The Awkward Duty of Encouragement
We understand that joy comes to us when others encourage us, but we don’t always think about how we gain joy when we encourage others. It’s easy to tear down, to disparage, to be critical. It’s hard to build up, spur others to godly action, and find the good in others. But to spur men to grow in Christ, they need to be encouraged. One of the gifts that Jesus uses to bring joy even in tribulations is the work of encouragement. Obviously, this best happens in the context of a church.
Remember that old beer commercial? A father and son are fishing on a pier in a stereotypical guy situation. On the verge of tears, the grown son pronounces to the father, “Dad, you’re my dad, and I love you, man.” It’s super awkward, until Dad gives the punchline: “Johnny, you can’t have my beer.” It was humorous, and went viral, because guys know you don’t do that. Why is encouragement so awkward for guys?
I can hazard some guesses. It’s emotional. Guys get uncomfortable when guys get emotional. And when emotion goes over the top, they look silly. Men don’t like silly. Moreover, in today’s gender-confused world, guys wonder how to express themselves to other guys. So we don’t. At other times, it can make the one you’re trying to encourage uncomfortable. I remember trying to complement a young pastor who preached an excellent sermon, and his response was a mild rebuke: “You know, Mack, flattery is a sin.”
Why go out of my way when it’s easier just to stay quiet? Besides, most guys seem to be doing fine anyway, right? Encouragement, however, is not just a good idea, but a biblical command — yes, even for men.
We could come at encouragement from many angles, but I’d like to learn from how God encourages the apostle Paul while he was under arrest, headed for trial in Rome. The risen Christ stood by him and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome” (Acts 23:11). Encouragement here came in three parts: past, present, and future.
Revisit Past Faithfulness
If there’s anything I have learned in my life, it’s how forgetful I am of Christ’s care. I have never risked for God without seeing his faithfulness. From taking that big scary step to lead a dorm Bible study as a new believer to moving to Iraq to pastor a church when I was 60, God was with me in those steps (and thousands of others). Yet with every step, I needed encouragement from friends and family and deep dives into Scripture to remember God’s trustworthiness.
I’m not alone in my forgetfulness. The Bible often encourages us by calling us to remember God’s faithfulness. This shines particularly brightly in the Psalms as the writers encourage God’s people, even amid despair and fear, to remember our Lord’s salvation (see Psalms 42–43).
No wonder our Lord has built remembrances into the believer’s life, from the Passover meal in Exodus to the meal instituted by Jesus. Alongside these, we ought to regularly speak encouragement to one another. Paul, for instance, tells the Thessalonians, “Encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
Over and again, in both the Old Testament and the New, we’re encouraged to remember the great salvation we have in Christ. That’s the key: the gospel. We’re called to encourage one another by remembering the work Jesus has accomplished on our behalf. So, encourage others specifically by reminding them of how God has worked in their past.
Take Heart in the Moment
The Bible also calls us to be encouraged in the moment. The greatest discouragements meet us in current moments: the hard news of a wayward child, the cancer diagnosis, the job loss, that unexplained darkness that descends upon our minds.
In Psalm 27:14, David says, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” This is patience in a moment of discouragement. The “take a deep breath; the Lord is with us” moment. When God encouraged Moses, the great promise was “I will go with you” (Exodus 33:14). God promises his presence in our consecutive moments.
One repeated way encouragement happens in the Bible is through fellowship. What a difference it makes to be surrounded by faithful believers during our hardest days.
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PCA’s Judicial Commission Vindicates the “Jonesboro 7,” Cites Abuse by Session
The Jonesboro 7 had suffered long and hard; they had been falsely accused, falsely convicted, barred from the Lord’s Table, but finally the Lord had vindicated His lambs, and He vindicated them through the ordinary Presbyterian process. It just took a while. But God did more than vindicate His lambs.
Editorial Note: What follows relies on official court filings and recollections by observers of a hearing before the PCA General Assembly’s Standing Judicial Commission.
This is Part Five in a series. You can read Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four. I have also written about this matter on PCA Polity. I have also collaborated with Zach Lott and TE Jonathan Brooks here to highlight the faithful submission of the men to the edicts of the Session.
You may listen to the Westminster Standard episode with Paul Harrell and Dominic Aquila here as Mr Harrell discusses his experiences and God’s faithfulness in trial.
A growing church plant in Jonesboro, Ark. was nearing the point of becoming a particular congregation of the PCA. A meeting for October 2020 had been scheduled to petition Covenant Presbytery for particularization and to elect officers. Seven men from the congregation, however, had concerns about TE Jeff Wreyford, the man called by Covenant Presbytery as church planter; they perceived him as too progressive, insufficiently focused on cultivating a distinctively Reformed and Presbyterian congregation, too quick to give up the pulpit, and overbearing.1
They took their concerns to both TE Wreyford as well as the Temporary Session overseeing the work; they indicated they would like to consider other candidates for pastor rather than TE Wreyford, whom the Session preferred to offer to the congregation.
The Session responded to the concerns of these men by investigating, indicting, convicting, and censuring the men. After the men appealed Session’s judgment, TE Jeff Wreyford resigned along with the rest of the Session, who were all on staff or elders at IPC Memphis.
TE Ed Norton travelled down from Memphis to Jonesboro to be part of a meeting to announce the Session’s resignation to the congregation and to inform them of their options going forward, since the Session was recommending closing the church due to the trouble the Session perceived in the congregation.
The meeting, audio of which was provided, was tense. Numerous questions were asked at the meeting. Members objected to not being consulted regarding the severance paid to TE Wreyford. Others wanted the Session to wait until the discipline case ran its course rather than give up on the little church mid-stream.
One man wondered what would happen if the Jonesboro 7 were exonerated on appeal. TE Norton explained he was unable to go into details of the case, but promised,
“Let’s say the commission comes back and they find for the Jonesboro…individuals … for me personally, I’d come back and apologize, because that’s what Christians do. We openly and readily confess…that’s part of the process…We are repentant…that’s part of the process…there’s never health in any body of believers unless there is confession and repentance, so you would find me coming back.”
The Presbytery Judicial Commission denied the appeal of the Jonesboro 7. So the men took their case to the General Assembly and prayed that God would grant them impartial judges, judges who were concerned for evidence, elders for whom words would have meaning, and elders who would be faithful to their vows to uphold the Scripture and the PCA Constitution.
A Lengthy Season of Waiting
Readers will recall Presbytery declined to give up on the church plant and instead appointed a new Session to oversee the work there.
Despite a new Session, the judgment of the old Session still hung over them; the men were still prohibited from partaking, by faith, in Christ’s body and blood in the bread and wine at the Lord’s Table. The men were still excluded from voting in any congregational meeting because of the judgment against them by the old Session. As such, it was necessary to appeal the case to the General Assembly.
An appeal to General Assembly takes time; it is worthy to remember the trouble began August 31, 2020 when the “Jonesboro 7” raised concerns with the Session regarding the Session’s preferred candidate for pastor. The Session sent a “Letter of Admonishment” with demands on September 9, 2020; Covenant Presbytery later ruled the letter imposed unlawful injunctions upon the men on May 18, 2021.
But just before Presbytery’s ruling against the Session, the men were indicted on May 5, 2021 by their Session for violations of the Fifth and Ninth Commandments. The Session tried, found them guilty, and barred them from the Lord’s Table in July 2021, which they appealed to Covenant Presbytery; Presbytery denied the appeal May 17, 2022. On May 23, 2022 the “Jonesboro 7” finally appealed to the PCA General Assembly. Their hearing before a panel of the Assembly’s Judicial Commission (SJC) was October 31, 2022.
I note these dates because it is important to recognize how long the process sometimes takes in order for justice to be rightly done and rightly received. In such times, it is vital to wait on the Lord, to remember those who suffer for the sake of Righteousness are blessed, and that God will vindicate His Name and His cause in His own time.
The Jonesboro 7 were represented at the hearing before the SJC by TE Dominic Aquila, a former SJC judge and past Moderator of the General Assembly.
Defending Presbytery’s Judgment
The hearing before a panel of the SJC was conducted virtually on October 31, 2022. It had many memorable exchanges, some of which will be conveyed in what follows.
Covenant Presbytery was represented before the SJC by TE Robert Browning, the Clerk of Covenant Presbytery and also on staff at IPC Memphis as well as RE Josh Sanford an employment lawyer from Little Rock, Ark. TE Tim Reed, who served on the Presbytery’s Judicial Commission assisted on the Presbytery’s Respondent team also.
Prior to the hearing, each side submitted Briefs framing the case. Presbytery’s Brief was curious in that it spent three of its eight pages summarizing the facts of the case rather than making a defense of the Presbytery’s findings. When the Presbytery’s Brief finally does begin to make its case, it draws from facts not related to the original charges or trial and seems somewhat to fixate on the fact the Jonesboro 7 had a former SJC judge, TE Dominic Aquila, helping them prepare their defense. All of which are irrelevant to a finding of guilt on the matters for which the Jonesboro 7 were indicted.
Improper Evidence? Or any Evidence?
Presbytery’s Respondents asserted in their Brief that the trial audio and transcript did not reveal any admission of improper evidence nor a denial of proper evidence. The Presbytery attempted to establish sufficient evidence of guilt by means of Prosecutor TE Mike Malone’s closing assertions:
“the transcript and audio recording of the trial summarized by the Prosecutor showed sufficient proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the Appellants were guilty of the offenses for which they were charged.”2
This is an important point; the SJC judges would later query not whether there was improper evidence of guilt admitted, but whether there was any guilt established. One Presbytery Respondent would concede before the SJC panel there was not much evidence put on at trial. Much of the hearing would center on questions from SJC judges asking not whether there was “much” evidence, but whether there was even a modicum of evidence.
Why Didn’t They Complain?
Covenant Presbytery’s Respondents would try to argue the claim of the Jonesboro 7 regarding the indictments being unconstitutionally vague was invalid because they did not complain (BCO 43) against the action of Session in drawing the indictments the way Session did. The Respondents attempted to portray the Jonesboro 7 as guilty rogues for not complaining against such indictments.
Covenant Presbytery tried to use the lack of a complaint against the unconstitutional indictments to show the Jonesboro 7 had a “disregard for those who were exercising proper spiritual oversight.”3
But what Covenant Presbytery’s Respondents failed to consider is that the PCA Constitution does not permit intermittent appeals, i.e. to complain in the midst of judicial process (BCO 43-1). A member of the SJC panel would later point this out to the Presbytery’s Respondents.
The only option open to the Jonesboro 7 was to see the process through and suffer under a process the SJC would later describe as having been abused. But as we’ll discuss later, the men’s use of process would later be proffered as evidence of guilt by Covenant Presbytery’s respondents.
As noted in Part One, this is perhaps an opportunity to further perfect the PCA Constitution.
The Indictments Were Valid…
Throughout the process, the Jonesboro 7 pressed their claim that the indictments against them were unconstitutionally vague. Presbytery’s Respondents countered that since the “Appendix G” to the BCO is simply advisory, the Session did not have to provide the specifics to how the men had sinned “in the days leading up to and following August 3, 2020…” in violation of the Fifth and Ninth Commandments. The Presbytery’s Brief did not interact at length with BCO 32-5, which states,
In drawing the indictment, the times, places and circumstances should, if possible, be particularly stated, that the accused may have an opportunity to make his defense. (emphasis added)
In denying the appeal, Covenant Presbytery asserted the phrase if possible provides “discretion to a court in specifying the particulars of ‘the times, places and circumstances’ in drawing up an indictment.”4 Covenant Presbytery’s interpretation of BCO 32-5 in the Harrell case is outrageous and does violence to the fundamentals of justice.
The SJC would later correct Covenant Presbytery’s fallacious reasoning and remind them the phrase, “if possible,” establishes a burden on the prosecutor and does not grant discretion to the Court. The PCA General Assembly would later describe the Temporary Session’s failure to include specifics in an indictment as, “unfair to an accused and violates basic principles of due process as required by our standards.”5
It is impossible to overstate the weight of Covenant Presbytery’s error on this point. The members of Covenant Presbytery would do well to adopt something enshrining the basic principles of due process in their Standing Rules, since a number of influential members of their Presbytery apparently failed to grasp basic principles of fairness and due process in this case (and continued to do so even in the Supplemental Brief; see below).
Until corrective action is taken in Covenant Presbytery, what happened to the Jonesboro 7 by a Session of Elders largely from IPC Memphis could happen again to anyone under that Presbytery’s jurisdiction.
Presbytery’s Arguments Not Accepted by SJC PanelRead More
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Evangelism and the Devil’s Darts
We need to be obedient to God’s command to go into the world and preach the gospel. Satan’s ultimate goal is to overthrow Christ and the church. But Ephesians 6:16 tells us specifically how to have victory in Christ by taking up the shield of faith which quenches the fiery darts. And believers are called to faith and action in resisting the devil’s darts. “Those who are born of God can overcome the world. The victory that overcomes the world is our faith” (I John 5:4).
The sign read, “You are now entering the mission field.” As we left the church property, I was reminded that the church’s mission in the world includes reaching the lost for Christ. Having recently visited several churches I was struck by the fact that little, if any, mention was made of the Great Commission and our Lord’s calling us to witness. Why then is the ministry of outreach so important yet so neglected? When it comes to participating in outreach ministry most folks are absent. Many can be labeled bystanders and bench warmers. They may be watching the game or on the team but not in the game.
I found help in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians by recognizing that the devil is bound and determined to keep us from making Christ known through our personal witness. Paul mentions in Eph. 6:16 the need to defend against the Devil’s “darts” and in Eph. 6, verse 11 we see the way to do this is with the full armor of God which we use against the Devil’s traps. We often treat the Devil’s attacks at best as nuisances and at worst as minor troubles. The Devil’s darts are deadly. They are aimed at the heart and meant to destroy.
In Paul’s description of believers as armor bearers (Eph. 6:10-17) he emphasizes the absolute necessity of faith as the way to victory over the devil’s dart attacks. John agrees when he writes in 1 John 5:4 that “faith is the victory that overcomes the world.” Satan is called the prince of this world. Paul encourages us to take up the shield of faith: “In every battle you will need faith as a shield.” The Romans fought with two types of shields. One was a small round shield used in hand-to-hand combat. It was easy to maneuver. The other shield was large and oblong in shape (2 ½ feet wide and 4 feet long). It was used for advancing into battle with others.
Enemies were faced with a solid wall of shields –row upon row–. This recognition of a powerful personal faith enables us in Christ to extinguish all the flaming darts (arrows) of the evil one. Paul writes, “Do not put out (extinguish) the Spirit’s fire” Thessalonians (5:19). The same word for extinguish is used there and in Ephesians 6. The point is that all flaming darts are able to be extinguished by the Holy Spirit working in and through us by faith. This is not deflection but complete destruction.
During their home ministry assignments, one of our long-time missionary families with Wycliffe Bible Translators used to come to our church to report on their ministry to the Chami Indians in Columbia, South America. Ron’s presentation always included dressing in the native dress and a demonstration using the native’s blow gun. The deadly darts were left at home since we didn’t want to lose any members that way, but they were used to kill. In the same way, the Devil’s darts are not made of harmless soft rubber but deadly flaming poison.
Quenching or extinguishing the devil’s darts is Paul’s goal for himself and for all other fellow believers. By examining the many darts the devil shoots, we can see how he seeks to limit our success in carrying out the Great Commission. How can you identify the darts that are shot to harm your spiritual life? Over the years, I have experienced many of those darts aimed me. I’ve identified at least eight specific darts which are common to believers; I call them the “Devil’s Ds: Doubt – Discouragement – Division – Delay – Difficulty – Deception – Danger – DistractionDOUBT
This “Devil D” makes going into the world without a confident assurance that God is present in the witnessing situation more difficult. Doubt often leads to fear – fear of the unknown or fear of the “what if”, fear of failure. These fears can create the belief that you can’t do this. The devil says “Don’t take a chance. People will think badly of you. You are not equipped.”
Sometimes the root of this “D” is unbelief- unbelief in God’s ability and maybe in His interest in a particular person. We may also not really believe in the reality of hell. We sometimes ignore our own accountability to be a part of the process of people coming to know and believe in Christ. Each person fulfills his own task. Some people plant the seed, some people water, but God makes the seed grow (I Cor. 3:6-8).
Doubts also may be present when we have been witnessing to someone for a long time with little movement toward Christ. In fact, doubts may increase. You may continue to pray for breakthroughs where there is evidence of continuing unbelief over a long period of time, even as much as fifty + years. The devil whispers “that’s enough.” Doubt and faith cannot coexist. Remember God’s word in James 1:5-8, “But when he asks, he must not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord, he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”
I recall at one of the churches I pastored, where I lead an Evangelism Explosion ministry. A young man, on his first night leading an EE Visitation Team as a trainer, was full of doubt and fear of failure as he led his team. We all prayed that God would overcome his doubt and fear. The team visited a young woman to whom he presented the gospel. She prayed to receive Christ as her Savior and Lord that night. I had the pleasure of officiating their wedding ceremony two years later.
Our confidence in witnessing does not come from ourselves. If it did, we would have no way to have assurance. Our confidence comes from God and his promises to us. Paul writes in Romans 10:17,” Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” By grace, we overcome doubt with faith.
The shield of faith deadens the dart of doubt.DISCOURAGEMENT
I can’t begin to tell you how many discouraging conversations and disappointments I’ve had with people who profess faith and walk away. They remind me of Jesus’ Parable of the Soils in Mark 4 and Matthew 13. Based on circumstances, situations are seen from a human perspective. So the discouragements are based on our ability to communicate the gospel. The work of God’s providence is at work behind the scenes as the Holy Spirit opens hearts and minds to a true belief in Christ. The devil tells us to stop wasting our time.
I am reminded of a witnessing opportunity I had with a college student. I was leading a visitation team from our church. He and his parents had visited our church. Our plan was to visit and present the gospel. It turned into a nightmare rather than a dream visit.
Our college friend was big into philosophy and I was a new Christian. Our team was overmatched. We were escorted from their house with a big “no thank you to a gospel invitation”. Fast forward a few years and I was attending a Christian conference. I was approached by a young man who asked if I knew who he was. I could not place him until he started telling me about that night at his house that I described above. He shared with me how that night was the beginning of his road to faith in Christ. He was now in seminary and heading for a career in full time vocational ministry.
We don’t often see this kind of result, but when we do it makes us realize that God is at work. The parable of the growing seed (Mark 4) illustrates this point. The seed is scattered indiscriminately on the ground. As with the parable of the soils too often our attempts to share Christ with others fail without bearing fruit. Mark states, “Night and day, whether the farmer eats or drinks some seeds sprout and grow, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces” (Mark 4:28).
I often pray for God to use me to bring someone to Christ who in turn will be much more fruitful than me. Success in personal evangelism is not measured in the number of converts but in obedience to Christ’s Great Commission. Be encouraged by the fact that you cannot fail if you obey. Paul summarizes this by simply saying, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).
The shield of faith deadens the dart of discouragement.DIVISION
This dart may be the most damaging of all since church relational problems often become public and open the door to the devil’s getting a foothold. My inclusion of division focuses on fractured relationships in the church. An emphasis on building strong, healthy church connections makes the ministry of church growth through personal evangelism a key to any church’s success. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:2-3 and Philippians 4:1-3 words that promote peace and unity, not fights and destruction.
We sinners, saved by grace, are at times vulnerable to the devil’s temptations. Nowhere is this more evident than in the ministry of personal evangelism which is prone to suffer due to conflicts which shift the focus of the church. The outward look becomes inward and stagnant. Conflicts in life are inevitable. The church is no exception. The devil uses conflicts to divide members of church groups into unholy factions. In Acts 6:1-2, the Grecian Jews felt neglected over the daily distribution of food. In Acts 15:36, Paul and Barnabas disagreed on whether to take Mark with them on their missionary journey. These and other conflicts can easily erupt into energy sapping, time consuming battles which, if not checked and resolved, can easily create a ministry paralysis while ministries such as outreach take a back seat or no seat at all.
Church division can often take years to resolve. Most never heal completely. Ugly scars remain. As I was writing this point, I overheard one person tell another, “Susan told me about the trouble at XYZ Church.” This is the devil’s dart to “divide and conquer.” If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, it cannot stand. The church must use the shield of faith to avoid being separated from each other and Christ.
The shield of faith deadens the dart of division.DELAY
The devil’s “D” here tempts us to make witnessing a lesser priority in our lives. The ministry of evangelism should be one of our top priorities. To procrastinate means to postpone something. Too often this is the way we handle evangelistic ministry opportunities. We say, “I’ll get to it later,” which may mean if ever or never. A high priority becomes, practically speaking, a low priority. It may look good written out under the Mission Statement but rarely gets off the paper. The devil tempts us from doing the most important things.
Build a friendship first? Certainly, if possible. The danger is that in waiting we may miss open doors. The longer you put off witnessing to someone the harder it becomes. Providential contacts such as waiting in line at a store, sitting together at a meeting, or walking your dog in the neighborhood can provide a moment’s time to spend with a heretofore unknown person. You may never know how God can use your word of truth or act of kindness.
In this context, the Devil uses the dart of delay to keep us from making an attempt to share the gospel with another someone else. I have operated on two extremes at times. Times of extreme busyness gave me an excuse for avoiding things I didn’t want to do; time would not allow me to do it. Jesus describes three men in Luke 9:57-60; he calls these men to follow him. Each one has a “delay” excuse. Jesus counters their excuses in these words, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
“No time” is one thing but, too much time is another. In retirement when we have more free time we can still procrastinate and put off witnessing. Two much time says, I’ll do it tomorrow and when tomorrow comes we can do it another day. The devil gets a foothold. Whenever possible, do the important things first. Do not delay. In the booklet, The Tyranny of the Urgent, we read how often the important things are pushed aside and are replaced with apparent “urgencies.” This is the devil’s game plan to bombard us with his flaming darts aimed at our hearts.
The shield of faith deadens the dart of delay.5. DIFFICULTY
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that is in you.” (i.e., testimony or gospel presentation) 1 Peter 3:15.
Evangelism training often includes a great amount of memory work that can make the learning process difficult and provide good excuses for not making an effort. Memorizing Scripture, outlines, and illustrations over an extended period, which we did in the early days of Evangelism Explosion Training, often kept people from completing the course. Having said this, it is important to learn as much as possible to be able to communicate as clearly as possible. The hard work will pay off in confidence and assurance. The devil tempts you that training will be too difficult. Let somebody else do the evangelism. It’s not my spiritual gift. It’s the pastor’s job.
It is not too hard. You don’t have to be a seminary graduate. There are many ways to begin. You can use the words “do” and “done” to show the way of work and of grace. Various biblical tools exist to provide training, whether the Evangelism Explosion booklet, the Bridge booklet, or some other biblical tool.
Another way to encourage people in sharing the gospel is to give a personal testimony. Every testimony carries the same message but is unique to an individual experience. People often are afraid to give a personal testimony in public or to a group of people. I remember that at an early EE clinic at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the pastor D. James Kennedy was explaining the EE presentation of the gospel. After the meeting, one of the participants came up and said to him,” I don’t like the way you present the gospel.” Kennedy responded,” that’s interesting, how do you do it?” He said,” I don’t do it”. Kennedy followed as only he could with, “I like the way I do it better than the way you don’t do it.” My question is, “How do you do it?”
The pastor’s job is to model, train, and lead faithful Christian witnesses. You don’t need the gift of evangelism to witness any more than you need the gift of giving to be generous in giving.
The shield of faith deadens the dart of difficulty.DECEPTION
“Many deceivers who do not acknowledge Jesus as coming in the flesh have gone out into the world.” 2 John 1:7.
This verse reminds us that deceivers are in the world and in the church. The devil’s dart of deception is false teaching. In Genesis 3, Satan deceived Eve by raising doubts about God’s word. He twists the words of God just enough to make Eve believe that God is not good. I John 4:1-4 teaches that Jesus Christ is the truth and those who do not acknowledge him in the church are deceivers. Do we want people to be deceived? Of course not! The first piece of armor in Ephesians 6 is the Belt of Truth. People pick up false ideas and then use those false ideas to live their lives. People want to believe in a God who is all loving but not all powerful. This is not the God of the Bible. Also, people want control over their lives; not wanting to submit to God who is sovereign over our lives. The Bible is truth, and if we want to know truth, we must hear and do what God’s Word teaches. If we are not in God’s Word, we can be easily deceived with false teaching.
The Triune God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, is truth. Believers must be aware that deception comes in many forms and they are to test all teaching to make sure they are true.
The shield of faith deadens the dart of deception.DANGER
“Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” 2 Timothy 3:12.
In Acts chapters 4 and 5 we read about the apostles being threatened and put in jail for teaching about Jesus. They were willing to stand against the threats of danger to preach and teach about salvation in Jesus. Even when ordered to stop preaching they would not.
John 15:18-20 says, “If the world hates you keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belong to the world, it will love you as its own. You do not belong to the world. I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you, ‘No servant is greater than his master, if they persecuted me, they would persecute you also.’”
These verses make it clear that the danger of persecution can erupt at any time. Not knowing what to say or how to answer hostile questions can be frightening. Frightening words that describe the action of Satan include roaring lion, murderer, liar, evil one, adversary, tempter, accuser.
Dangers might include being falsely accused, gossiped about, spoken against to others, being misrepresented, ostracized, or treated with hostility. Danger can take many forms, including tangible penalties, losing opportunities or being relegated to the sideline at work. We must remember God’s promise in Hebrews 13 that he will never leave us or forsake us, and we should not fear what anyone can do to us. God is sovereign in the midst of all oppression.
The shield of faith deadens the dart of danger.DISTRACTION
Jesus was never distracted from his mission to redeem sinners by his death on the cross. A classic passage of choosing the best over the good is Luke 10:38-42. Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made for the meal, but her sister Mary chose to sit at the feet of Jesus. Martha was well meaning but lacked the priority of sitting before Jesus. When she complained to Jesus that her sister wasn’t doing her share of the work, Jesus said, “Only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.” We can be like Martha and distracted by many things and thus we become easy prey to the devil’s temptation of distraction.
As a new Christian, I was convinced to put evangelism first. It wasn’t always easy, and distractions were always around me. I still face the same difficulties of keeping a focused and prayerful commitment on what is essential to obeying Christ’s command and following his example.
It is easy to get distracted. Professional golfers get distracted by noise. At football games the fans try to distract the players. In our Christian life, Satan wants to distract us from doing what is best and focusing on something less. Too often we give in to his attacks and fail to accomplish the mission. I am reminded of our early days of church planting. The simplest method of sharing our faith was going door to door and talking to friends and neighbors. I well remember how easy it was to look for excuses not to do it.
Distraction comes in many different ways. Being self-conscious and fearing embarrassment can cause distraction. We are also distracted when we have an elevated sense of our own plans and schedules, and we don’t notice “divine appointments.”
In Ephesian 6:11 and 16 the devil’s opposition to us and his power over us is shown. As I said before, in Christ we have the victory over all the names of Satan: adversary, tempter, Evil one, angel of light, roaring lion, murderer, deceiver, enemy, and accuser.
Philippians 3:13 reminds us to stay focused: “One thing I do, forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” And Matthew 6:33 calls us to seek first the kingdom of God with the promise that everything we need to follow God, including evangelism, will be given to us.
Application and Conclusion
“I will hasten and not delay obeying your commands.” Psalm 119:60
We need to be obedient to God’s command to go into the world and preach the gospel. Satan’s ultimate goal is to overthrow Christ and the church. But Ephesians 6:16 tells us specifically how to have victory in Christ by taking up the shield of faith which quenches the fiery darts. And believers are called to faith and action in resisting the devil’s darts. “Those who are born of God can overcome the world. The victory that overcomes the world is our faith” (I John 5:4).
So, when you think about evangelism, do you have Doubt, Discouragement, Delay, Division, Deception, Difficulty, Danger or Distraction? We all face at least one of these. Ephesians 6:18 says that we should pray in the spirit with all kinds of prayers to battle these darts. Even Paul, in v. 19 asks for prayer that he might be an ambassador of the gospel.
Remember, “if you resist the devil, he will flee from you.” James 4:7
Memorize these eight darts. Pick three for needed prayer and thoughtful practice. Seek out a faithful prayer partner, Consider the words of Charles Wesley’s hymn which describes the battle and victory.
Soldiers of Christ, Arise – Charles Wesley
Soldiers of Christ, arise, and put your armor on,Strong in the strength which God supplies.Through His eternal Son,Strong in the Lord of hosts, And in His mighty power,Who in the strength of Jesus trustIs more than conqueror.
Stand then in His great might, with all His strength endued,And take, to arm you for the fight,The panoply of God.That having all things done, And all your conflicts past,Ye may overcome through Christ alone,And stand entire at last.
Leave no unguarded place, No weakness of the soul.Take every virtue, every grace,And fortify the whole.From strength to strength go on,Wrestle and fight and pray,Tread all the powers of darkness down,And win the well-fought day,
In 1973, Dr. John S. McNicoll and his wife Diana planted the first church in the Presbyterian Church in America, a new denomination at the time. Throughout John’s ministry he has served in various pastoral positions and continued to plant churches in many parts of the United States, until he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2012. He is retired but continues to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with anyone who will sit long enough to listen. -
Worship Is More Important Than We Think It Is
The regulative principle of worship suggests and bolsters a regulative principle of everything for the church. Doctrine, order, and doxology are a three-legged stool. When present and sturdy, these legs will bear great weight; when any are missing or compromised, collapse is imminent.
Thesis: No confessional Presbyterian church will long remain confessional or presbyterian if it loses Reformed worship.
First, some definitions:Confessional: orthodox soteriology and doctrine (especially of God) according to the Reformed confessions
-Presbyterian: government by ordained male (per scripture) elders organized in accountable, graded courts
-Reformed worship: scripturally regulated (RPW), simple, ordinary means of grace worship—a Reformed bucket to carry Reformed water.Why will unscriptural, man-centered, culturally conditioned, over-contextualized worship undermine confessional orthodoxy? Because worship by its very form (which ought to be according to spirit—uppercase and lowercase— and truth) communicates certain things about the nature of God and man, thus theology proper and anthropology can’t help but be warped by unbiblical worship. Theology proper and biblical anthropology are the foundations of soteriology, which will also be warped by unbiblical (e.g., revivalist or sacerdotal) worship.
Why will unscriptural, man-centered, culturally conditioned, over-contextualized worship undermine biblical, Presbyterian church government? Because free-form, optional, variable worship forms suggest free-form, optional, variable ecclesial forms…or little form at all. And when worship is no longer led by ordained elders, government by ordained elders seems less plausible. Presbyterian order is not hierarchical, but neither is it excessively horizontal. Rolling it out too thin leads to its disintegration.
The regulative principle of worship suggests and bolsters a regulative principle of everything for the church. Doctrine, order, and doxology are a three-legged stool. When present and sturdy, these legs will bear great weight; when any are missing or compromised, collapse is imminent.
Calvin would seem to agree with this thesis according to his famous statement about worship and soteriology in “The Necessity of Reforming the Church” (admittedly written before Presbyterian government was fully developed):
“If it be inquired, then, by what things chiefly the Christian religion has a standing existence amongst us, and maintains its truth, it will be found that the following two not only occupy the principal place, but comprehend under them all the other parts, and consequently the whole substance of Christianity: that is, a knowledge, first, of the mode in which God is duly worshipped; and, secondly, of the source from which salvation is to be obtained. When these are kept out of view, though we may glory in the name of Christians, our profession is empty and vain. After these come the sacraments* and the government of the church, which, as they were instituted for the preservation of these branches of doctrine, ought not to be employed for any other purpose; and, indeed, the only means of ascertaining whether they are administered purely and in due form, or otherwise, is to bring them to this test. If anyone is desirous of a clearer and more familiar illustration, I would say, that rule in the church, the pastoral office, and all other matters of order, resemble the body, whereas the doctrine which regulates the due worship of God, and points out the ground on which the consciences of men must rest their hope of salvation, is the soul which animates the body, renders it lively and active, and, in short, makes it not to be a dead and useless carcass.”
Ultimately, worship is simply more important than we often assume it to be, and we undervalue or modify it into something else to our own peril. Calvin was right to place it first (at least once) and before doctrine/soteriology. He understood its essential, stabilizing role. He also was a true conservative who opposed most change (including change of worship) on principle, unlike evangelicals and even some among the Presbyterian and Reformed of our own day. On his deathbed, Calvin exhorted his fellow pastors in Geneva in 1564:
“I beg you also to change nothing and to avoid innovation, not because I am ambitious to preserve my own (reforming) work…but because all changes are dangerous, and sometimes even harmful.”**
Calvin’s conservative program for worship and the church might be a poor strategy to move books and CDs or sell out a conference, but it may be (since biblical reforms of the 16th and 17th centuries) the best way to preserve biblical order and doctrine.
Brad Isbell is a ruling elder at Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Oak Ridge, TN, co-host of the Presbycast podcast, board member of MORE in the PCA and the Heidelberg Reformation Association, and a co-editor of the Nicotine Theological Journal.
* The sacraments properly figure in both the ecclesiology/order and doxology categories.** Quoted in Scott Manetsch, Calvins’s Company of Pastors, Oxford University Press, p. 1
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