2 July 2014
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“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.“ [Ephesians 6:12]
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Presbyterians Week Headlines
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[1] New Christian Observer Articles for July 2014
[2] 1993 PCUSA Statement on the Gift of Marriage
[3] Former PCUSA Minister at First Presbyterian Church of River Forest, Illinois Arrested for Five-Year Sexual Abuse of Pre-Teen Boy
[4] What is Your One Sermon?
[5] Announcing the Knox500 Quincentenary Conference in Scotland 1-5 November 2014
[6] News from the Deepest Recesses of Hell
[7] Headlines from Christian Concern
[8] The Thinning Blue Line
[9] Raging Heathen and Vain Imagining
[10] The Religion of Peace
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[1] New Christian Observer Articles for July 2014
New Christian Observer articles for July 2014 include:
— Progressive Religion at Oyster U: A Poetic Narrative “Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?” Romans 3:3 Geneva Bible – by Christian Observer Contributing Editor David Brand – Part 28 in a continuing series on the effects of changes to the meaning of the Greek pistis (faith) to faithfulness by the English Revised Version Committee that began meeting in February 1870;
— Regeneration and Education – by Christian Observer Contributing Editor Dr. Joe Renfro – the dichotomy between Reformed Christian education where “regeneration” is a key to Christian learning, and secular education where each students’ mind is considered a blank slate where each child is equally endowed, and it is the responsibility of the government, culture, and society to program each child;
— The God of Details – by Christian Observer Associate Editor Dr. Chuck Baynard – the power of a Sovereign God who orders all things to His glory and the good of His elect;
Plus, Daily Devotionals by Christian Observer Contributing Editor T.M. Moore, dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe.
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+ Christian Observer, Post Office Box 1371, Lexington, Virginia 24450, christianobserver@christianobserver.org
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[2] 1993 PCUSA Statement on the Gift of Marriage
Prepared by the Theology and Worship Ministry Unit and commended by the 205th General Assembly (1993)
We gather in the presence of God
to give thanks for the gift of marriage,
to witness the joining together of N. and N.,
to surround them with our prayers,
and to ask God’s blessing upon them,
so that they may be strengthened
for their life together
and nurtured in their love for God.
God created us male and female,
and gave us marriage
so that husband and wife may help
and comfort each other,
living faithfully together in plenty and in want,
in joy and in sorrow,
in sickness and in health,
throughout all their days.
God gave us marriage
for the full expression of the love
between a man and a woman.
In marriage a woman and a man belong to each other,
and with affection and tenderness
freely give themselves to each other.
God gave us marriage
for the well-being of human society,
for the ordering of family life,
and for the birth and nurture of children.
God gave us marriage as a holy mystery
in which a man and a woman are joined together,
and become one,
just as Christ is one with the church.
In marriage,
husband and wife are called to a new way of life,
created, ordered, and blessed by God.
This way of life must not be entered into carelessly,
or from selfish motives,
but responsibly, and prayerfully.
We rejoice that marriage is given by God,
blessed by our Lord Jesus Christ,
and sustained by the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, let marriage be held in honor by all.
“Christian Marriage: Rite I,” Book of Common Worship (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 1993).
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+ Foundation for Reformed Theology, 4103 Monument Avenue, Richmond, Virginia 23230, 804-678 – 8352, goodloe@foundationrt.org
+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005
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[3] Former PCUSA Minister at First Presbyterian Church of River Forest, Illinois Arrested for Five-Year Sexual Abuse of Pre-Teen Boy
A 27 June 2014 Chicago Tribune article by Michelle Manchir and Jeremy Gorner titled “Prosecutors: Minister Admitted to Sexual Abuse after Confronted by Victim’s Parents” reports that John Hays, 57, former Director of Congregation Life for First Presbyterian Church of River Forest [Illinois] was arrested after admitting that he sexually abused a now-nineteen-year-old boy 2003-2009 while the boy was between eight and thirteen years old.
The boy remembered the abuse while training to become a camp counselor and learning about how to respond if he were to learn of the sexual abuse of a child. The boy immediately informed his parents, who then confronted Hays about the abuse and were told by Hays that he had abused their son.
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+ Chicago Tribune, 435 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611, 800-874-2863, ctc-editor@tribune.com
+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005
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[4] What is Your One Sermon?
By Dr. Michael A. Milton
Dear Pastoral/Chaplain Students in the Gospel of Christ:
I want to bring you a charge as we approach the conclusion of this season of study. My charge to you is to preach one sermon. This is what I mean.
If we read Paul right, then this former blasphemer could never get over the grace of God that forgave and called “an insolent man” into the ministry of His Son, Jesus Christ. It is not hyperbole to say, as we survey the life of St. Paul, that he really only had one sermon. Of course, the great Man of God would preach the Gospel in different contexts, using different messages, and explaining New Covenant theology in Christ Jesus out of the Old Testament sacred writings to different people. He was, most certainly, as we remind you to be, “true to the text.” Yet this did not alter, could not alter, the deep-seated, internal “operating system” that had been placed there by the Lord. That “operating system,” if you will, ran all the programs for Paul. The grace of God that would cause Paul, in 1 Timothy 12-16 to explain to Pastor Timothy that the way to deal with all the extensive challenges (he has summarized these dark problems in earlier, opening sentences and will expound upon them in following verses) in Ephesus was to minister out of the sacred encounter and divine calling that one has with and from the risen Lord Jesus Christ, is what also led to the spontaneous doxological combustion in verse 17. How characteristic of the “Apostle of the Heart Set Free” (Eerdmans, 2000) as F.F. Bruce called him, to insert the language of praise as he concluded the narrative of conversion:
“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (ESV).
Thus the internal operating system, his own conversion, leads to a constant expression of praise. He ministers out of a core that is a veritable nuclear reactor of grace that produces a life of praise, whether in prison or being beaten or ministering freely before pagan philosophers on Mars Hill. This is the “one-sermon” motif that ruled this man’s life. God’s grace can save anyone, anywhere, with any past. His own life had become “a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life” (1 Timothy 1:16).
What is your one sermon? If you are a believer you have one. If you are a believer who has been called to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ to others, then you surely have one. Your one sermon is what God has done in your life. Your one sermon is your sacred encounter. It is your divine calling. It may be the one sermon of a faithful covenant family who were used of God to bring you to Christ in the home with godly examples. Your calling to preach came as you realized the brokenness of the world which did not have that experience. Or, it may be the sacred encounter of Christ in a prison cell and then the wrestling you had when you knew God was calling you to preach, like Charles Colson, whether bound in the shackles of a penitentiary or the chains of false religion. That is your one sermon. John Wesley was a “brand plucked from the burning” and that theme runs throughout all of his messages. Whitefield burned alive with the glory of his assurance of salvation. Can you read Whitefield and not come away with that one sermon? Spurgeon was arrested by the lay preacher who called for him to “look, look!” and to see his salvation in the Lord. He would call many others to “look” to God in thousands of messages, strong with that one compelling mandate which became his one sermon. What is your one sermon? What makes you burn alive with Christ until your messages break out in a holy conflagration of praise? That “one sermon” is the work of God in you and it will be the Spirit-compelling feature of your ministry which will cause you preach every sermon, from every text, with Gospel power and Scriptural faithfulness.
I, therefore, write you and appeal to you to now bring all of your studies before the bar of God, recalling His work in your life, His call on your life, and go to preach one sermon for the rest of your life. And others will break into spontaneous doxological combustion too.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
In Christ,
M.A.M.
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+ Faith for Living, 3122 Fincher Farm Road, Suite 100, Box 552, Matthews, North Carolina 28105
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[5] Announcing the Knox500 Quincentenary Conference in Scotland 1-5 November 2014
From Steven Lawson, Ligonier Ministries
I am excited to announce that OnePassion Ministries will be hosting the Knox500 Quincentenary Conference (1514–2014) on November 1–5, 2014 in Scotland.
These meetings are a series of national events designed to commemorate and celebrate the life, work, and vision of the great Scottish reformer, John Knox.
Our desire is to reintroduce the message and ministry of Knox to a new generation. Largely forgotten in the twenty-first century, this bold leader was the driving force behind the birth of the Reformed church in Scotland. He was a seminal figure as a writer, theologian, reformer, and preacher of God’s Word. Our aim is to revisit the influence of Knox in an effort to restore in these days biblical preaching, renew transcendent worship, and replenish Christ-centered discipleship within the church. Further, our hope is to reignite the hearts of believers, ministers, and students with a vision for reaching Scotland with the gospel.
Dr. Iain D. Campbell, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson, and special guest Rev. Paul Rees will join me in Edinburgh on Saturday, November 1, delivering messages and lectures on the lessons of the Scottish Reformation. The unique focus will be upon the extraordinary life and energetic work of this noted reformer. Attention will be given to what we can learn from Knox for today.
In addition, The Institute for Expository Preaching will be hosting conferences on November 3 at Edinburgh Theological Seminary in Edinburgh and November 5 at The Tron Church in Glasgow. Learn more about The Institute for Expository Preaching.
Knox500 is welcome to all Christians, including lay-people, pastors, missionaries, and students of any age or denomination. We also welcome anyone with interest in the theological, historical, and cultural significance of John Knox. For more information about Knox500 or to view the conference schedule, please visit our website: Knox500.org
May God use these meetings to empower His people for a new reformation.
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+ Ligonier Ministries, 400 Technology Park, Lake Mary, Florida 32746, 407-333-4244, Fax: 407-333-4233
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[6] News from the Deepest Recesses of Hell
— FBI: Sexual Exploitation of Children is ‘Increasing Exponentially’
— Obama Wants to Force Americans to Pay for Abortion-Causing Drugs Since He Can’t Force Hobby Lobby
— Euthanasia Activists Want Nursing Homes to Starve Patients to Death
— Boy Scouts to March in New York City Sodom and Gomorrah Parade
— U.S. State Department LGBT Speaker Calls for the End of the Marriage Institution
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+ American Vision, Post Office Box 220, Powder Springs, Georgia 30127, 770-222-7266, Fax: 770-222-7269, mail@AmericanVision.org
+ Godfather Politics, 457 Nathan Dean Boulevard, Dallas, Georgia 30132
+ LifeNews.com, Post Office Box 270841, Fort Collins, Colorado 80527, news@lifenews.com
+ Now the End Begins, Contact Page
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[7] Headlines from Christian Concern
Headlines of the past week from Christian Concern:
— Christian National Health Service Manager Suspended for Praying with Muslim Colleague
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+ Christian Concern, 70 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8AX, England, 020 7935 1488, Contact Page
+ YouTube, LLC, 901 Cherry Avenue, San Bruno, California 94066, 650-253-0000, Fax: 650-253-0001, press@youtube.com
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[8] The Thinning Blue Line
— Jaywalking Arizona State University Roughed Up and Slammed to Ground by Campus Police
— One Marine Takes On Thirty New York City Cops, Disgusted by the American He Came Back To
— Ozark, Arkansas Police Office Uses Taser on Ten-Year-Old Girl Refusing to Take Shower at Home
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+ Ben Swann, Contact Page
+ The Liberty Crier
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[9] Raging Heathen and Vain Imagining
Articles from the past week regarding kings and rulers setting themselves against the LORD and against his anointed:
— Pope Francis Decrees That Individual Salvation Outside Of Roman Catholic Church Doesn’t Exist
— The U.S. Supreme Court Is Marching In Lockstep with the Obama Police State
— Christian Doors Closed due to Targeting by Homosexuals
— Pentagon Spending Millions to Prepare for Mass Civil Unrest
— Obama’s Planned Use of Military against American Citizens
— Federal Contract Shows Obama Planned and Encouraged Alien Kid Invasion
— Moravians in Thirteen States Vote to Ordain Homosexual Clergy
— Obama Busted Funding Secret Jihad Takeover
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+ Now the End Begins, Contact Page
+ Godfather Politics, 457 Nathan Dean Boulevard, Dallas, Georgia 30132
+ Truth and Action, Contact Page
+ WND, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, #351, Washington DC 20006, Contact Page
+ Investor’s Business Daily, 12655 Beatrice Street, Los Angeles, California 90066, 310-448-6700, Fax: 310-577-7301, Contact Page
+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005
+ Infowars.com, Post Office Box 19549, Austin, Texas 78760, 512-291-5750, writers@infowars.com
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[10] The Religion of Peace
Articles from the past week about the religion of peace:
— Barack Obama: America’s First Islamic Tyrant
— Coca-Cola Celebrates Islamic Jihad with Ramadan Ad Campaign
— U.S. Soldiers Forced to Fast during Islamic Holy Month of Ramadan
— ISIS Crucifies Eight of Its Foes
— Jihadists Fighting in Syria, Iraq Declare ‘Caliphate’
— Ramadan in Nigeria: Boko Haram Attacks Five Churches, Murders 100
— Chaos in Iraq, Syria Setting Stage for the Twelfth Imam, Says Ayatollah
— Obama Requests US$500 Million to Train, Equip Syrian Rebels
— The Killing Fields of Iraq: ISIS Massacred Up to 190 Prisoners in Just Four Days
— Obama Announces Plan to Fight Al Qaeda, by Arming Al Qaeda
— Crisis in Israel as Isis Takes Control of Golan Heights on Syrian Side
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+ Clash Daily
+ Now the End Begins, Contact Page
+ Jihad Watch and Dhimmi Watch
+ Assyrian International News Agency (Nineveh Software Corporation, 2317 West Farwell, Chicago, Illinois 60645, 773-575-5863, Fax: 773-761-8534)
+ JoelRosenberg.com, Contact Page
+ Atlas Shrugs, writeatlas@aol.com
+ FrontPage Magazine, Post Office Box 55089, Sherman Oaks, California 91499, Contact Page
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