Friends, the church must foster the art of courage—a boldness that holds its strength in meekness—like the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep, who could have called down 12 legions of angels with a word.Long ago, Aesop told a fable about a Lion. This supposedly fearsome ruler of the wild heard a hollow and startling voice, but did not see anyone to accompany the voice—so the lion grew terribly afraid. After some moments of great dread, a frog hopped out of the lake and on to the shore where the lion could finally see who was making the noise. Realizing he was frightened by such an insignificant animal, the lion proceeded to stomp the frog to bits with his claws.
Aesop told some clever and revealing tales—and this one is not unlike the rest. Sadly, this fable may resonate in our age with those of us in the church. There appears to be one of two extremes common among the people of God—the extremes of the lion. Either shrinking back when we ought not. Or viciously thundering forth when we ought not. It seems the church may need to regain the lost art of courage, for there are those who shy away from battles that must be taken up, and there are those who don bravado and (seemingly) do nothing but battle. What may be lacking in these two poles is the biblical concept of “meekness”—or courage, rightly carried.
The Apostle Paul in Titus 1, speaks to the young evangelist, and lays out to Titus (and by extension, us) a list of qualifications we are all familiar with; the qualifications of elders. After Paul walks through these character qualities he points out that these godly attributes lead somewhere. The character of these leaders have a purpose, a goal, a particular practice. You see, it is not enough to have godly character, the scriptures expect us to rightly labor in accord with that Christ-like character.
Read More

Southeast Alabama Presbytery approved an overture at a March 31, 2022 Called Meeting, asking the 49th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America to “amend BCO 16 by adding a new paragraph using wording from the Report of the Ad Interim Committee on Human Sexuality.”

The Overture presents proposed wording to amend BCO 16 by adding a fourth paragraph.The overture argues that since the 48th General Assembly in 2021 voted unanimously to commend the Human Sexuality Report, it seems appropriate to ask the 49th General Assembly to approve wording to add to BCO 16. The proposed wording provides the following:
16-4. Those whom God calls to bear office in His Church shall demonstrate maturity of faith and growing conformity to Jesus Christ. While these office bearers will see spiritual perfection only in glory, they will continue in this life to confess and to mortify remaining sins. Thus, those who identify or describe themselves according to their specific sins, or who teach that it is acceptable for Christians to identify or describe in such a manner, shall not be approved for service by any court of Christ’s Church.
An overture is a means by which a Presbytery can bring a matter to the GA for consideration. This overture will be considered by the 49th PCA General Assembly at its meeting in Birmingham, Ala., June 20-24, 2022.
Whereas, the Westminster Standards make a categorical distinction between the “state of sin” and the “state of grace” (WCF 9.3-4); and
Whereas, ever since the Fall, man is naturally in the “state of sin” in which he has lost all                ability to will and to do any spiritual good and is a slave to the penalty, guilt, and power of sin (WCF 9.3); and
Whereas, in the state of sin, his sin defines who he is, and he must rightly conceive of himself and label himself as a fornicator, idolater, adulterer, homosexual, thief, drunkard, reviler, and swindler (1 Cor. 6:9-10); in this state of sin, that is how he is to consider himself and identify himself because he is a slave to sin; and
Whereas, when the Holy Spirit works faith in man, uniting him to Christ in his effectual calling, he is translated into the “state of grace” (WCF 9.4; WSC 30) and partakes of the benefits of justification, adoption, and sanctification (WSC 30-32); and
Whereas, in this state, while he does not perfectly or only will that which is good but also that which is evil (due to his remaining corruption), he is freed from bondage to sin and by grace is enabled freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good (WCF 9.4); and
Whereas, the conversion from the state of sin to the state of grace is so dramatic and the distinction between the two so vast that the Christian is no longer to conceive of himself and label himself as a fornicator, idolater, adulterer, homosexual, thief, drunkard, reviler, and swindler; Scripture says such will not inherit the kingdom of God, “and such were some of you” (1 Cor. 6:9-11); in the state of grace, the believer is no longer to identify that way (e.g. as a fornicator, idolater, adulterer, etc.) for “you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:9-11); because of his union with Christ, his specific sins no longer define who he is; and
Whereas, due to remaining corruption, the Christian can still speak of himself as a sinner in the present tense (1 Tim. 1:12-16) as one who continues to experience and battle with the presence and pollution of sin (Gal. 5:17; Rom. 7:14-25) and even at times feel as though he is enslaved to sin (Rom. 7:14); however, the truth is that the believer is no longer a slave to sin, having been freed from slavery to its guilt (Rom. 3:24; Eph. 1:7), its penalty (Gal. 3:13), and its power (1 Pet. 1:18-19; Rom. 6:6); and
Whereas, while of course the Christian is (and can say he is) a sinner (1 Tim. 1:12-16), he is no longer to identify himself with his specific sins; as Paul says, “Such were some of you” (1Cor. 6:9-11), and “Though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent… I received mercy… in Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 1:13-14); and
Whereas, instead of considering himself as a drunkard or an adulterer or a homosexual, the Christian is commanded to have a different self-conception: “You must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:11); and
Whereas, the Christian may continue to struggle with the same sins all his life long; such a believer should not consider himself a drunkard or an adulterer or a homosexual but rather a Christian who struggles with the temptation to drunkenness, adultery, or homosexuality; and who is repentant if or when he succumbs to such temptations; and
Whereas, BCO 16-1 reads, “Ordinary vocation to office in the Church is the calling of God bythe Spirit, through the inward testimony of a good conscience, the manifest approbationof God’s people, and the concurring judgment of a lawful court of the Church;” and
Whereas, BCO 16-2 reads, “The government of the Church is by officers gifted to representChrist, and the right of God’s people to recognize by election to office those so gifted isinalienable. Therefore no man can be placed over a church in any office without the election, or at least the consent of that church;” and
Whereas, BCO 16-3 reads, “Upon those whom God calls to bear office in His Church He bestows suitable gifts for the discharge of their various duties. And it is indispensable   that, besides possessing the necessary gifts and abilities, natural and acquired, every one admitted to an office should be sound in the faith, and his life be according to godliness. Wherefore every candidate for office is to be approved by the court by which he is to be ordained;” and
Therefore, be it resolved that BCO 16 be amended by adding 16-4 as a new paragraph with the following wording (underlining for new wording):
16-4. Those whom God calls to bear office in His Church shall demonstrate maturity of faith and growing conformity to Jesus Christ. While these office bearers will see spiritual perfection only in glory, they will continue in this life to confess and to mortify remaining sins. Thus, those who identify or describe themselves according to their specific sins, or who teach that it is acceptable for Christians to identify or describe in such a manner, shall not be approved for service by any court of Christ’s Church.
Approved by Southeast Alabama Presbytery on March 31, 2022.Attested by TE Kevin Corley, Clerk

The Christmas rags remind us that God has shown His greatest love in the most ignoble birth. In that, He can empathize with us He too was brought down low. He left the splendor of heaven to recline in a feeding trough made for pigs. Why? So that we would never wonder if God was too busy to notice us, too high and lofty to care for us, or too concerned with other matters to reach you. He proved His love for us when He left the highest places in heaven to dwell in the lowest parts of earth.

When our Lord visited the earth, He didn’t come in on a 1000-horsepower jet-fueled celestial chariot for everyone to see. He didn’t topple the world’s greatest empire with heaven’s version of the seal team six. And He did not sit down upon His rightful throne to reign. At least not at first. He came initially to the warm, quiet darkness of a poor virgin’s womb, just as He promised (Gen. 3:15).
In so doing, our Lord submitted to the same human gestation that He joyfully designed. He was fed from the same umbilical cord He artfully invented. And He became dependent upon the mother He wove together in his grandmother’s womb. The artist indeed painted Himself into His own masterpiece.
Upon His birth, the King of all glory wasn’t welcomed with festivals, celebrations, and feasting befitting His majesty. No heralds were sent out from Bethlehem that evening. There were no government holidays or observances sanctioned. Just the humble cry of a newborn babe wrapped in common rags. But why?
Here, we must lift our gaze above the Hallmark card nativity scenes to see the point of what was happening. Jesus wasn’t draped with a warm, cuddly, baby blanket his mother got at Target. He was not swallowed up in a plush baggy onesie because auntie Elizabeth bought him the wrong size. Instead, he was bound with tight strips of linen, making him look more like a miniature mummy than a precious moments model. But again, why?
At that time, such a tight and restrictive binding was used to simulate a mother’s womb. A newborn child had recently spent more than 9 months cramped in an ever-tightening uterus. So, bindings like this would have made the baby most comfortable as he adapted to a wide-open world. But for Jesus, the symbolism is far more profound and gets right at the heart of the Gospel. Let us explore.
First, we know from Scripture that the angels directed a group of herdsmen to go and find the child. He also told them to view these linen rags, wrapped around the body of Christ, as a great sign unto them, convincing them of who He is and what He had come to do. It says in Luke 2

“In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” – Luke 2:8-14

The rags upon Jesus’ body were a sign meant to be looked at, noticed, and pondered in such a way that they would come to believe these three specific truths.

He was born for their good news.

He was born for the world’s great joy.

He was born to be Savior, Christ, and Lord.

Born for Their Good News
When the Shepherds viewed those shabby rags, it was meant to be a sign unto them. It was to be a good message. A joyful message. It was a definitive statement from God that communicated eternally good news to His people. But there is more for us to consider here.
The word used in the text by the angelic fleet is the Greek word εὐαγγελίζω, which is where we get our verb “to evangelize” or, more accurately, “to proclaim the Gospel.” In those days, that word did not have a religious connotation. Instead, it was purely political. At that time, a “gospel” message was a good news report about a victory in battle, a call to celebrate an emperor’s birthday, or a declaration that a new child had been born into the royal family. When these good news events occurred, singing heralds would be sent throughout the empire to alert the people so they could celebrate together.
But, just because something was good news in Rome did not necessarily make it good news worth celebrating in Judah.
Read More
Related Posts: