of dis-sent. Anticipating the con-cerns which were to arise laterin OPC union debates, Hodgeargued that the union wasbased on the “latitudinarian

principle of subscription” which reducedcreedal subscription to “essential doctrines.”This was the “broadest of broad church prin-ciples,” and indicated that the confessionalissues that caused the division of 1837 werenot resolved. “The Old School had surren-dered everything,” he lamented, and the NewSchool was “willing to receive us as repen-tant sinners.” Such terms would cost OldSchool Presbyterians their theological iden-tity for the sake of “sentiment and expedi-ence.” Finally, he warned that “if truth belost, all is lost. Our numbers, wealth andinfluence will avail nothing.”

Hodge’s fears proved valid. In LeffertLoetscher’s words, the reunion of 1869 pro-duced the largely unintentional consequenceof a “broadening church,” where organiza-tional efficiency eclipsed theological preci-sion. Within twenty-five years of the re-union northern Presbyterians began seriousefforts at creedal revision. As the nineteenthcentury drew to a close, America’s gilded agebecame Presbyterian’s gilded age as well, as

What is striking aboutthe rhetoric sur-rounding the unionthat didn’t happenwas its similarity toarguments that ac-companied a unionthat did happen, acentury earl ier inAmerican Presbyte-rian history.


Charles Hodge on Presbyterian Unity and Ecumenicity

it experienced both spectacular growth andadvancing secularization.

The point is not to suggest that a simi-larly catastrophic future would have con-fronted OPCers had they merged with thePCA. Rather, what is noteworthy in this com-parison is that Hodgerefused to concede thatopposition to union rel-egated him to a posi-tion of sectarian isola-tionism. As his son de-scr ibed i t , CharlesHodge believed that“under the present con-dition of the universalchurch, each denomi-nation has its specialgifts and intrusted function, and that the giftand function of the Old School PresbyterianChurch was one of the most precious andindispensable, and one which no other couldfulfill.” Hodge’s plea was not a call for aninward, backward, and exclusive church. Onthe contrary, he believed that Presbyterianscould best serve their brothers in other de-nominations only by being good Presbyteri-ans.

Sixty years later, another ecumenicalmoment confronted a conservative Presbyte-rian, when the Trustees of Bryan MemorialUniversity invited J. Gresham Machen to as-sume the Presidency in 1927. In decliningtheir offer, Machen’s reasoning followedCharles Hodge. He acknowledged his “warm-est sympathy” with “interdenominational ef-forts of various kinds” especially “with otherevangelical churches.” And it was preciselybecause of that tie, not in spite of it, that heremained a confessional Presbyterian. “I thinkthat I can best serve my fellow-Christians —even those who belong to ecclesiastical bodiesdifferent from my own — by continuing to beidentified, very specifically, with the Presby-

D. G. Hart and John Muetherare coauthors of Fighting theGood Fight, A Brief History ofthe Orthodox PresbyterianChurch. Both are OPC rulingelders — Mr. Hart at CalvaryOPC, Glenside, PA and Mr.Muether in Lake Sherwood OPCin Orlando, Fl.

terian Church.”

For Machen, like Hodge before, confes-sional identity enhanced his ecumenical vi-sion. Together, they testify against the as-sumption that the choice for the OPC lies ineither organizational union with other bod-

ies or denominationalchauvinism. Cer-tainly no one couldaccuse either of themof being less than aPresbyterian church-man or isolated fromthe larger battles inChristendom.

Is the OPC, a cen-tury later, fulfilling

the vision that Hodge laid before the OldSchool Presbyterian Church? Has the churchfound an alternative to the paths of assimila-tion and isolation? Or have the predictions ofthose who left the OPC come true? Surely itis too early to tell, but as the OPC continuesto serve as a leader in shaping Reformedfaith and witness for many small and emerg-ing Reformed churches throughout the world,it is worth remembering that Charles Hodgecould conceive of a vital ecumenical role for aconfessionally precise church.

The point is not to suggest that asimilarly catastrophic futurewould have confronted OPCershad they merged with the PCA.Rather, what is noteworthy in thiscomparison is that Hodge refusedto concede that opposition tounion relegated him to a positionof sectarian isolationism.

While the true greatness of a preacherwill only be revealed at Christ’s tribunal, Iwould join my opinion with those of manyothers who make the earthly judgment thatCharles Spurgeon was the most effective anduseful of preacherssince the days of theApostles. Yes, as highlyas I regard Augustine,Luther, Calvin, Knox,Whitefield, Edwards,and many other pulpitgiants of the past, I be-come more convincedwith every reading of aSpurgeon sermon thatthis English Baptistpreacher of the 18thcentury is the preemi-nent model for one whowould be a herald ofthe Word of God andthe Christ of thatWord.

Charles HaddonSpurgeon was born inKelvedon, Essex in1834. His father andgrandfather were bothIndependent pastors,with roots in both theDutch and English Dis-senting traditions. Like Timothy, from in-fancy Charles Spurgeon had known the HolyScriptures: “It would not be easy for some ofus to recall the hour when we first heard thename of Jesus” wrote Spurgeon, obviouslyincluding himself in this beautiful descrip-tion of a covenant home. “In very infancy that

Pastor to Pastor:

The Riches of Spurgeon (pt. 1)by William Shishko


sweet sound was as familiar to our ear as thehush of a lullaby. Our earliest recollections areassociated with the house of God, the familyaltar, the Holy Bible, the sacred song, and thefervent prayer.” Spurgeon, who was destined to

become Britain's most il-lustrious preacher of thecentury, was convertedon a snowy Sunday morn-ing in early 1850 as a re-sult of the less than illus-trious “preaching” of alayman in a PrimitiveMethodist Chapel inColchester, Essex. Un-der a brief and very per-sonally applied develop-ment of the text “Lookunto me and be ye savedall the ends of the earth”,Spurgeon’s heart waschanged by sovereigngrace. “‘Look!’ What acharming word it seemedto me! Oh, I looked until Icould almost have lookedmy eyes away. There andthen the cloud was gone,the darkness rolled away,and that moment I sawthe sun; and I could haverisen that instant andsung with the most en-

thusiastic of them of the precious blood of Christand the simple faith which looks alone to Him.”That joy in almighty saving grace, and thatexperimental conviction of full, free justificationby faith alone in Christ alone would leave anindelible mark on every part of the ministry thatwas soon to be his.

FROM C.H.SPURGEON'S FIRST SERMONIN THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE

(Preached on Monday afternoon, March25, 1861, from the text, "And daily in thetemple, and in every house, they ceasednot to teach and preach Jesus Christ",Acts 5:42)

"I would propose that the subject of theministry in this house,as long as thisplatform shall stand, and as long as thishouse shall be frequented byworshippers, shall be the person of JesusChrist. I am never ashamed to avowmyself a Calvinist—I do not hesitate totake the name of Baptist—but if I am askedwhat is my creed, I reply, 'It is JesusChrist.'" My venerated predecessor, Dr.Gill has left a Body of Divinity, admirableand excellent in its way; but the Body ofDivinity to which I would pin and bindmyself forever, God helping me, is not hissystem, or any other treatise, but ChristJesus who is the sum and substance of theGospel, who is in Himself all theology, theincarnation of every precious truth, theall-glorious personal embodiment of theWay, the Truth, and the Life."


THE RICHES OF SPURGEON (Pt. 1)

Spurgeon’s eminent speaking abilities wed-ded to his vast knowledge of the Scriptures werealmost immediately put to use. Less than twoyears after his conversion, when Spurgeon wasbut 17 years of age, he was called to serve aspastor of Waterbeach Baptist Chapel. In 1854 hewas called to serve aspastor of New ParkStreet Baptist Chapel,Southwark, London.Soon that building wasfilled to overflowing,necessitating the build-ing of the MetropolitanTabernacle in 1859.Apart from periodicbouts with illnesswhich kept him fromhis pulpit ministry,Spurgeon preached atthe Metropolitan Tab-ernacle until June 7,1891, when he preach-ed his last sermon. Hedied the followingJanuary at Mentone, S.France. During his 38years of ministry inLondon, 14,692 mem-bers were added to the church (Spurgeon inter-viewed most of them personally!). In addition tohis pulpit labors, he began a “Pastor’s College” totrain men “evidently called to preach the Gospel”,helped to found the London Baptist Association,established an orphanage (known as “Spurgeon’sHomes”), and gave his assistance for the estab-lishment of various other charitable and religiousorganizations. The Metropolitan Tabernacle, un-der Spurgeon’s remarkable leadership, became averitable beehive of evangelistic and philanthropicactivity in London and its environs.

Spurgeon was unashamedly committed toevangelical Calvinism. He fought battles againsthyper-Calvinism (considered in detail in IainMurray's volume SPURGEON VS. HYPER-CAL-

VINISM, published by the Banner of TruthTrust) and Arminianism. He also stood firmlyagainst the depreciation of the authority ofHoly Scripture in what came to be called “TheDowngrade Controversy”. (The amazingly con-temporary nature of these controversies is de-

veloped in IainMurray’s work THEF O R G O T T E NSPURGEON, alsopublished by The Ban-ner of Truth Trust.Both of these volumesby Murray are highlyrecommended.)

Yet Spurgeon isknown best as “ThePrince of Preachers”.Not only did Spurgeonpreach to thousandseach week, attractingthe largest congrega-tions of any ministerin the British Isles,but his printed ser-mons (known as “thepenny pulpit”), issuedeach week and then

appearing in annual volumes for over 40 years,have had the greatest circulation of any printedsermons in history. These sermons, totaling3,561, fill 63 volumes, some of which extend to700 pages! They are rightly said to comprise a“Body of Divinity” within themselves. F.B.Meyer reflects the assessment of many a minis-ter whose preaching tutelage has come by read-ing these sermons: “I can never tell my indebt-edness to them. As I read them week by week inmy young manhood, they gave me a grip of theGospel that I can never lose, and gave me anideal of its presentation in nervous, transpar-ent, and forcible language which has coloured(sic) my entire ministry.”

Self-evidently, the 19th century Spurgeon

FROM C.H.SPURGEON'S LAST SERMON IN THEMETROPOLITAN TABERNACLE

(Preached on Sunday, June 7, 1891)

"If you wear the livery of Christ you willfind Him so meek and lowly of heart thatyou will find rest unto your souls. He is themost magnanimous of captains. Therenever was His like among the choicest ofprinces. He is always to be found in thethickest part of the battle. When the windblows cold He always takes the bleak sideof the hill. The heaviest end of the cross liesever on His shoulders. If He bids us carry aburden He carries it also. If there is anythingthat is gracious, generous, kind, andtender, yea, lavish and superabundant inlove, you always find it in Him. His serviceis life, peace, joy. Oh, that you would enteron it at once! God help you to enlist underthe banner of Jesus Christ!"


PASTOR TO PASTOR:

did not possess the many fine insights of philo-logical, hermeneutical, and biblical-theologicalstudies that have been done in the 20th cen-tury. Geerhardus Vos was but 29 years of age atthe time of Spurgeon’s death! Spurgeon is not amodel of consecutive expository preaching suchas that done by Calvin,and revived in our ownday by the late D. MartynLloyd-Jones. (Indeed,Charles Spurgeon rarelypreached sermon series ofany sort. He is the exem-plar par excellence of topi-cal preaching.) Nor isSpurgeon always the bestmodel of grammatical-his-torical exegesis that isscrupulous about dealingwith a text in its context.(One cringes at whatSpurgeon does with a textlike Genesis 15:11, “Andwhen the fouls came downupon the carcasses,Abram drove them away”under the sermon title:“Abram and the Raven-ous Birds”!). And, as aBaptist, Spurgeon's views of God’s covenantand His covenantal dealings with families asthe basic unit of the church differ from ourown (although there are many blessed incon-sistencies that are obvious in volumes suchas COME YE CHILDREN: A BOOK FOR PAR-ENTS AND TEACHERS ON THE CHRIS-TIAN TRAINING OF CHILDREN, publishedby Pilgrim Publications). Nevertheless, asmodels of thoroughly doctrinal, Bible-en-riched, pastoral preaching that exalts JesusChrist and freely offers Him to listener andreader alike, Spurgeon is unmatched. Withgood reason many a minister has urged fel-low ministers and men preparing for the min-istry to read at least one sermon by Spurgeona week.

Over the course of the next few articles wewill delve into some of the aspects of Spurgeon’spreaching that have made it so powerful anduseful, both as it was originally delivered andas Spurgeon, “though dead still speaks” by hisprinted sermons. There is no single discipline

that has helped me keepmy preaching fresh andChrist-centered fromweek to week (exceptperhaps listening totapes of fine sermonspreached in our ownday) than the disciplineof letting the great Mr.Spurgeon preach to meas I read selections fromthe volumes of his ser-mons. I trust that thesearticles will whet yourappetite for the feastthat awaits you in theworks of this uniqueman of God who “had anintuitive knowledge ofthe ways of God and ofthe needs of the humanheart, and in all hispreaching his one object

was to commend God to men.” (WilliamRobertson Nicoll, editor of the Expositer's Bible).

For the past sixteen years Will-iam Shishko has served as pas-tor of the Franklin Square, NYcongregation of the OrthodoxPresbyterian Church. He is alsoserving, at present, as a mem-ber of the Christian EducationCommittee and of the Subcom-mittee on Equipping OrdainedOfficers which is responsible foroversight of this publication.

“There is a story told of me and someperson who desired to see me on aSaturday night, when I had shutmyself up to make ready for theSabbath. He was very great andimportant, and so the maid came tosay that someone desired to see me.I directed her to say that it was myrule to see no one at that time. Thenhe was more important still, andsaid, “Tell Mr. Spurgeon that aservant of the Lord Jesus Christdesires to see him immediately.” Thefrightened servant brought themessage but gained little by it, formy answer was. 'Tell him I am busywith his Master, and cannot seeservants now.’”

— from “Spurgeon at His Best” byTom Carter, Baker Book House, 1988.

BOOK REVIEW


Creation and Change: Genesis 1.1-2.4 in the Light ofChanging Scientific Paradigms., by Douglas F. Kelly(Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications - Men-tor imprint) 1997. 252 pp. + Select Bibliography,Scripture /Persons/Subject Indexes. Reviewed byRev. Harry Zekveld.

“There is only one way for massive intellectual,moral, and cultural healing to occur, and it entails arevolutionary ‘paradigm shift’ from mythologicalevolution to a Scripturally revealed and scientifi-cally realistic paradigm of special, divine creation”(p. 245). That’s Kelly’s concluding challenge. Kellysteps out to do what few conservative Reformedtheologians have dared to do. He calls the churchback to a straightforward,literal reading of the firsttwo chapters of Genesis!

Douglas Kelly is pres-ently serving on the fac-ulty of Reformed Theologi-cal Seminary at Charlotte,NC, as Professor of Sys-tematic Theology. Thisbook grew out of an adultSunday School Class hetaught at the First Presby-terian Church of Jackson,MS. While its mixture ofcareful biblical exegesisand intricate scientificanalysis may make it a littletough going at times (Iwonder if it is as accessible to the general public ashe hopes), this will provide college students with agood textbook on the role of faith in science. Eachthe chapters conclude with “Questions for Study.”These questions, together with the teacher’s StudyGuide that is being—or has already been—pro-duced, could make this book useful for Bible Studyclasses.

Finally! - a Reformed theologian who is willing(and able) to make a sustained defense of Creationex nihilo in the space of six ordinary days! Untilrecently only the Creation Scientists have been will-ing to do so. Also, lately, Philip Johnson and MichaelBehe have taken the evolutionary scientists to task.But we need Bible scholars who will also take evo-lutionary exegetes to task. Kelly does this. Accord-ing to him, a ‘progressive creationist’ is more cor-rectly named an ‘evangelical evolutionist.’

This book is no cheap shot at evolutionism. Theauthor has thoroughly researched his subject bothin the area of theology and science, even though heclaims to be no expert in the latter. He frequentlyacquaints us with the thinking of church fathers,leads us into several Latin and French works, andserves us with an impressive bibliography. In addi-tion to the Select Bibliography, each chapter hasappended a section of “Technical and Bibliographi-cal Notes.”

Ever since the advocates of old earth and evolu-tionary dogma have come on board, theologians -even the greatest and most conservative - haveretreated into a corner when it comes to the inter-

pretation of Gen. 1-11.The author’s concern is“the pervasive influenceof the interpretive prin-ciple held by so manyevangelical scholars thatone must take a funda-mentally differenthermeneutical approachto the first eleven chap-ters of Genesis from therest of Scripture (in orderto accommodate signifi-cant aspects of the natu-ralist world view)” (p.52). Liberal scholars don'thave this problem - theyadmit that the text of Gen-esis must be taken in the

literal, historical sense. They just don't believe whatit says. Evangelical scholars, however, clearly rec-ognize that they have a problem if they want toconcede to science on the one hand and hold toinerrancy on the other. So “a large percentage ofconservative evangelical scholars refuse to inter-pret the Genesis text in its plain historical or literalsense!” (p. 51).

Douglas Kelly calls for hermeneutical consis-tency and intellectual honesty among evangelicals.We must listen to Scripture speak as it addressesreal space/time issues. If we do not listen, then wewill find ourselves slipping into a deadly deism inwhich we no longer hear what the Bible says in thereal world. He quotes Scottish theologian JamesDenney: “The separation between the religious andthe scientific means in the end the separation of thereligious and the true; and this means that religion

Finally! - a Reformed theologianwho is willing (and able) to makea sustained defense of Creationex nihilo in the space of six ordi-nary days! Until recently only theCreation Scientists have beenwilling to do so. Also, lately,Philip Johnson and Michael Behehave taken the evolutionary sci-entists to task. But we need Biblescholars who will also take evo-lutionary exegetes to task. Kellydoes this.

BOOK REVIEW


dies among true men” (p. 17). Genesis 1 & 2 open upto us fundamental space/time issues which maynot be explained away. “[I]n order to grasp the truesituation, one must let [God] relate how He did it,as regards space, matter and time” (p. 78).

In twelve chapters, the author takes us throughthe creation week. The opening chapter, “Creation:Why it Matters and How it is Scientifically Viable”discusses the inescapably religious starting point ofthe scientist. “Either one begins with faith in aneternal God or with faith in eternal matter. There isnothing in between (p. 26). Lately, evolutionaryscientists are frustrated by the limits of a closeduniverse and are submitting to the reality of design.Kelly argues that only the Bible provides a logicaland intelligent starting point for investigating thecreation.

In Chapter 2, “Inter-pretation and Outline ofthe First Three Chaptersof Genesis,” the author ar-gues that we must read this part of Scripture aschronological history, not as poetry or allegory.The following two chapters, “An Absolute Begin-ning” and “Day One of Creation” are a defense ofcreatio ex nihilo from Gen. 1:1-3. He confirms thisteaching using the two laws of Thermodynamicsto argue that matter simply cannot explain ori-gins. In addition, “the irreducibly complex struc-ture of functioning biological systems such ascells cry out for an absolute beginning by an‘intelligent Designer'” (p. 63).

Chapter 5, “Creation of Angels and ‘The GapTheory,’” shows how the Gap theory seriouslyconflicts with the teaching that the creation was allvery good (Gen. 1:31). Chapter 6, “‘Days’ of Cre-ation - Their Biblical Meaning,” is a significantchapter not only because of his careful exegesis ofthe Hebrew word “yom” but also because the au-thor does a fine job of critiquing the ‘FrameworkHypothesis.’ This hypothesis places an “axiomaticdisjunction between literary form and literal mean-ing, that does not come from the Bible itself” (p.115). An outside philosophical position is at workin this dichotomy which threatens to empty theactual words of historical truth and fill them withthe interpreter’s own meaning. Kelly also showshow the New Testament writers assumed a plain,chronological understanding of the early chaptersof Genesis.

Chapters 7 and 8 require a more scientific mind.In these chapters the author uses arguments fromthe decreasing speed of light and physical chro-nometers to support a young earth position. Hebegins by admitting that these two chapters are“much more tenuous than the rest of the book” (p.137) because thus far the scientific evidence is in-conclusive. Nevertheless, the Scriptural evidence“clearly favors” a young earth. Looking at the gene-alogies, it appears that they contain far fewer gaps(if any) than we have been led to believe. “It is betterto be honest and face the facts of the case: a straight-forward reading of Holy Scripture teaches an earthonly a few thousand years old. This is irreconcilablewith the vast ages posited by the evolutionaryhypothesis” (p. 142).

The three chapters thatfollow give a somewhatbrief explanation of Days 2-6 of Creation. There is goodmaterial in these chaptersfor sermon preparation on

the days of Genesis 1. The author includes refuta-tions of abiogenesis (development of life from in-animate materials) and mutations between kinds.

Finally, the book closes with a chapter entitled,“The Sabbath Day and the Orientation of the WholeCreated Order Towards the Worship of God.” Theauthor argues that the Sabbath is embedded in thevery structure of created life for the purpose ofremembering our Creator. It orients us toward thefuture, directing our gaze and activities toward ahigher world “where we shall by and by enjoyendless fellowship with our Creator and Redeemer!”(p. 243).

In my view, the author’s exegesis is persuasive.However, at times the reader would have beenbetter served if the author had given a more lucidexplanation of key grammatical points from theHebrew, such as: why Gen. 1:1 is an absolute clause,why Gen. 2:4 is a superscription, and how Gen. 2:5anticipates a post-fall environment.

One item that was lacking was a definitivestatement on the relation of biblical exegesis toempirical investigation. The author moves back andforth from exegesis to scientific data between chap-ters and within chapters without clearly statingtheir connection. He should have led us in thinkingthrough this connection more self-consciously.

It’s time that we let the textspeak for itself again.

BOOK REVIEW


This is an important book. In the past I learnedthat one should snicker at the mention of the Cre-ation Scientists, and break into a laugh when BishopUssher was named. Kelly puts a stop to that. Heshows that their conclusions about the formationand age of the earth deserves a long, hard look.Above all he demonstrates courage that is much-lacking in our churches and seminaries - the cour-age to be honest with the text of Scripture in regardsto origins. Too long we have been grasping at twocontradictory worldviews, hoping for a handful ofboth. We’ve wanted to hang on to the event-charac-ter of certain dear truths of creation and the fall, butwe refused to root these truths in proper exegesisfor fear that we would have to say too much aboutcreation. We went after historical-redemptive ne-cessity rather than exegetical necessity. It’s timethat we let the text speak for itself again.

Douglas Kelly is conversant with a broad rangeof authors in biblical scholarship, science, and phi-losophy It makes his book a rich read.

Harry Zekveld iscurrently pastor of theCornerstone UnitedReformed Church inSanborn, Iowa. He wasnurtured in theChristian Reformed

Church in Canada, and completedstudies for the ministry at Mid-America Reformed Seminary in 1995.

Challenges in Preachingby

James Visscher

There are habits, and then, there are habits. Someare good and some are bad. Some are beneficial andrecommended; some are detrimental and to be avoided.Among the former category there is one that has gen-erally stood me in good stead, and that is to find andread at least one book on preaching during my summerholidays. Of course, there have been years when thishabit has paid only meager dividends; however, thispast summer I once again struck pay dirt.

It came in the form of a book entitled Christ-Centered Preaching (Baker, 1994). It is written by BryanChapell who is professor of homiletics (preaching) andpresident of Covenant Theological Seminary in St.Louis, Missouri.

Here is a book that I can wholeheartedly recom-mend to every one of our readers, and to you pastors inparticular. If there is one book about preaching thatshould be on your reading list this year, this is the one.I say that for a variety of reasons. For one, here is a bookthat is clearly written, well illustrated, complete with

questions and exercises. In other words, an excellenttext for those preparing for the ministry and a greatrefresher for those already in ministry. For another,here is a book that gives wise counsel and necessaryinstruction on the principles and preparation of ex-pository sermons. Then too, here is a book that seeks tohelp preachers preach Christ-centered messages.

The standard approach when reviewing a booksuch as this would be to elaborate on each of the abovereasons; however, it may be more insightful for you to seehow Chapell deals with a number of challenges that areclosely associated with preaching. What kind of chal-lenges am I referring to?

DEFINING A SERMON

What is a sermon? What sets a sermon apartfrom a series of statements? Chapell says that for a ser-mon to be a sermon it needs to possess unity, purpose andapplication.

BOOK REVIEW


With “unity,” he means that a sermon can only beabout one thing, have one theme, possess one unifyingconcept. The preacher should be able to state that themein one sentence.

With “purpose,” Chapell introduces us to what hecalls “The Fallen Condition Focus” or the FCF. He definesthe FCF as “the mutual human condition that contempo-rary believers share with those to or for whom the textwas written that requires the grace of the passage.” Hencepreachers need to ask not only “what does the text say?”and “what concerns does the text address?” but also“what do my listeners share in common with those towhom the message was first written?”

With “application,” the author says that everypreacher has to have one question at the top of the list.And the question? It is “So What?” Chapell states that“the message remains uncooked without thoughtful, true-to-the text application…a grammar lesson is not a ser-mon. A sermon is not a textual summary, a systematicsdiscourse, or a history lesson…Preachers who cannotanswer a ‘So What?’ will preach to a ‘Who cares?’…Weare not ministers of information, we are ministers ofChrist’s transformation.”

RIGHTLY VIEWING THE TEXT

Chapell entitles his third chapter “The Priorityof the Text” and insists that this is the place where everypreacher must start. “The text itself is the source of thetruths we ultimately present.” But what constitutes atext? It needs to be “an expository unit” which he definesas “a large or small portion of Scripture from which thepreacher can demonstrate a single spiritual truth withadequate supporting facts or concepts arising within thescope of the text.”

In elaborating on a proper viewing of the text,Chapell deals with sermon length (no hard and fast rulecan be laid down), series sermons (recommended, butthere are pitfalls), contexts (what to preach is influencedby the calendar, situation, events, catechisms, and aboveall the Holy Spirit), cautions (do not avoid familiar text, orsearch for obscure ones, or use spurious ones), tools of thetrade (Study Bibles, lexicons, concordances, dictionaries,commentaries), principles of interpretation (consider thecontext, use the grammatical-historical method, observethe historical, cultural, and literary context, determine theredemptive context).

In his next chapter the author continues to explainhow the preacher should regard the Word. In the processhe makes a strong plea for expository preaching as theonly approach that does justice to the Scriptures. As hesays, “expository preaching does not merely obligatepreachers to explain what the Bible says, it obligates them

to explain what the Bible means in the lives of peopletoday.” He quotes with approval the words of John A.Broadus, “the application of the sermon is not merely anappendage to the discussion or a subordinate part of it,but is the main thing to be done.”

To support his view Chapell cites biblical passagessuch as Luke 24:27-32; Neh. 8:5-8; 1 Tim. 4:13; 2 Tim. 4:2to explain that true exposition involves three elements:presentation of the Word, explanation of the Word andexhortation based on the Word. Or, using the moretraditional terminology, expository preaching consists ofthe three components of explanation, illustration andapplication. As for how much attention is to be given toeach component, that will vary depending on any num-ber of factors ranging from text to preacher to audience.

Still, true preaching is not just a matter of methodand approach, it also involves attitude. In that connec-tion, Chapell has some wise words to say about thepreacher's need to see himself as someone under divineauthority, as someone who should preach in a biblicalmanner, as someone who reflects humble boldness, andas someone who strives for Christ-likeness.

GETTING A HANDLE ON THE TEXT

After dealing with the underlying principles ofexpository preaching, Chapell goes on to address thepreparation. Here he gives some much needed directionin what I would call “the mechanics of preaching.” Forexample, as preachers handle the text, they need to asksix basic questions:

1. What does the text mean?2. How do I know what the text means?3. What concerns caused the text to be written?4. What do we share in common with: a) Those to (or

about) whom the text was written and/or— b) Theone by whom the text was written?

5. How should people now respond to the truths of thetext?

6. What is the most effective way I can communicatethe meaning of the text?

In addition, they need to take four necessarysteps. First, they need to “observe…listen to the text,absorb it, wrestle with it, digest it, immerse in it, breathit in as God's breath, pray over it.” Second, they needto “interrogate” and this involves exegeting the pas-sage (what does it say?), outlining the passage (howdoes it fit together?), backgrounding the text (wheredoes it fit?). Third, they need to “relate” which meansto “consider the impact the information should haveon the congregation.” Fourth, they need to “organize”their research in such a way that they have some ideaof sequence and order, that they have exhausted and

BOOK REVIEW


covered it all, that they have highlighted certain ideasand subordinated others.

MOVING FROM TEXT TO SERMON

Yet if Chapell helps us to interact in a proper waywith the text, he also helps us to move beyond the text tothe sermon. How does he do so? By stressing that “a well-planned sermon begins with a good outline—a logicalpath for the mind.”

What are some of the principles that lead to a goodoutline? Chapell mentions the following: unity, brevity,harmony, symmetry, progression, distinction and culmi-nation. Becoming more specific, he also spends sometime on “the proposition” or the theme of a sermon, andconcurs with the words of Henry Jowett who once wrote,“I am of the conviction that no sermon is ready forpreaching, nor ready for writing out, until we can expressits theme in a short, pregnant sentence as clear as crystal.”

From the theme or proposition, Chapell moves onto describe how to develop the main points and empha-sizes that “each main point is a division of the thoughtpresented in the proposition.” Next, he deals with sub-points: their types and positron. Finally, he comes to “thebasic F-O-R-M” meaning that each outline should be

Faithful to the text,Obvious from the text,Related to the Fallen Condition Focus, andMoving towards a climax.”

GETTING THE MESSAGE ACROSS

If one of the great challenges of preaching has to dowith moving from the text to the sermon, then surelyanother has to do with making the sermon effective.Chapell cites Reuel Howe who interviewed a host ofpeople and came away with the following complaintsabout sermons:

1) sermons often contain too many complex ideas;2) sermons have too much analysis and too little an-

swer;3) sermons are too formal and too impersonal;4) sermons use too much theological jargon;5) sermons are too propositional, not enough illustra-

tions;6) too many sermons simply reach a dead end and give

no guidance to commitment and action.

So what is the solution? Chapell believes that it liesin the use of illustrations. At one time he was not soconvinced but now he takes the view that “they areessential to effective exposition not merely because theystimulate interest, but also because they expand anddeepen our understanding of the text.” To prove his caseChapell cites a long list of famous preachers who all used

illustrations. More important yet, he cites the preachingof the Lord Jesus Christ Himself of whom it is said that“He did not say anything to them without using a par-able” (Mark 4:34).

Still, there is always a difference between knowingwhat should be done and actually doing it. Chapellrealizes this and so goes out of his way to teach hisreaders the art of illustrating. In addition, he realizes thatillustrations can be abused and gives some needed point-ers about using them prudently and pastorally.

APPLYING THE SERMON

Chapell is convinced, however, that expositorypreaching is more than a matter of proper illustrations, italso has to do with powerful applications. Early on in hisbook he touches on the need for application in the preach-ing. When he deals with sermon preparation, he comesback to it again.

What does he say about the practice of application?For openers, he notes that “preachers make a fundamen-tal mistake when they assume that by providing parish-ioners with biblical information the people will auto-matically make the connection between scriptural truthand their everyday lives.” He quotes David Veermanwho says “simply stated, application is answering twoquestions: So what? and Now what? The first questionasks, ‘Why is this passage important to me?’ The secondasks, ‘What should I do about it today?’” He also cites C.Trimp who said, “God caused the Word spoken in thosedays to be put in writing with a view to us and oursalvation…A respect for the true nature of the Bibleopens the way for applied explanation in preaching. “

Yet once again agreeing that something must bedone and actually doing it can be two different things. Tohelp us bridge the gap between principle and practiceChapell dwells on the components of application. Theycan be captured in four key questions:

WHAT? (What does God now require of me?),WHERE? (Where does he require it of me?),WHY? (Why must I do what he requires?),HOW? (How can I do what God requires?).

Following a brief explanation of each of these ques-tions, the author goes into the structure of application, aswell as its difficulty. As he does so he continually comesup with pithy and insightful comments. Here is a lengthyone:

Sound application ventures out of hypotheticalabstraction and elbows its way into business practices,family life, social relationships, societal attitudes, per-sonal habits, and spiritual priorities. Application dis-rupts lives and as a result is the point at which listeners

are most likely to tune out a sermon. Whether we like itor not, the breaking point of most sermons is application.

MAKING THE SERMON CHRISTOLOGICAL

In the third main part of his book Chapell developswhat is called “A Theology of Christ-Centered Mes-sages.” How does he do this? For starters he takes upagain the matter of FCF - Fallen Condition Focus andworks it out in greater detail. Referring to 1 Cor. 9:8-12,he highlights the phrase “this was written for us” toshow that what Moses said long ago was applied inPaul’s day and, by extension, should be applied in ourday too. Repeatedly, in one way or another, Scripturereveals our fallen condition. Why? To highlight the needand way of redemption.

And yet not every text is directly or obviouslyredemptive, so what is a preacher to do with those thatare silent? He is to realize that every text has a context.Every text is part of a whole. Indeed, every text has to doin some sense with God and with His redeeming workthrough Jesus Christ. “The Bible” states Chapell, “is nota self-help book. The Scriptures present one, consistent,organic message. They tell us how we must seek Christwho alone is our Saviour and source of strength to be anddo what God requires.”

At the same time the author warns us that mes-sages that are not Christ-centered or redemptively fo-cused become man-centered. More often than not theypromote the “deadly Be’s.” Under this category we have“‘Be Like’ Messages” which stress that listeners muststrive to be like a particular biblical personality. We alsohave “‘Be Good’ Messages” which assume that believerscan secure their relationship with God by adopting rightbehaviour. We have “‘Be Disciplined’ Messages” thaturge believers to improve their relationship with God bytrying harder. All such messages, says Chapell, are deadly

because they assume that we are able to do somethingourselves about our fallen condition. They bypass thesaving work of Christ.

Biblical preaching is Christocentric preaching. Itbecomes that not just by citing the name of Jesus or someevent in His life. It becomes that by demonstrating “thereality of the human predicament that requires divinesolution.”

Moving from such general statements Chapell be-comes specific and suggests a procedure for redemptiveexposition. He also presents us with models, messagesand marks of redemptive exposition. Again, there ismuch to learn from his perceptive comments on Christ-centered preaching.

As well there is much to learn from what he saysabout sermon introductions, conclusions and transitions.The same can be said for the appendices where Chapelldeals with delivery, dress, style, divisions, proportions,methods of preparation, methods of presentation, read-ing Scripture, wedding messages, funeral messages, evan-gelistic messages, study resources and sample sermonevaluation form.

In conclusion, here is a book that should be readand reread by every preacher of the Word. It will helpyou greatly as you seek, with God's help, to meet thechallenges of preaching.

Dr. James Visscher is pastor of theLangley, B.C. Canadian ReformedChurch. He also edits an excellentperiodical for elders and deaconscalled DIACONIA from which thisreview has been taken by permission.

Vol. 7, No. 2 O R D A I N E D S E R V A N TE R V A N T ORDAINED SERVANT Statement Of Purpose...

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