Our liberty in Christ is not to be wielded as a club, that we might beat up the weaker brother (see Rom. 14:15). Nor is it to be used to create a club where some believers are “in” and others are “out” (see Col. 2:18). The highest expression of Christian freedom is to serve others in love (Gal. 5:13). Part of Christian charity is taking into account all the factors that exist in each person and personality (e.g., feelings, tastes, and temperaments) and acting accordingly.

A stone’s throw away from where our family lives, there is a scent-manufacturing facility that produces large quantities of fragrances and perfumes. On our way home, we often smell the potent and sweet scents wafting in our direction. In Psalm 133, David captures the aroma of God’s dwelling place, of being in the congregation of the faithful. He likens the communion of saints to the fragrant oil that cascaded down on Aaron. Poured out on the high priest’s head, the oil flowed down on the beard, and then down from his collar to the rest of his garments. This consecrated oil was a unique blend made by a chosen perfumer, and the Lord prohibited the concocting of this composition for any other purpose (Ex. 30:22–33). It was a one-of-a-kind recipe applied only to the furnishings of the tabernacle and the Levitical priests.

The “nowhere else to be found” oil, according to David, points to the exceptional peace that characterizes the gathered worshipers of the Lord. When we reflect on the relationship between the holy anointing oil of Exodus 30 and the unity of the people of God in Psalm 133, we are drawn to the conclusion that when it comes to the bonds between believers in Christ—brothers and sisters in the Lord in the church—there is nowhere else in human society where such peace can be found.
The Lord Jesus defines His disciples not only as recipients of His peace (John 14:27) but also as His “peacemakers” (Matt. 5:9). In other words, much as a doctor “practices” medicine or an attorney “practices” law, the vocation of Christians is to be practitioners of peace. The working out of this calling demonstrates that we have been in the school of the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6) and that the shalom of His kingdom permeates and seasons our life together (see Col. 3:15). The heavenly fountainhead of this peace is none other than the Holy Spirit (see Rom. 14:17), meaning that such harmony is attained not by a grassroots movement in pooling our resources but by partaking of the grace and wisdom from above (see James 3:17).

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Spirit of Fear is a large part of how the evil powers will attempt to control everyone. It is already started. My brethren. Stay in prayer. Obey the Lord. I am convinced that the Church Age is nearly over, but rough times are ahead for us until our Lord takes us home. Now is the time to be those mature believers who draw near to God as we resist the Devil in every part of our lives. Do not be deceived!

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)
Over on Gab today I watched a video of how the whole world has been deliberately dumbed down through consumerism. What I mean is those who bought into loving the world and the things of this world have never really matured as our parents or grandparents did who were much more self-reliant. The result of this has produced a few generations of spoiled people easily manipulated through fear. What fear? They fear that things will change and what they depend on or what they love will be taken away. Their cushy lifestyles are threatened by a so-called pandemic and they will do whatever they are told to do get back to that so-called “normalcy.”
I know people personally who have gotten the Covid-19 virus. One died, the rest have recovered and are doing fine. I know a couple right now that are going through that process. Yes, it is a real virus. No one is saying it is fake, however, the national recovery rate of this virus is still over 99% regardless of whether those who are infected have been vaccinated or not. So why are our governments trying to lock everything down and make people wear useless masks and make everyone fearful?
These governments are caving into a hidden power that threatens them with assassination or war or whatever to make them comply to their global agenda. What is the result? Lies, lies, and more lies to make everyone even more fearful to make them comply and controllable. The person I watched in the video said that consumerism has dumbed down the people to make them easy to control.
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The core of the issue addressed by the Eggert concurrence was a disagreement between a temporary session and some of the members of the congregation they were supposed to be serving and shepherding. All church members have a duty to honor their leaders, “to submit to the government and discipline of the Church, and to study her purity and peace.” But this submission does not mean members of a mission congregation must have their consciences bound by the preferences and recommendations of a temporary session comprised of men who are not members of the congregation.

How a church-plant, or “mission church,” (BCO 5-1) transitions to become a “Particular Church” is outlined in BCO 5-9.
Until a “mission church” becomes a particular church, the church plant is usually under the care of a Presbytery by means of one of two temporary arrangements. In the first arrangement, a commission of elders from the Presbytery is appointed to serve as a temporary session (BCO 15-1). In the second arrangement, the “mission church” is erected as a daughter church of another particularized congregation (BCO 5-3b), and the session of that particularized congregation serves as the overseeing session for the mission church.
A mission church is usually served by a “church planter” who is also a member of the commission serving as session (BCO 5-4a). This church planter is called by Presbytery to do the work of ministry organizing the church plant/mission work with the hopes that it will one day be particularized according to the steps outlined in BCO 5-9.
A crucial step toward becoming a particular congregation is the election of a pastor and other  officers.
The election of a Teaching Elder can sometimes be confusing in the case of a mission work. Ordinarily, a church plant already has had a Teaching Elder ministering as a “church planter” among the saints in that congregation for quite some time. In many instances, the members of the church plant will elect that church planter “to be their pastor” (BCO 5-9f), but not always.
If the members of a congregation “choose not to continue the pastoral relationship” with the church planter, they are free to follow the steps of BCO 20 to elect a different pastor in the ordinary manner.
Before the Standing Judicial Commission (SJC) last year, there was a curious case that tested the principles of our Presbyterian polity and challenged the integrity of our Constitution regarding the selection of a pastor by a church plant.
A group of men from a mission work met with the session – including the church planter – overseeing the plant to express their desire that candidates other than the initial church planter be considered for the position of pastor.
It was an undeniable difficult situation. The church planter had labored for years, investing much of his time and energies in the church plant. But now a group of men from several households in the congregation went to the elders and expressed a disagreement with the church planter’s philosophy of ministry and vision for the work.
The Session responded to the men’s concerns by doing three things. First, the Session demanded the men repent of any sin whether of omission or commission against the church planter. Second, the Session demanded the men reaffirm their membership vows. And third, the Session reaffirmed its belief that one of their number should be “offered to the congregation as a candidate to serve as its pastor.”
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