forks-of-the-brandywine

Why We Need the Westminster Confession

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 05:00:51 GMT

Confessions of faith are extremely useful. This is true for several reasons. First, they codify the contents of Scripture in a compact form. The Bible is a big book. A confession of faith is meant to distill the great mass of biblical data into a systematic summary for the church. Second, confessions of faith clarify the central teachings of Scripture. A confession is not intended to summarize every single thing the Bible says about every single topic. Rather, the intention is to select the central doctrines and practices of Scripture and arrange them in logical sequence. This helps the church see what is more important and less important, what deserves major emphasis in the life of the church and what should be given minor emphasis. All of Scripture is the inspired word of God, but not every doctrine is equally crucial. Confessions of faith bring clarity on what is essential and what is non-essential. Third, confessions of faith simplify the central teachings of Scripture. They provide concise statements of biblical truth along with the primary passages that support that truth. If you want to know the meaning of a certain doctrine, a confession will give you a quick definition and overview of the doctrine in light of all that Scripture says.

Confessions codify, clarify, and simplify the contents of biblical teaching and instruction for the faith, life, and ministry of the church. This is an extremely useful resource for pastors, teachers, and even whole denominations. As Presbyterians, we are bound by our subscription to the Westminster Confession of Faith, which was drafted and established by our Puritan forefathers in England and Scotland in 1647. It is called a “confession” because it embodies the faith that we confess to believe before God and before the world. To “subscribe” to the Westminster Confession means to pledge allegiance to uphold that confession as a secondary authority under the ultimate authority of Scripture. All ordained Presbyterian ministers are required to preach, teach, and defend what the Westminster Confession says. This requirement of subscription is absolutely necessary for the preservation of the truth and the protection of our churches. The confession keeps us in check. It’s like the guardrails that keeps us from going off the tracks into doctrinal error, heresy, and sin. The Westminster Confession provides a much needed accountability partner for pastors, churches, and the whole denomination. When we abandon our fidelity to our Confession, serious corruption looms ahead in the not-so-distant future.

So I highly recommend that all of you take the time to read through the Westminster Confession, or at least the sections most interesting to you ( it’s available Here ). There are sections on the doctrine of God, the person and work of Christ, God’s covenant with his people, free will, sin, the new birth, justification, God’s law, good works, baptism, the Sabbath, worship, marriage, the second coming, and so much more. If you want to understand what our denomination believes and what the Forks of the Brandywine is committed to uphold in all that we do, the best source you can consult is the Westminster Confession of Faith. This is the faith of our Puritan and Presbyterian forefathers, it was the faith of those who founded the Forks in the 1730s, and, Lord willing, it will be the faith we confess before the very judgment seat of God on the last day.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

Loving the Lord Jesus Christ

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 02:01:00 GMT

Ignite your love for the Lord Jesus

When I was in high school, the youth pastor of a nearby church in my denomination would always spend the month of February teaching the teenagers about biblical standards for dating. The reason is fairly obvious. Valentine’s Day made February the “month of love,” so the youth pastor did not want this teaching opportunity to go to waste. As February is now upon us, we should also use this opportunity to think about biblical love—not the love between men and women, but the love of believers for the Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the best, short treatments of the believer’s love for Jesus is by a Puritan pastor named Thomas Vincent (1634-1678). Vincent wrote a short book, amounting to a very large sermon, called The True Christian’s Love to the Unseen Christ. This work is a deep analysis and application of 1 Peter 1:8, which gives an inspired description of how true believers relate to Christ. In the preface to the reader, Vincent takes note of three alarming passages about love for God. Paul tells the Corinthians that a person who does not love the Lord Jesus is under a curse (1 Cor. 16:22); and John writes the words of Jesus to the church of Ephesus that they had lost their first love, and to the church of Laodicea that he would vomit them from his mouth for being lukewarm (Rev. 2:4-5; 3:15-16). Thus Vincent alerts us to the necessity of loving Christ, the danger of failing to love Christ, and the urgency of kindling our love for Christ.

In the introduction, Vincent appeals to our hearts by way of allusion to Proverbs 23:26. An important literary device in the Book of Proverbs that frames all the material in the first seven chapters is that of a father giving wise counsel to his son. This literary device occurs again in 23:26, and Vincent interprets this verse as the voice of God the Father instructing his earthly children with heavenly wisdom. In Proverbs 23:26, God speaks to each one of us and says, “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.” The Father wants our hearts. The way we give God our heart is by giving Christ our love.

Vincent stresses that without love for Christ there is no true Christianity. “The life of Christianity consists very much in our love to Christ. Without love to Christ, we are as much without spiritual life as a carcass, when the soul is fled from it, is without natural life. Faith without love to Christ is a dead faith, and a [professing believer] without love to Christ is a dead professor, dead in sins and trespasses. Without love to Christ we may have the name of Christians—but we are wholly without the nature of Christians. We may have the form of godliness—but are wholly without the power of godliness.” Vincent then gives a glorious description of what love for Christ looks and feels like. Make it your prayer this month that God would ignite your love for the Lord Jesus.

“Christ knows that . . . if He has their love, their desires will be chiefly after Him. Their delights will be chiefly in Him; their hopes and expectations will be chiefly from Him; their hatred, fear, grief, anger, will be carried forth chiefly unto sin—as it is offensive unto Him. He knows that love will engage and employ for Him all the powers and faculties of their souls; their thoughts will be brought into captivity and obedience unto Him; their understandings will be employed in seeking and finding out His truths; their memories will be receptacles to retain them; their consciences will be ready to accuse and excuse as His faithful deputies; their wills will choose and refuse, according to His direction and revealed pleasure.

All their senses and the members of their bodies will be His servants. Their eyes will see for Him, their ears will hear for Him, their tongues will speak for Him, their hands will work for Him, their feet will walk for Him. All their gifts and talents will be at His devotion and service. If He has their love—they will be ready to do for Him what He requires. They will suffer for Him whatever He calls them to. If they have much love to Him, they will not think much of denying themselves, taking up His cross, and following Him wherever He leads them.”

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

What The Sabbath Means for Christians

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 23:45:22 GMT

The Sabbath has its roots deep in the Old Testament. The core idea of the word “sabbath” is “rest.” The Hebrew word for the Sabbath comes from a verb that means to cease, come to a halt, to stop doing something. At the beginning of Genesis 2, we are told that God completed all the work he had set out to do in the first six days of creation, “so on the seventh day he rested from all his work” (Gen. 2:2). God ceased from the work of creation and refrained from doing any work on the seventh day. For this reason, we are told, God set apart the seventh day as the Sabbath, the day of rest, and made it a holy day (Gen. 2:3-4). The precedent that God set by his own course of action in the creation week becomes the pattern for Israel’s work week and a sign of Israel’s covenant with God (Ex. 31:12-17). In the Fourth Commandment, God instructs his people to remember the Sabbath day, follow his example, and keep the day holy by ceasing from all their labor (Ex. 20:8-11).

The Sabbath, then, is that holy day on which God’s people are to refrain from all their labors, to stop working, and to rest and be refreshed. When we rest on the Sabbath, we are acknowledging that God alone is the Creator. We are answering the call of Psalm 46:10, where God says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” God invites us to enter his rest and to know him. Our lives are so busy, our schedules so full, our distractions so unending. Sabbath is about resting from all that work, unplugging from all that distraction, and giving God our full attention. Sabbath is about remembering that God is Creator, God is in control, handing our burdens to him, finding rest in his provision, comfort in his care, joy in his fellowship, and renewal in his rest.

Sabbath not only points us to God our Creator but also to God our Redeemer. The God of Genesis is also the God of Exodus who liberated his people from slavery. Moses tells us to remember the redemption from Egyptian bondage as the basis of the Sabbath commandment (Deut. 5:15). Sabbath observance is a free man’s worship. We cease from work because we can. We are no longer slaves. We have no taskmasters who force us to work, for God has set us free. Referring to the exodus, God says, “I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself” (Ex. 19:4). Sabbath is about celebrating freedom, leaving bondage behind, and resting secure in the God who saves. On the Sabbath, we sing songs of redemption by a parted sea and rattle severed chains over Egyptian slain.

For Christians today under the New Covenant, the ultimate significance and fulfillment of the Sabbath is in Jesus Christ. Through Christ, God created all things and is making all things new (Col. 1:16; 2 Cor. 5:17). Jesus is Lord of the new creation. In Christ, God has redeemed all his people from their sins (Rom. 3:24). Jesus says that “everyone who sins is a slave to sin,” but “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:34, 36). Jesus is Lord of the new exodus. This same Jesus calls us to himself and promises to give us rest (Matt. 11:28-29). When we come to him by faith, we enter the true rest that the Sabbath foreshadowed (Heb. 4:1-11). Therefore, Christians ought to rest on the Sabbath day because we are justified by faith apart from works.

The Sabbath is ultimately a sign of our new covenant relationship with Jesus. It signifies that we are united to Christ, justified by faith, and enjoy his rest. Amid the bustle of life, remember the Sabbath. Keep it holy. Enter his rest. Be still and know your God. Because you are free, obey. “If you call the Sabbath a delight . . . then you will find your joy in the Lord” (Is. 58:13-14).

Ho Do You Know the Bible is God's Word

Sat, 01 Nov 2025 13:56:05 GMT

We Have a Thorough Conviction

If you are a reader, chances are you have a favorite book. Maybe you have a book that was a childhood favorite, and today you love it because it carries so much nostalgia and the feeling of happy memories with beloved characters. Personally, I was never a reader when I was a kid. Books were boring back then. It wasn’t until I got to college that I developed a love for reading. Even then, I didn’t like novels. For years, the only reading I enjoyed was non-fiction. Recently, however, I discovered that I love science fiction. The first major sf book I read was Dune, by Frank Herbert. I loved it immensely, and I still think about it routinely. Next, I read another great little book called City at World’s End, by Edmond Hamilton. These two books live rent-free in my mind. What is your favorite book? How do you feel when you read it again? Does any other book make you feel the way that book does?

The experience of reading an outstanding book that resonates so deeply inside and that speaks to you like no other is a religious experience. That is not how we normally think about it, but that capacity you possess of being gripped and moved by words on a page is the basis for hearing God speak to you through Scripture. Now, I am willing to bet that, no matter how much you love your favorite book, you never seriously thought it was God’s word. At no point did I mistake Dune for Daniel! Right there is the key difference. How do you know the Bible is God’s word? Because when you read it, you hear the voice of the Good Shepherd calling out to his sheep. Christians who are new creatures in Christ experience firsthand the difference between reading an ordinary human book and the Book inspired by God. Your soul was made to hear God’s voice in the Book he gave us. When you read other books that you deeply love, your soul activates its capacity to hear God speak. Your soul cups its ear and leans in to listen. But in ordinary books, you do not hear God speak, no matter how much you enjoy the story. But when you open the pages of Scripture, and the soul leans in and listens close, you know the Master’s familiar voice instantly. Every Christian who loves the Lord knows exactly what I am talking about. There is just something different about reading the Bible. It is a qualitatively distinct experience.

John Calvin said it like this, “Let it therefore be held as fixed, that those who are inwardly taught by the Holy Spirit acquiesce implicitly in Scripture; that Scripture carrying its own evidence along with it, deigns not to submit to proofs and arguments, but owes the full conviction with which we ought to receive it to the testimony of the Spirit. Enlightened by him, we no longer believe, either on our own judgment or that of others, that the Scriptures are from God; but, in a way superior to human judgment, feely perfectly assured . . . that it came to us, by the instrumentality of men, from the very mouth of God.” Calvin goes on to say that “we have a thorough conviction” that the Bible is “unassailable truth” because “we feel a divine energy living and breathing in it—an energy by which we are drawn and animated to obey it, willingly indeed, and knowingly, but more vividly and effectually than could be done by human will or knowledge.” How do you know the Bible is God’s word? Because when you read it, and your soul leans in to listen, you hear the voice of God and feel the assuring witness of the Holy Spirit.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

What is Faith?

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 13:52:06 GMT

Christians talk a lot about faith. That is understandable. We all know faith is vitally important. You can’t be a Christian without faith. Believing in Jesus is how we get saved, but then what? Where does faith fit into the rest of my life? What does faith do? What is faith for? Does faith really work? These are natural questions, and finding the right answer will have a tremendous impact on your Christian life. Get the wrong answer, and it could lead to a dead end in your walk with Christ. So let’s turn to the words of Jesus to figure this out.

In Matthew chapter 8, a Roman soldier approaches Jesus and pleads for help. This is very unusual. Roman soldiers do not typically ask Jewish peasants for anything other than submission. Rome had conquered the Jewish homeland, and this soldier is stationed in Israel to enforce Roman law and order by any brutal means necessary. And this is no ordinary soldier; this is a centurion, an officer with a unit of 80 troops under his command. This is a man of authority. Centurions do not ask conquered subjects for help, but this time something is different.

The centurion says to Jesus, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly” (Matthew 8:6). No matter how much authority this man possesses, he has no say over sickness. Suffering and death are not his subordinates. He could command all he wants, but his servant could not obey his order to get well. He needed help from someone with much more power and authority than he possessed. That is why he came to Jesus. He felt powerless, helpless, desperate. Jesus was his last chance.

Jesus does not refuse his request. He offers to go with the centurion to heal the servant in person, but, surprisingly, the centurion refuses. He says to Jesus, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it” (Matthew 8:8-9). The centurion recognizes his own unworthiness in the presence of Jesus and acknowledges that he is at his mercy. As a Roman soldier, he understands better than anyone how authority works. He merely says the word, and his soldiers obey without question. That’s how it works. He recognizes that Jesus has the power and authority to give a command that makes even sickness and death obey him. That’s how he works. What an amazing display of faith in Jesus!

It was so amazing, in fact, and so unexpected, that even Jesus himself is astonished. Matthew tells us that Jesus was so astonished “he marveled and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith’” (Matthew 8:10). What do we learn from this encounter? Jesus tells us that if we want to know what faith is and what faith does, look no further than this Roman soldier. The centurion’s faith has at least three parts to it:

1. Faith is a humble, confident trust in the power and authority of Jesus.

2. Faith looks away from self and pleads with Jesus to do for us what only he can do.

3. Faith listens expectantly to the mighty word of Jesus.

Faith begins with the recognition that I am powerless and weak, but he is mighty and strong. I am helpless and needy, but he is generous and all-sufficient. I am most unworthy, but he is perfectly good and full of grace. We must see ourselves as we really are in the light of who he truly is. Once we see the matchless power and authority of Jesus, we cry out to him like the centurion, “Only say the word, Lord, and it shall be done just as you say!” We put our full confidence in him, we lean all our weight upon his word, and we rest assured that his word will never fail us. True faith is an unshakeable confidence that enables and emboldens us to stake our lives on the word of Jesus, to endure all things for his sake with hope and joy, and to follow Jesus in a life that is faithful, fruitful, and fulfilling.

Faith like this is what Jesus wants from his disciples. It’s the level of trust and commitment he wants from you. If you feel that you are incapable of living up to this expectation, you are exactly right— and you just completed step one for having true faith. This kind of faith is a divine gift, granted to us by the sovereign power of the Holy Spirit working in our hearts. This is good news. If faith is a gift from God, then it is yours for the asking.

The Words of Faith and Devotion

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 23:55:36 GMT

Prayer's Greatest Hits

The English Reformation of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries produced two everlasting monuments of the English language. The first is the King James Bible. No other text, not even Shakespeare’s immortal poetry and plays, has so fundamentally shaped the English language and all of English-speaking Christianity as much as the King James Bible. Many of us are familiar with its beauty, eloquence, and rhythm. Less familiar to us, perhaps, is the second great monument the emerged in the English Reformation, the Book of Common Prayer. This book is the liturgical and doctrinal manual that governs the faith and practice of Anglican congregations when they gather for worship. At its core, the Book of Common Prayer is a collection of prayer’s greatest hits. The King James Bible taught the words of Scripture, while the Book of Common Prayer taught the words of faith and devotion. Together, these two great monuments shaped English Christianity and are the heritage of every speaker of the English language.

A preacher once said, “Prayer is the soul of religion . . . Failure in prayer is the loss of religion itself in its inward and dynamic aspect of fellowship with the Eternal.” Since this is undoubtedly true, how vital it is that we cultivate this “soul of religion” so that we experience meaningful fellowship with God each day. The Book of Common Prayer is a treasure chest of beautiful prayers that are just as moving and meaningful today as they were centuries ago. They have been the vessels that have carried many saints beyond the world’s horizon into the presence of God. I highly recommend using some of these prayers in your own devotions to enrich your communion with God. Perhaps you will find them a heavenly transport for your soul too.

Here are some of my personal favorites. Give these a try. Begin by praying these very slowly and thoughtfully word-for-word, then, still praying, reflect on the meaning and feeling of them and expand them into your own words as your heart glows warm in fellowship with your God.

“We humbly beseech thee, O Father, mercifully to look upon our infirmities; and, for the glory of thy Name, turn from us all those evils that we most justly have deserved; and grant that in all our troubles we may put our whole trust and confidence in thy mercy, and evermore serve thee in holiness and pureness of living, to thy honor and glory; through our only Mediator and Advocate, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen”

“Grant us, O Lord, not to mind earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to cleave to those that shall abide; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”

“O Almighty God, who pourest out on all who desire it the spirit of grace and of supplication: Deliver us, when we draw near to thee, from coldness of heart and wanderings of mind, that with steadfast thoughts and kindled affections we may worship thee in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

“Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to thee, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly thine, utterly dedicated unto thee; and then use us, we pray thee, as thou wilt, and always to thy glory and the welfare of thy people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.”

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

Do You Dread the Christian Life?

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 04:00:51 GMT

Delight in Obedience

Every year when I was child, our family would go on a summer vacation. My favorite vacations were our trips to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. My parents would take the week off from work, load up the car, and take me and my sister to the beach. We always rented the same oceanfront condo from a family friend. I can’t count the number of times our family stayed there. We continued to vacation there well into my adulthood. So many memories were made on those long trips to Myrtle Beach, like buying a dozen doughnuts from Krispy Kreme the first night we arrived and trying our best to make them last more than a day!

Each year, as our week of vacation drew to a close and it was time to drive home, my parents would begin to feel gloomy. I vividly remember my mom saying, as we were packing up to leave, “Oh, I sure dread going back to work tomorrow!” For my mom at the end of vacation, the thought of going back to work the next morning was repulsive. No part of her wanted to do it, but she knew she had to, and she was feeling strong reluctance. I think we can all relate.

Sometimes this is how we feel about the Christian life. It does not sound fun, it does not feel enjoyable, and it is the last thing we really want to do, but we feel like we have to do at least something, so we dread it. Reading or studying the Bible feels like such a chore. The thought

of daily prayer repels us. Going to church every week, participating in a discipleship group, having to be around other Christians, tithing—all burdensome. People in this spiritual condition live the Christian life like they are always on vacation, and only occasionally they take a week off from fun to face the drudgery of being a Christian, hoping that the minimum will count for something.

This is not how the Christian life is supposed to feel, and it is not how the Christian life is meant to be lived. The Apostle John says it this way, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). You see, our obedience flows not from drudgery, but delight. Obedience is the overflow of our love for God and our reverence for his commandments. When we cultivate our relationship with the Lord through Scripture, prayer, study, worship, and fellowship, we grow in our love for him and in our delight in the things He loves. His commandments become sweet (Psalm 119:103), obedience feels attractive (2 Chronicles 17:6), and holiness allures with loveliness (Psalm 119:35). As you grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus (2 Peter 3:18), your dread of the Christian life will be transformed into devotion. Reluctance will turn into zeal; resistance into eagerness.

If you dread the Christian life, the only way out is to grow in your knowledge of Jesus Christ. If you try to force your way out through gritted teeth, the dread and drudgery will only increase. Seek to know him in his love, grace, promises, death, resurrection, and lordship. Look unto Jesus daily in prayer, and meditate on his glorious gospel, until the fire of the Holy Spirit falls from heaven and enflames your heart with love for Christ and with joy in living the Christian life.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

How do we know the Bible is God's Word?

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 20:19:57 GMT

The Work of The Holy Spirit

Has anyone ever challenged your faith that the Bible is God’s word? Have you ever encountered something that shook your confidence in Scripture? How do any of us really know that the Bible is what Christianity has historically said it is? Our Puritan forefathers who produced the Westminster Confession of Faith tackled this issue in the very first chapter of the Confession. They understood that the Bible is the epistemological foundation of the Christian faith, and they set out their doctrine of Scripture right up front. It is the source from which everything else in the Confession is derived. So what did they say about how we know the Bible is God’s word?

First of all, they acknowledged the need for apologetics, i.e., the rational defense of the faith against objections from skeptics and unbelievers. There is a place for addressing people’s intellectual difficulties with evidence, arguments, and scholarship. Indeed, the evidence for the Bible’s divine inspiration is abundant. The Confession says this evidence gives us “arguments whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God” (I.5) However, they also recognized that apologetics and scholarship can never serve as the ultimate basis for our undoubted assurance in Scripture. There is always room for lingering doubt and skepticism if all we have is our own fallible judgment. Apologetics is helpful and necessary, but it cannot be the ultimate foundation of our assurance that the Bible is God’s word. So the Westminster Puritans go on to say, “Our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts” (I.5). You see, it is the office and work of the Holy Spirit to effectually persuade us that the Bible is God’s word.

The Holy Spirit does this work only when we read the Bible. This is an all-important point. The Spirit does not bypass the Bible. The Spirit never sheathes his sword. So do not seek assurance about the Bible outside the Bible. When we read the Bible, the Spirit opens and enlightens our hearts and minds, and we are filled with the unshakable conviction that the Bible is God speaking. The Holy Spirit enables us to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd speaking through the pages to us. As Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). He also says, “The Spirit of truth . . . will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). The Westminster Puritans experienced the truth of this doctrine for themselves, but they learned how to teach it from John Calvin. Calvin says,

“Let it therefore be held as fixed, that those who are inwardly taught by the Holy Spirit acquiesce implicitly; that Scripture carrying its own evidence along with it, deigns not to submit to proofs and arguments, but owes the full conviction with which we ought to receive it to the testimony of the Spirit. Enlightened by him, we no longer believe, either on our own judgment or that of others, that the Scriptures are from God; but, in a way superior to human judgment, feel perfectly assured—as much so as if we beheld the divine image impressed upon it—that it came to us, by the instrumentality of men, from the mouth of God. . . . I say nothing more than every believer experiences in himself, though my words fall far short of the reality” (Institutes of the Christian Religion 1.7.5).

If you struggle to accept that the Bible is God’s word, I encourage you to go to your Bible, praying for the inner witness of the Holy Spirit, and listen for the voice of the Good Shepherd.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

Christian Righteousness

Thu, 01 May 2025 01:24:12 GMT

The Taste of Blessedness

The Beatitudes are the classic statement by Jesus of the chief virtues that make a holy life. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’s primary objective is to teach his disciples the true meaning of God’s righteousness, i.e., the kind of righteousness that is pleasing and acceptable before God. We might call this “Christian Righteousness.” Jesus compares Christian Righteousness to the righteousness of the Pharisees and says to his disciples, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). Christian Righteousness is the kind of obedience, the kind of law-keeping, that God looks for when opening the gates of the kingdom to those who wish to enter. What does that righteousness consist of? It has many components, but it begins with the cardinal virtues that Jesus praises in the Beatitudes. “Beatitude” in English is from a Latin word that means “blessed,” which is why each line begins with the word “blessed.” Beatitude refers to the supreme blessedness that human beings could ever obtain, the chief end for which we were made. Beatitude is the happiest state we can ever reach as created beings. Here Jesus pronounces that blessedness upon those who cultivate Christian Righteousness and thus inherit the kingdom of heaven. This means our ultimate happiness, our highest good, our supreme blessedness awaits us in the kingdom that is to come “on earth as in heaven” (see also Matthew 7:21-23).

The promise of beatitude in the future kingdom is a wonderful hope for the followers of Jesus. Notice, however, that Jesus does not say in the Beatitudes, “Blessed will be,” but “Blessed are.” We who follow Jesus are blessed right now in this life and in this world. This promise of future beatitude makes us happy in the present. We get to enjoy a taste of that future beatitude now. Look at the first beatitude, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Those with poverty of spirit are blessed because they understand that regardless of whatever material wealth they do or do not possess in this world, they are heirs of the kingdom, which is treasures and riches beyond comparing with anything in this world (Matthew 13:44-46). What does it mean to be poor in spirit? It is one of the chief virtues in Christian Righteousness. The great Puritan commentator Matthew Henry (1662-1714) defines it like this, “This poverty of spirit is a gracious disposition of soul, by which we are emptied of self, in order to our being filled with Jesus Christ.” He goes on to compare this spirit with the disposition of the Apostle Paul, which he describes in Philippians 3:8, who counted “everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” To be poor in spirit means to sit so loosely to this world and the things of this world, and to so treasure Christ and the riches of his kingdom, that you count yourself a beggar and pauper apart from Christ, no matter how rich you may become in this life. Henry says it is this chief virtue, poverty of spirit, that makes and marks the truly humble disciple. In our greatest riches, we count them as loss instead of being proud and boastful. In our greatest poverty, we count ourselves rich beyond compare because ours is the kingdom and Christ is our portion. Cultivating this virtue is the key to learning how to live with contentment, gratitude, and joy in all circumstances. There is no Christian Righteousness now, and no beatitude in the future, without this most blessed virtue.

Easter Thoughts

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 04:00:00 GMT

What Will Your Resurrected Body Be Like?

We have many questions about the end times. Rightly so, for it is a fascinating topic with lots of mysterious aspects, mysterious because some of these things have not happened yet, and it is hard to imagine what it will be like when they do. One of these end-times questions is especially relevant this time of year as Easter approaches: what will the resurrected body be like? We believe Jesus was raised from the dead, and Jesus promises that he will raise his people from the dead too. Jesus had his Easter moment, but he promises that each of us will have our own Easter moment. Just like Lazarus, we will come out of our tombs, but unlike Lazarus, we will never return to them. Someday we will leave the grave behind for good and be with our risen Savior forever. It is hard to imagine what that will be like, but it is the hope guaranteed for us by Easter. He is risen; he is risen indeed! Because he lives, we also will live. Because he rose, we likewise shall rise. That fills us with comfort and anticipation, but it also makes us wonder, what will my resurrected body be like?

This question is not new. It is a question Christians were asking the apostle Paul in the first century. Within Judaism, the native soil and natural habitat of original Christianity, the concept of the resurrection was familiar. The doctrine of the bodily resurrection is revealed in the Old Testament in places like Job 19:25-27, where Job exclaims his faith that even after his skin has decayed away, yet in his flesh he shall see his living Redeemer, and Isaiah 26:19, where Isaiah declares the word of the Lord that the bodies of the dead will rise and live again. This doctrine was the dominant belief of Jews in Paul’s day, but his Gentile converts were Hellenized pagans, like the Greeks and Romans in the Church of Corinth. The idea of bodily resurrection was a foreign concept to them, one they found offensive to their native worldview. To the Greek mind at the time, if an afterlife was believed in at all, it was certainly going to be non-physical and immaterial. The soul finally escapes the body at death and goes to a purely spiritual realm where the body is no longer needed. They thought of the physical body like a tomb, and the resurrection is when the soul finally rises from the body and goes to heaven forever. Sound familiar? The biblical view is that our bodies will not be left behind in the end. They will rise.

Many Greek-minded Christians in Corinth carried their familiar pagan beliefs about the afterlife into Christianity and challenged Paul’s teaching about the resurrected body. Paul responds to their questions and objections in 1 Corinthians 15. While Paul fully anticipates going to heaven after death, he forcefully denies that this condition is permanent. As I once heard one pastor put it, “Heaven is important, but it’s not the end of the world!” At the second coming, the departed souls in heaven return to earth with Jesus by reuniting with their resurrected bodies, and those who are alive at that time will be changed in the twinkling of an eye. The Corinthians just couldn’t imagine what the resurrected body would be like. Paul says it will be like when a farmer plants seeds in his field. When the seed goes into the ground, it is transformed into a completely new form. The seed passes away, and a plant rises from the ground. There is radical change, but there is also real continuity—the seed morphs into the plant. The underlying substance remains the same, but the form it takes is radically different. So also with the resurrected body, Paul says. The physical body of flesh and blood is planted in the earth at death, and at the resurrection the body rises in a completely new form, but it is still you, still your own body, only it now has been glorified, conformed completely into the likeness of Jesus’s resurrected body. No longer a perishable body of mere flesh and blood, it will be an immortal body like that of an indestructible spirit. That is the hope of Easter. That is the promise of Jesus to everyone who trusts in him.

Are You Ready for a King?

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 02:13:25 GMT

As I write this article, we are only a few days away from the 2024 presidential election. There are many people in our country who believe this is the most important election for the future of the United States. There is a sense across the political spectrum that the stakes have never been higher. This is a common feeling that many people begin to feel every four years. Every election feels more important than the last. I was reading the other day and came across this comment that really struck me.

“The salvation of America and of the human race depends on the next election,

if we believe the newspapers. But so it was last year, and so it was the year before,

and our fathers believed the same thing forty years ago.”

This comment captures the current anxiety of the upcoming election that many people in the news are feeling and fostering. We need salvation, and only one candidate can deliver. How many of you feel this way right now? This comment, cynical as it is, feels fresh and current. In reality, these words were written in October of 1848 by Ralph Waldo Emerson! That year the election was between Zachary Taylor and Lewis Cass. Remember how utterly crucial that election was? Me neither. But people at the time thought so. Has anything really changed?

The 1848 election was 176 years ago. In 176 years from now, it will be 2200. What will those Americans think when they look back on the 2024 election? Chances are, Trump vs. Harris will seem to them what Taylor vs. Cass seems to us. I hear you scoffing, but they felt the same way in 1848 that you do today. This moment feels so big to us because we are in the middle of it. Time and distance give perspective though, and perspective gives a sense of proportion. Is this election important? It is. Are big things happening in our country? Definitely. But does “the salvation of America and of the human race depend on the next election”? No, certainly not.

As Christians, we know where salvation comes from. We are the people of God, citizens of heaven, believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ, heirs of the coming kingdom. We do not look to politicians and the ways of this world to establish our own kingdoms. We should love our country, work and pray for its success, be informed, and vote. But never conflate your country with God’s kingdom, your party with God’s will, or your candidate with messianic hopes.

When Jesus returns, he will establish his kingdom over all nations, including this one. When that happens, democracy is over. There is no democracy in a kingdom. No more voting, no more rights and freedoms as we enjoy them now. The conservative or liberal America that you are fighting for today will not exist in the kingdom. Jesus will rule this country with a rod of iron. His word will be law. His enemies will be subdued. Everyone will bend the knee. True salvation will finally come. Christians say they want this, but do we? Do we act like it? Do we live like it? For many Christians, the answer seems to be no. But what about you? Are you ready for a King?

Peace and grace,

Pastor Wesley

Can the Law Make You Good?

Sun, 01 Sep 2024 21:29:34 GMT

Rule-Keeper or a Virtue-Builder?

One of the ongoing debates in the field of ethics is how people become morally good. Ethics is the department of philosophy that studies the nature of morality, the conditions of moral responsibility, and the cultivation of moral excellence. We can think of morality in terms of two fundamental concepts: values and duties. Moral values are all the different abstract virtues and good qualities that ought to be exemplified in one’s character. Moral duties are the various obligations that are binding on our behavior and tell us how we ought to act. To simplify, the debate about how people become good comes from a disagreement over which of these two concepts should be the basis of cultivating goodness. Do moral values make people good, or moral duties? Both are necessary, but which is most important?

Naturally, then, there are two basic ways to make people good, two approaches to achieve moral excellence. There is the rules-based approach (moral duties), and the virtues-based approach (moral values). The rules-based approach says that people become good by following the rules. Goodness is conformity to an objective standard. If the rules and standards of moral excellence are known, observed, and enforced, people will increase in goodness as they get closer to meeting the standard. These rules and standards are expressed in terms of moral law, and goodness is measured by obedience to the law. By contrast, the virtues-based approach says that people become good by building virtuous habits. Goodness is the condition of one’s character. It comes from consistent ethical exercise. We only get good at something when we practice it repetitiously. People become good by training their will to choose the good. As the habits of virtue grow, people get better and better until goodness becomes second nature.

The debate between these two different approaches to ethics began with the ancient Greeks and has continued down to our own day. There are good arguments in favor of both. The virtue-ethics defender might say, “Laws don’t make good people, just like speed limits don’t make good drivers. You can keep the letter of the law and still not be a good person. You can’t be good until you first become the kind of person who wants to keep the law.” And the rule-ethics defender might say, “Without moral laws you wouldn’t know what goodness even means, just like you wouldn’t know what a good driver is without the rules of the road to judge by. There is no such thing as lawless goodness. You can’t be good until your behavior begins to match your morals.”

Judaism and Christianity both have been major players in this debate for millennia. The apostle Paul seems to recognize the distinction between these two conceptions of ethics in Romans 5:7, “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die.” This somewhat vague contrast between the righteous person and the good person suddenly becomes clear when you see it in the context of this ancient ethical debate. The righteous person is the rule-keeper, and the good person is the virtue-builder. Which one are you more likely to die for, Paul wonders. Jews and Christians have historically defended both views, but I wonder what you think. Do you believe God’s law can make people good? Or do you believe people first have to be good in some other way before they can keep God’s law? How do you think through this question from a biblical perspective? Your conclusions will have profound effects on how you live your Christian life. Should you be focused on knowing God’s law and obeying God’s will primarily, or should your focus be on building Christian character and practicing Christlike habits? If both have a role to play, how do you integrate them in your own life? Are you naturally more of a rule-keeper or a virtue-builder? Which way is more fulfilling?

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

Essentials in the Christian Life

Mon, 01 Jul 2024 22:20:32 GMT

Prayer & Meditation

This summer I have decided to explore some practical topics in the Christian life. In the month of June, I preached on two topics that seem so simple, prayer and daily devotions. Though outwardly these spiritual practices are not flashy or fancy, they are of vital importance to our individual Christian lives. There are essential things we must do with one another in the Christian life, but there are also things we must do own our own. There is both a public side and a personal or private side to the Christian life. Prayer and devotions are nonnegotiable essentials of your personal walk with the Lord. These are the two greatest resources God has provided for personal growth in your knowledge of God and your love of godliness. The Lord’s Prayer is an unsurpassable model of how we ought to practice daily prayer. Biblical meditation, exhibited in the Psalms and established by the Puritans, is far and away the best approach to daily devotions.

Perhaps prayer is more familiar to you than biblical meditation. So let me give you some advice on how to approach meditation. This is my advice whether you are new to this or experienced. First and foremost, remember that there is no substitute for the Bible itself. You cannot leave out the Bible if you want to do biblical meditation. Dwelling upon the word of God so that you can ponder the things of God is definitional. So do not bypass the word. If you’re unsure where to begin, the best place to go is the Psalms. The Psalms are the God-inspired result of biblical meditation. The Psalms are the written reflections of the saints who have navigated the deeps and tides of God’s grandeur. They have explored every triumph and tragedy of life with their God and experienced the whole range of human emotion. If the Lord’s Prayer is our best model for prayer, the Psalms are our best model for meditation. John Calvin said, “A better and more unerring rule for guiding us in this exercise cannot be found elsewhere than in the Psalms.” Read through the Psalms, slowly and attentively, watch how the saints meditate on God and the things of God, and imitate them. Meditate on their meditations until it becomes second nature.

My second piece of advice is to supplement your Bible reading with solid resources that are designed to help you meditate. There are lots of horrifically shallow devotionals out there. Beware of fluff! You need something short but substantial. Here are two resources I recommend:

The Songs of Jesus, by Tim Keller . To help you meditate on the Psalms, I recommend starting with Keller. This book will slow you down and take you little by little through the Psalms in a year. Keller will help orient you to what each passage is about and how to use it in meditation. His insights on application are very helpful for reflection and prayer.

The Blessed and Boundless God , by George Swinnock. I have found no better resource for helping ordinary Christians achieve extraordinary knowledge of God. Swinnock was a Puritan (1627-1673) who excelled at biblical meditation. This modern edition has been fully edited and updated in contemporary English. The chapters are bitesize in length, but they are extremely rich in worshipful, edifying, and stirring meditations on God from every angle of his beauty and perfection. The entire book is the result of Swinnock’s own meditations on Psalm 89:6, “For who in the heavens can be compared to the LORD?”

Brothers and sisters, prayer and meditation are essential. If you commit to these spiritual disciplines, you will be amazed, in the long run, just how much you will grow. These are not quick fixes. They are lifelong habits of a healthy, fruitful, satisfying relationship with your God.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

Six Reasons We Must Read the Bible

Sat, 01 Jun 2024 19:21:54 GMT

Taught and Stable

God intends for all his people to become “taught and stable” in the faith under the instruction, correction, and exhortation of learned and faithful pastors and teachers, so that we do not twist the Scriptures to our own destruction but are fully equipped for every good work (2 Pet. 3:16; 2

Tim. 3:16-17). As we sit and study together week after week, year after year, under the continuous ministry of preaching, instruction, and correction from the word of God, we become taught and stable in our understanding of the faith and in our ability to read and study the Bible

for ourselves. But we must be careful. Every Christian has the right to interpret the Bible, but no one has the right to misinterpret the Bible. We dare not misuse or abuse the Bible, for it is God’s holy voice speaking to us, and we must give an account for what we do with that word.

We treat the Bible as sacred in this way because of how precious it is. God has given us an absolute treasure for his great glory and for our great benefit. God offers us his transforming power and presence in this book. This is why we read and study the Bible! This is also why reading and studying the Bible is such a serious spiritual matter. We not only get to read the Bible, we must read the Bible. Here are six scriptural reasons why.

1. To sustain our faith

Paul said, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17).

2. To have spiritual life

Jesus himself said (quoting the Old Testament), “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the

mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4; cf. Deut. 8:3). Moses said, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. For it is no empty word for you,

but your very life” (Deut. 32:46-47). And the apostle John said concerning his Gospel, “These are written so that you may

believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).

3. To have joy and blessing

The psalmist said concerning the words of God, “More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them

there is great reward” (Ps. 19:10-11).

4. To stop sinning

The psalmist said in another place, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word” (Ps. 119:9).

“I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Ps. 119:11).

5. To grow in holiness

Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”

(John 8:31-32). Jesus prayed to God the Father for us and said, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17).

6. To strengthen our hope

Paul said, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Rom. 15:4).

For all these reasons—and many more—reading and studying the Bible is vital to the life of the individual Christian and the life of the church. I strongly encourage and recommend that all of us consider the great benefit and great necessity of reading and studying the Bible on a regular

basis, both individually and within the fellowship and under the direction and accountability of the church. As we do so, we trust the Holy Spirit will seal his inspired word to the hearts of his people, and that together we will become mighty in the Scriptures. This is how we fulfill our Protestant commitments, follow the Bible’s directions, and remain faithful in all that we do.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

A "One Another" Church

Wed, 01 May 2024 22:16:52 GMT

Thirty-five years ago, in April of 1989, my parents became Christians. They were in their late 20s, and I was only two years old (I turned three that December). They were led to the Lord by a team of door-to-door evangelists from a tiny local church in our hometown. After my parents were saved, that door-to-door team invited them to church and made sure they had a place to belong. Mom and dad made great friends and built relationships that have lasted to this day, all these years later. Once mom and dad found their place in the church, they had the opportunity to help others find a place. That small, country church in the tiny town of Denton, NC, felt like a genuine family. People loved each other, spent time with each other during the week, raised their families together, worshiped the Lord passionately, prayed fervently, were hungry for God’s word, shared their faith, and continued doing what they did best—being the warmest, kindest, most welcoming congregation in town. By the time I was in high school, the church had built a new facility, launched two Sunday services, and at its height reached 500 members. Not bad for a town of twelve hundred!

There is no magic formula for growing a big church, and there is no guarantee that every church that does what my old home church did will see the same results. God is in charge of the growth of our church. The numbers are up to him, but obedience is up to us. Being a “one another” church like my old home church is not a magic formula; it is the normal expectation of every local church, regardless of its size. If we are the body of Christ, if we are brothers and sisters in the Lord, if we are truly members together in the family of God—then our Christian lives ought to reflect that reality outside of Sunday and outside the walls of our building. We are called to be a genuine family that cares for one another and shows up to support the church. If we all strive more and more to be a congregation that worships passionately, prays fervently, studies the Scriptures deeply, and loves each other selflessly, we will truly be the kind of church that is situated perfectly to receive the outpouring of God’s blessings. We will absolutely grow spiritually, and, God willing, we will be ripe to grow numerically as well.

I will never forget one time as a teenager something the pastor of my old home church said. He and I, along with some others from the church, went to lunch at a local restaurant. As we were eating, a man came up to the table who knew someone in our group named Rick. Rick said, “Hey, I would like to introduce you to my minister. This is Charles.” Pastor Charles then said to the guy, “Hey, I would like you to meet Rick; he’s my minister.” Charles wanted the whole church to have that mindset: he was the pastor, but every member is a minister. In Ephesians 4:12, Paul teaches that every church member should be equipped to do the work of ministry and build up the body of Christ. I might be the pastor, but all of us are ministers. We are called to be a “one another” church. I challenge you to give serious thought to how you can join us in this biblical vision for the Forks. Let us walk in obedience to the Lord and watch how he blesses.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

A Time for Feasting

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 04:00:00 GMT

With the coming of Spring, the church enters into the joyous season of Easter. During Lent, we traditionally practice the discipline of self-denial. We give up something for Lent. This is an act of fasting for forty days. Easter is the mirror opposite of Lent. Just as we give up something for Lent, we are encouraged to take up something for Easter. Lent is about fasting, but Easter is about feasting. Easter is a forty-day period of

celebration and rejoicing. The church greets the new life of Spring bursting forth in the earth by commemorating the glorious morning when our Lord burst forth from his tomb, bringing us eternal life. Here is how the apostle Paul says it:

[God] saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:9-10).

Here we have the meaning of Easter encapsulated. These are the things we celebrate, and all of them were accomplished and secured for us by Jesus on that first Easter through his resurrection.

Our whole salvation is a sovereign work of God . It is not based on our holiness, our works, our purposes, or our merits. We are saved only by God’s purpose and grace, which he ordained to give us in eternity past. God saves us first, and then he calls us to live a holy life. And the way we obtain these gifts is only in union with Christ Jesus in his death and resurrection. As Paul says, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. . . . So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:4, 5, 11).

Our ultimate salvation is rescue from death . Being saved means achieving immortality. God’s sovereign purpose and saving grace, which he prepared in eternity and revealed in history, are intended to do for us one day what he did for Jesus on Easter. The symbol of our salvation is not only the cross, but the empty tomb. In his resurrection, Jesus abolished our death and brought us life. Paul says, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Rom. 8:11).

Easter is the celebration of Christ’s resurrection in the past and the anticipation of our own resurrection in the future. This is why we take up something for Lent. We do something joyful for others that promotes flourishing and well-being. We add something to our lives that brings more life to ourselves and others. More life, unending life, abundant life—that is what we celebrate, and we give Jesus all the glory. What will you take up this Easter that is life-giving? Make it your aim this Easter to be the kind of person who brings life and joy to the people around you.

He is risen!

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

I Believe in GOD

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 22:00:40 GMT

A Confession of Faith

All theists are willing to say, “I believe in God.” By definition, a theist is one who asserts the claim, or affirms the proposition, that God exists. Adherents of many different faiths and a host of various religions, historically as well as globally, believe in God. Christians count themselves among this group of believers. The Christian religion is one among many that teaches the existence of one supreme being, one true and living God. Together with Judaism, Christianity proclaims its faith in the God of Israel, whose name is Yahweh. In the words of the prophet Jeremiah, “Yahweh is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King” (Jeremiah 10:10). In distinction from Judaism, Christianity proclaims its faith that Jesus is Yahweh’s uniquely begotten Son. In the words of the apostle Peter, speaking to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). Jeremiah declares Yahweh is the living God, and Peter confesses Jesus is the son of the living God, the son of Yahweh. This pair of beliefs is what sets Christianity apart. Jesus himself says, “Believe in God; believe also in me” (John 14:1).

What does it mean when a Christian utters the theistic confession, “I believe in God”? This confession of faith for the Christian will have many things in common with the faith of believers in other religions. For instance, the word “I” carries tremendous significance. “I” is not the lightweight concept of mere intellectual agreement. It does not mean we are simply of the opinion that God exists. “I” is the heavyweight concept that includes the whole person, not just the mind. You and I are not simply minds. We have hearts, wills, bodies, energy, relationships, responsibilities, possessions, and more. When you say “I” believe in God, it ought to mean all of you, every facet of your life. And when you say I “believe” in God, it ought to mean that you have committed yourself to God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Other religions share these things in common with Christianity when their adherents profess faith in God. The key difference that sets Christianity apart from all other faiths is the one mentioned above: not the “I,” and not “believe,” but what the Christian means by “God.” Because we believe that the one true God is the Father of Jesus, our faith in God must include faith in Jesus. Father and Son are inseparably linked. To believe in one is to believe in the other; to reject one is to reject the other. The apostle John says, “No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also” (1 John 2:23). “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12). This fundamental point means that Jesus is central to our confession of faith. Jesus is included in our belief in God.

“I believe in God,” for the Christian, means, “I believe the one true God is the Father of the Lord Jesus, and I pledge my life in worship and in service to the Father and his Son.” This is the basic expression of the Christian faith, and this is the starting point of the Christian life. This Lenten season, let us pray like the man in the Gospels who said to Jesus, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

Lent

Thu, 01 Feb 2024 21:51:55 GMT

The Season of Lent

The season of Lent is upon us. Lent is the liturgical season on the church calendar when we focus on sacrifice. Many people traditionally “give something up for Lent.” Many others, jokingly, give up Lent for Lent! What is the purpose of this tradition? We are supposed to give up something as a symbolic act of sacrifice. We lay something down from Ash Wednesday to Easter, and this is meant to teach us some important spiritual lessons.

First, giving something up for Lent reminds us that we all have things in our lives that we need to lay aside. We all have sins, vices, bad habits, negative attitudes, and destructive behaviors that put us in a bind mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. These things distort our relationships with the Lord and with others. Giving up something for Lent is a spiritual exercise that helps us practice putting things aside, especially those sins that so easily ensnare us (cf. Hebrews 12:1).

Second, giving up something for Lent teaches us the discipline of self-denial. The key to observing Lent in a meaningful and productive way is to choose something to give up that you really enjoy, or something that usually occupies a large amount of your time and attention. The point is to give up something you value, something good that you enjoy, so you can practice the biblical virtue of self-denial. By teaching ourselves to do without something we crave, or something we feel like we need in our life in order to be happy, we learn how to be content with less. We learn to appreciate the things that are truly important. Lent reminds us not to get too attached to our possessions and earthly enjoyments, and to seek our fulfillment in Christ.

Third, our small sacrifice in Lent directs us to consider the costly sacrifice of Christ. As we lay down some of our own comforts and conveniences, we are reminded that Jesus freely laid down his very life in our behalf. The culmination of Lent is Good Friday. Self-sacrifice is at the heart of Lent because the aim of the season is to help us grow in our imitation of Christ: walking with him, bearing our cross, sharing in his suffering, and embracing his call to give ourselves for something eternal instead of living for this world.

If Lent is about sacrifice, it is also about love. Paul says, “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Lent and love—now that is a strange combination! But, strange as it sounds, love and Lent go together. This year Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine’s Day. How romantic! Perhaps at first thought we may feel amused and ask ourselves, ‘What’s love got to do with it?’ Actually, love has everything to do with it.

Lent is about falling out of love with this world and more and more in love with Christ. Lent is also about learning to love people like Christ loved us—to sacrifice self out of love for others. Even if you choose not to give something up for Lent, think about what you are willing to give up for Christ. What do you need to step away from this year in order to grow in your love for Jesus? What rights, freedoms, comforts, or conveniences are you willing to forego for the sake of another person? What are you willing to give up, if necessary, out love for others?

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

The Magi

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 21:48:56 GMT

Prophecy Turns into Story

One of my favorite scenes in the Nativity story is the visit of the magi. This story inspired the Christmas carol “We Three Kings.” I always loved the second stanza of the song: “Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain, / gold I bring to crown him again, / King forever, ceasing never, / over us all shall reign.” This carol captures well the scene in Matthew chapter 2, where the magi in the east see the star appear in the sky, “westward leading, still proceeding, / guide us to thy perfect light.” The magi follow the guidance of the star to Jerusalem, and then they follow the guidance of Scripture to Bethlehem, where the star stood directly over the place where the child Jesus resided. My favorite part of the story is when the magi

finally enter the house and see Jesus with their own eyes. Matthew says “they fell to the ground and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11).

When predictions in the Old Testament come to pass, prophecy turns into story; texts turn into history. That is what happens in the visit of the magi. Matthew has taken an Old Testament prophecy and turned it into a story, which is called a fulfillment narrative. The visit of the magi is the fulfillment of Isaiah 60:1-6. Grab your Bible and read those six verses. The resemblance to Matthew 2 should leap off the page. Isaiah begins the prophecy like this, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you” (60:1). This refers to the rising of the star in the east. Isaiah continues, “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising” (60:3). The magi are not Israelites. They are from the nations of the east, and when they see the star rise they follow it, just as Isaiah predicted. By the way, Matthew never calls the magi “kings,” but they are depicted as “we three kings” because they are the fulfillment of Isaiah 60:3, which calls them kings. Finally, Isaiah says, “The wealth of the nations will come to you. A multitude of camels will cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those of Sheba will come; they will bring gold and frankincense” (60:5-6). This is why the magi are depicted as riding camels, a detail that Matthew does not mention. Matthew also does not say there were specifically three magi. Where does that detail come from? It comes from the number of gifts the magi bring to Jesus. Isaiah mentions gold and frankincense; Matthew adds myrrh as a third gift, possibly because this spice was associated

with the land of Sheba mentioned by Isaiah.

This is one of my favorite scenes in the Nativity story for two reasons. First, it shows us how God fulfills his word in history. Isaiah’s prophecy came to pass because God watches over his word to perform it. His word never returns void. It always accomplishes his purposes. Second, it shows me, as a Gentile, what my posture should be before Christ. Like the magi, I too am from the nations, and I too want to come to Jesus like they did. I want to go to him with joy; I want to fall before him in worship; I want to give him my treasures because I treasure him above all; and I want him to be my king forever. O let us be like these magi! Let us come to the light of Christ, follow wherever he leads, and give him our all—this Christmas, and always.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

Tender Compassion

Wed, 01 Nov 2023 20:28:58 GMT

GOD's Tender Compassion

The biblical nation of Israel (which is not the same as the modern nation of Israel today) was destroyed by Roman legions in the 1st century. The scale of the slaughter of the Jewish people in that war was astronomical. Tens of thousands perished, and thousands more were exiled. Jerusalem was pulverized, the Second Temple obliterated, and the land put to the sword and the flame. The brutality of the Romans was unmatched, and the loss of the temple has left a permanent scar on the Jewish soul. There is a Jewish holyday that is dedicated to remembering and mourning those tragic events. The Rabbis believed those events also left a permanent scar on God’s soul as well.

The other day I was reading a passage in the Talmud, the holiest book in Judaism after the Old Testament. In that passage, the Rabbis are discussing how God spends his day. There are twelve hours in the daytime, they said, so what does God do with those hours? Here is what they concluded. God breaks up those twelve hours into four quarters. In the first quarter, God occupies himself with the Torah (the Law of Moses). Apparently, God reads and studies his own word three hours a day! In the second quarter, God sits in judgment over the world. In the third quarter, God provides the world with food. In the fourth quarter, he plays with Leviathan (see Psalm 104:26). Leviathan is a mythical creature in the Old Testament. In other words, God ends his day by playing with his pet, laughing and enjoying himself. But, the Rabbis taught, this changed when the Romans destroyed the Temple and massacred the Jewish people. God no longer plays with Leviathan, they said, meaning God no longer laughs. All his laughter has been turned to mourning by the memory of what happened to his people. He has a permanent scar on his soul, and he will never laugh again, the Rabbis say, until the day the Messiah comes.

If God no longer laughs and no longer plays with Leviathan in the fourth quarter, what does he do? This is their answer. God sits with the little Jewish children who were slaughtered by the Romans, and he teaches them. When I read that, it took my breath away. My imagination is vivid enough to picture it: God sitting on the floor with these precious little ones at the end of every day, teaching them who he is, showing them how much he loves them, his heart turned from laughter to sadness because he cares about them so deeply and grieves for their suffering. It is a stirring image of God’s tender compassion. The Rabbis do not mean it literally. They are trying to teach theology through parables, just like Rabbi Jesus (Luke 18:15-17). They want to drive home the fact that God remembers his people, remembers our suffering, carries our grief in his own heart, and cares about the loved ones we have lost (see 1 Peter 5:6-11).

I believe God still cares for the Jewish people (Rom. 11:28-29). I believe his tender compassion still runs deep in his heart when Jews are slaughtered. On October 7th, Hamas terrorists massacred 1400 innocent Jews. The horror and evil of that day are sickening. Surely God will sit with those children who were brutally murdered. Laughter turns to mourning. God remembers, and so must we. There is a scar on our souls too. This war is devastating, but we pray for God’s mercy, for peace, and the innocent. May evil be vanquished, and may Israel prevail (Ps. 125:4-5).

Peace and grace,

Pastor Wesley

The Five Solas

Sun, 01 Oct 2023 10:00:01 GMT

Reformation Month!

October is Reformation Month. This year there are five Sundays in October, one for each of the five solas of classic Protestant theology. I love when it works out like this! Sola is the Latin word for “only” or “alone.” Think of the word “solo” and you get the idea. The five solas refer to the five “alone’s” that summarize the heart of the Reformation. Think of these solas as slogans of protest against significant doctrinal errors taught by the Roman Catholic Church of the late medieval period. The Reformers believed the Catholic Church was compromised by serious false teaching on matters of supreme importance to the Christian faith. There were many other abuses, problems, and points of protest in the 16th century, but these five stand out as the most important. The solas stand for the dividing line between Protestants and Catholics to this day.

Why are you Protestant? Why do you find yourself on that side of the line? Many people have never even thought about the question. I would venture to say that most are Protestant merely out of comfort and convenience, not out of conviction. Reformation Month is a time to remember why we are Protestant and to celebrate our inheritance. During the Reformation, under God’s wonderful providence, the church reclaimed the Bible, the gospel, and purified worship. The five solas summarize this inheritance. We must embrace these solas with firm conviction. We must learn them, understand them, and be able to explain them to others. When your Catholic friends and family members ask you why you are Protestant, or when you are urged and challenged to convert to the Catholic Church, you need to be ready to give a defense of your faith. Many convert to Rome because they were only Protestant out of comfort or convenience, not conviction, and they collapsed under pressure because they didn’t have an answer.

Let me encourage you this Reformation Month to establish firm, Protestant convictions. Memorize these five solas. Look up where they come from, what they mean, and what errors they are intended to correct. Most importantly, find where the solas are taught in Scripture and study those passages carefully. Let the solas carry you back to the word of God. That is where all Reformation teaching should lead. The absolute best way to establish Protestant convictions is to see for yourself where the Bible teaches these convictions. So let Reformation Month be a back-to-the-Bible month! Let us know for sure why we are Protestant, why the Reformation was so important, and why our Protestant inheritance is worth remembering and defending.

A good place to begin studying the five solas is our new church website. Under the “About Us” tab you will find a link called “Our Beliefs.” On that page you will find a detailed summary explanation I have written for each of the five solas. Other essential beliefs of our church are briefly explained there as well for those who are interested. May the Lord strengthen your faith this Reformation Month and give you joy in his truth as we celebrate our Protestant inheritance.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

The Church is Not a Building

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 21:11:30 GMT

The New Covenant People

The New Testament uses a variety of images, analogies, and metaphors to describe the church. This should tell us that the church is not a simple thing. If it were, you would think a simple description would be sufficient. That isn’t what we find. The New Testament uses a rich assortment of descriptions because the nature of the church is complex and multifaceted. When Jesus promised to build his church (Matt. 16:18), he did not envision a rickety shack or a simple home; he was drawing up the blueprints for nothing less than a new Temple (see Eph. 2:18-22; 1 Peter 2:4-5), a marvelously intricate and complex structure. The nature of the church is rich and varied and cannot be captured by one image or a simple description.

One of those many images, the one I want to focus on in this article, is the New Covenant people of God. The Hebrew people—the great genealogical family of loosely associated clans and tribes descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—were formed into one united people group and forged into one single nation by the Old Covenant given through Moses on Mt. Sinai. Jacob’s name had been changed to Israel in Genesis, and his name was chosen as the name of the new nation. The names of Jacob’s twelve sons became the names of each tribe. Hence Israel is the nation, and the people of each tribe are the sons of Israel, or Israelites, the citizens of the nation. God chose Abraham and promised him a worldwide family (Gen. 12:1-3). God chose Isaac and Jacob to be the heirs of the promises to Abraham. God chose their descendants to be the bearers of the ancient promises, and thus he made a covenant with them (the Old Covenant) and claimed them as his special people (Ex. 19:5-6; Deut. 7:6-8).

The whole nation of Israel was chosen by God as his people, but simply being an Israelite was no guarantee of salvation or of inheriting the covenant promises. It was the nation as a group that was chosen under the Old Covenant, not every individual in that group. Being a member of the chosen people by genealogy was not enough. Isaiah prophesied that not the whole nation, but only a faithful remnant would be chosen by God for salvation (Is. 1:9; 10:22-23). God would preserve a remnant of believers and continue the nation through them. Jeremiah prophesied that God would make a New Covenant with this faithful remnant in place of, and greater than, the one Israel had broken (Jer. 31:31-33). God fulfilled these prophecies by sending Jesus.

Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus established that New Covenant (Luke 22:19-20). Paul, therefore, understood himself to be a minister of the New Covenant (2 Cor. 3:6), and the author of Hebrews praises this New Covenant as superior to the Old because it is based on better promises (Heb. 8:6). Through Christ, God has replaced the Old Covenant with the New (Heb. 8:13). By doing so, God has preserved the chosen nation, “the Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16), through Jesus the Messiah and the faithful Jewish remnant. So then, even though the Jewish people, or ethnic Israel, remain chosen in a historical sense, and retain their God-given privileges, and have a hopeful future in God’s plan (Rom. 11), not all Jews have been chosen as heirs of the covenant. Only the faithful remnant of Israel, Jews who bow the knee to the Messiah, are the ones whom God has chosen to inherit the ancient promises (Rom. 9:1-16). All Gentiles who believe in the Messiah are now included with Jewish believers and share in their chosen status (Eph. 2:11-13, 19). This New Covenant people of God is called the church, and through this church God is keeping his promise to give Abraham a worldwide family (Gal. 3:7-9).

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Wesley

Guardian Angels, part 2

Sat, 01 Jul 2023 17:03:55 GMT

Three Steps of Studying the Bible (Part 2)

In last month’s article we covered the three basic steps of sound Bible study. Following these steps is how we study the Bible inductively. Inductive Bible study is the process of building up your theology passage by passage, one doctrine at a time. The opposite approach is to start with your theology and then sort the passages according to the doctrinal categories that you bring to the text. In reality, each of us always brings some of our theology to the text. There is no such thing as a “blank slate” Bible reader. We all have to start somewhere, and our different starting points are determined by our preexisting beliefs, attitudes, assumptions, intuitions, and mindset. These things are called presuppositions, and we carry them with us in everything we do. Our presuppositions are always running in the background, like software on your computer. They tell us how to filter, process, experience, and interpret all of life.

This is no less true when we study the Bible. We all have presuppositions about the Bible, about God, about Jesus, and so on. In other words, we all have a personal theology running in the background as we try to read the Bible, whether we realize it or not. The most important thing we can do as Bible readers is become keenly aware of our presuppositions and test them for consistency against the Bible itself. How do you do that? Inductive Bible study. Bringing our theology to the Bible is unavoidable, but that is only a bad thing if our theology is bad. So we have to challenge and change our theology as needed in order to bring our thinking more and more in line with the Bible. The three basic steps of inductive Bible study are designed to help us interrogate our presuppositions, discarding falsehoods and building up more biblical beliefs.

So what does the Bible teach about guardian angels? We need to begin with a definition so that we know what we are looking for. Guardian angels are heavenly beings assigned by God to care for, protect, and guide each individual person. We all have presuppositions about guardian angels, whether we realize it or not, but are they consistent with Scripture? Using the three steps, let’s find out.

The first step is easy. There is no direct teaching in the Bible on this topic. What about step two, indirect teaching? Remember that indirect teaching involves explicit statements and references that allude to the topic without discussing it at length, usually in a context where some other topic is being directly discussed. These explicit allusions come in three forms: we are looking for any place in Scripture that refers to guardian angels by name; by synonym; or by the general concept. Now, there are no verses that refer to guardian angels by name; however, some passages seem to refer to guardian angels by synonym and concept.

The two clearest passages that seem to refer to guardian angels by synonym are in the Psalms. Psalm 91:11 says God “will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” Angels that God sends to guard you wherever you go—sure sounds like guardian angels. Psalm 34:7 says the “angle of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and delivers them.” That also sounds like a guardian angel. But do these verses say that everyone is assigned one of these angelic protectors? Were these angels only assigned to a particular person or group in the past for some special purpose that only applied to them? Was the assignment for a limited time only? Was it only for Israelites? Does this apply to all people today? It isn’t clear.

Other passages are suggestive of the concept of guardian angels but not conclusive. Matthew 18:10 mentions angels that belong to “little ones,” meaning humble Christians. Acts 12:15 mentions Peter’s angel but without further comment. Daniel 12:1 names the angel Michael as the protector or guardian of Israel but says nothing about guarding individuals. Genesis 48:15-16 refers to the angel who helped rescue Jacob from evil, and Genesis 24:7 and 40 speak of an angel who will temporarily help Abraham’s servant find a wife for his son Isaac. Hebrews 1:14 describes angels as spirits that God sends to minister to his people. Finally, Job 5:1 and 33:23-24 refer to angels or “holy ones” who may intervene on a person’s behalf to save them from death.

As you can see, the indirect teaching is very slim, and all the passages are debatable. What about step three? Is there any implicit teaching we can draw from these or any other statements or teachings in the Bible? In my opinion, it is very difficult to infer or deduce any sure conclusions from these texts that logically implies the doctrine of guardian angels as we have defined it above. My conclusion is this: I think it is clear from these biblical passages that God uses his angels to serve and protect his people in various ways, and I think we should expect that God may send an angel to guard us or intervene in our behalf at various moments in our lives. In that sense, yes, the Bible does teach that there are guardian angels. However, the Bible does not seem to teach that every individual is assigned a specific angel as his or her special guardian. That belief is not taught in Scripture, either directly, indirectly, or implicitly. But what do you think?

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

Guardian Angels, part 1

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 21:09:15 GMT

Three Steps of Studying the Bible

Do you believe in guardian angels? If the most recent figures are still somewhat reliable today, most Americans do. ABC News reported the results of a 2008 poll conducted by Baylor University on this question. The results showed that 55 percent of Americans across the board believe in guardian angels, including 20 percent of those who say they are non-religious. What do you think? Are guardian angels real? How would you try to find out? As Bible-believing Christians, the first place we should turn is Scripture. We know God’s word has the answers, but how should we use the Bible when searching for those answers? In this article, I want to give some directions on how to study the Bible, and in the next article I will show you how it works in practice by applying these directions to the topic of guardian angels. So here are three steps to studying the Bible.

When investigating any question that you have about what to believe, the first thing you should look for in Scripture is this: Is there any direct teaching in the Bible on this topic? “Direct teaching” means you can open your Bible to a specific chapter or section that explicitly discusses that topic. You are looking for more than a verse or two with an offhand comment; you want at least a full paragraph where the author directly engages the topic. For example, you will not find any direct teaching in the Bible on the doctrine of the Trinity. You cannot open your Bible to a specific place that says, “Okay guys, now let me tell you about the Trinity. Get ready for some tricky math!” However, you will find direct teaching in the Bible about the doctrine of justification by faith. For instance, go read Romans chapter 4.

After researching the direct teaching, or if there is no direct teaching that addresses your question, you move on to the next step: Is there any indirect teaching in the Bible on this topic? “Indirect teaching” means you can open your Bible to a specific verse where something related to the topic is explicitly said but isn’t the focus of the passage. At this point you are looking for offhand comments and side references. For example, in 1 Timothy chapter 2, while Paul is directly teaching on how we should conduct ourselves in church, he mentions that Jesus died as a ransom for all and that he (Paul) was appointed as an apostle to preach that message to the Gentiles (verses 6-7). The death of Christ and Paul’s apostleship are not the subject matter under discussion in 1 Timothy 2, which means Paul is not giving direct teaching on those topics there. However, what he says in these offhand comments is extremely valuable because he is giving us important information that is related to those other topics. This is indirect teaching about a topic in the middle of direct teaching about a different topic.

It is crucial to keep in mind that both direct teaching and indirect teaching involve explicit statements about the question or topic you are investigating. “Explicit” means the biblical author clearly has your topic in mind and says something about it, either by name, by synonym, or by referring to the general concept. For instance, consider the topic of the final judgment. The final judgment is explicitly mentioned by name in Revelation 20:11-15; it is explicitly mentioned by synonym in Romans 2:6; and the general concept is explicitly referred to in Hebrews 4:13. In these places, you will find both direct and indirect teaching on the final judgment because that topic is explicitly in the author’s mind, and he means to tell you something about it in the text.

After you have searched out the indirect teaching, or if there is no indirect teaching, it’s time for step three: Is there any implicit teaching in the Bible on this topic? “Implicit teaching” means you can open your Bible to passages that may not say anything explicit about the topic, but what it does say has certain implications about the topic. The Westminster Confession of Faith 1.6 says that Scripture teaches not only what it explicitly says, but also what it logically implies. In this step, you are looking for evidence that can be used to draw out the Bible’s implied answer to your question. For example, the New Testament never addresses, directly or indirectly, the question of infant baptism. That means infant baptism is not explicitly taught in Scripture, nor is it explicitly denied. So if the doctrine is really biblical, it must be an implicit teaching. The question is: Is there any evidence that implies the biblical authors held such a belief even though they never explicitly mention it? Yes, there is. Infant baptism is deduced from Scripture based on what the Bible says about household baptisms, the covenant, the church, the kingdom of heaven, children of believers, and the Christian family. Direct and indirect teaching on all these topics is the evidence that leads to the implicit teaching of infant baptism.

These are the three big steps of sound Bible study. This is how we bring our theology in line with the teaching of Jesus and his apostles and develop it in ways they would approve. We construct our doctrines and beliefs based primarily on what the Bible teaches—directly, indirectly, and implicitly. In the next article, we will apply these directions to the topic of guardian angels. But you don’t have to wait till then to find out. Grab your Bible, use these steps to study the topic for yourself, and next month we will compare our answers. Let’s go study!

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

A Theological Crisis - The Civil War

Mon, 01 May 2023 21:35:41 GMT

A Theological Crisis - The American Civil War

War is always a crisis. Armies, nations, and civilians are all bound up in the horrors of armed conflict. War is often a historical crisis. Destinies are at stake. War inevitably entails personal crisis. Lives and families are forever changed by the experience of battle and the loss of loved ones. I am writing this article on April 26, exactly 158 years after the end of the American Civil War. The Civil War was undoubtedly a crisis for the soldiers, the nation, and the destiny of the American people. In many ways, that war made us, and continues to make us, the country and the people we are today. Shelby Foote famously described the Civil War as “the crossroads of our being.” It was a great personal and national crisis. However, it was also a theological crisis.

Leading historian Mark Noll wrote a book called The Civil War as a Theological Crisis, published in 2006. The book documents and addresses the fact that Northerners and Southerners experienced the shock and horror of the Civil War as a deeply theological crisis, a test of faith, a dark cloud over the ways of the American God. The crisis centered around two points of contention: does the Bible (and therefore God) sanction the institution of slavery, and which side of the war does God really fight for? Both sides believed in the righteousness of their cause, the truth of their convictions, and the biblical fidelity of their institutions. Both sides prayed in earnest and proclaimed that God in his providence would rise up to vindicate them and grant a glorious victory. Thus, the Civil War became a deeply theological crisis. The outcome of the war would determine whose interpretation of Scripture is correct and whose moral convictions and political institutions were approved by heaven. The nature and character of God was on the line.

This understanding of the connection between war on earth and the ways of heaven did not originate with 19th century Americans. In fact, the idea is exceedingly ancient. In the worlds of ancient Israel and the early church, the deeds of gods and humans were closely linked. Everyone understood that what happened on earth was a reflection of what happened in heaven. When earthly armies clashed, heavenly armies likewise battled. The outcome of war “down here” was sure proof of which gods had prevailed “up there.” Those favored by the strongest gods win. This understanding of war as theological crisis has served throughout history to vindicate the causes and convictions of the victors and to justify whatever treatment they chose for the losers.

I want to suggest that war is not the best approach to determining the correct interpretation of Scripture, or the nature of God, or what God thinks about our political and social institutions. God’s providence does not have such a clear, one-to-one correspondence to what he approves. As Scripture and history make clear, God is willing to allow many things that he does not approve. So we must beware of treating war as a theological crisis. It isn’t. God certainly does not want us to use armed conflict to settle our theological disputes. That idea has been ruinous for the church throughout history. Violence is never a source of divine revelation. Victory is not the test of truth.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

The Divine Gift of Faith

Sat, 01 Apr 2023 21:13:15 GMT

The Centurion

Christians talk a lot about faith. That is understandable. We all know faith is vitally important . You can’t be a Christian without faith. Believing in Jesus is how we get saved, but then what? Where does faith fit into the rest of my life? What does faith do? What is faith for? Does faith really work? These are natural questions, and finding the right answer will have a tremendous impact on your Christian life. Get the wrong answer, and it could lead to a dead end in your walk with Christ. So let’s turn to the words of Jesus to figure this out. Who better to tell us what it means to believe!

In Matthew chapter 8, a Roman soldier approaches Jesus and pleads for help. This is very unusual. Roman soldiers do not typically ask Jewish peasants for anything other than submission. Rome had conquered the Jewish homeland, and this soldier is stationed in Israel to enforce Roman law and order by any brutal means necessary. And this is no ordinary soldier ; this is a centurion, an officer with a unit of 80 troops under his command. This is a man of authority. Centurions do not ask conquered subjects for help, but this time something is different.

The centurion says to Jesus, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering “terribly” (Matthew 8:6). No matter how much authority this man possesses, he has no say over sickness. Suffering and death are not his subordinates. He could command all he wants, but his servant could not obey his order to get well. He needed help from someone with much more power and authority than he possessed. That is why he came to Jesus. He felt powerless, helpless, desperate. Jesus was his last chance.

It was so amazing, in fact, and so unexpected, that even Jesus himself is astonished at this man’s response. Matthew tells us that Jesus was so astonished “he marveled and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith’” (Matthew 8:10). What do we learn from this encounter? Jesus tells us that if we want to know what faith is and what faith does, look no further than this Roman soldier. The centurion’s faith has at least three parts to it:

1. Faith is a humble, confident trust in the power and authority of Jesus.

2. Faith looks away from self and pleads with Jesus to do for us what only he can do.

3. Faith listens expectantly to the mighty word of Jesus.

Faith like this is what Jesus wants from his disciples. It’s the level of trust and commitment he wants from you. If you feel that you are incapable of living up to this expectation, that you could never work up that much faith on your own, then you are exactly right—and you just completed step one for having true faith. This kind of faith is a divine gift, granted to us by the sovereign power of the Holy Spirit working in our hearts. This is good news. If faith is a gift from God, then it is yours for the asking.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

The Season of Lent

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 22:45:53 GMT

A Period of Preparation

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the liturgical season of Lent, a 40-day period in the Christian calendar dedicated to the spiritual disciplines of fasting and penitence. The season of Lent is a period of preparation. During this time we focus on serious spiritual inventory as we anticipate the following season of celebration that begins at Easter. For 40 days before Easter we concentrate on repentance (putting our sins to death), and for 40 days after Easter we concentrate on renewal (rising to walk in newness of life). Lent symbolizes the present evil age of a fallen world, in which we take up our cross and deny ourselves. Easter symbolizes the new age, the Age to Come, in which we take up our new life and bear witness to God’s new creation.

This is why we customarily “give up” something old for Lent and “take up” something new for Easter. These are parabolic actions. They signal to the world the meaning and message of Christ. These two connected seasons, Lent and Easter, are shaped like the life of Jesus. His journey to the cross and subsequent resurrection are the pattern. They are the pattern of the gospel, of baptism, of the Christian life, and of history itself. Jesus’s call to discipleship is a summons to take our place in this pattern, to enter this cosmic drama of redemption, to experience in the present age the powers of the Age to Come, and to bring New Creation to the world.

We should always be vigilant about sin. All year long, throughout our lives, we must keep watch over ourselves, living in a daily rhythm of repentance. Likewise, it is good to cultivate the spiritual discipline of fasting at other times in the year. At the same time, it is beneficial to the church to bring special attention to fasting and penitence at specified seasons of the year. No liturgical calendar is given for the church in the New Testament. Neither the season of Lent, or Easter, or any other seasons are commanded in the Bible. Therefore, no church and no Christian is obligated by God to observe these seasons or the practices associated with them. It is not a sin to refuse to give up something for Lent. Nevertheless, there is tremendous benefit when whole churches take up the observation of these seasons together. The seasons help us learn the life of Jesus, grow in our discipleship, deepen our spiritual awareness, understand our faith, participate in the sanctifying means of grace, develop gospel-centered family and church traditions, strengthen our hope, link arms with the wider (catholic) church, and bear witness to the world.

There is nothing magical about the liturgical calendar, or the season of Lent, or any spiritual practices we might observe. Anything can be misused or treated superstitiously. In the past, these liturgical traditions and practices have certainly been abused, and our Reformed forefathers were right to oppose those abuses. Most of them solved the problem by abolishing the practices altogether. This, however, was a step too far. These traditions are of great benefit to the church when they are purified by the gospel and purged of their superstitious misuses by the Word of God. At the Forks, our aim is to keep these traditions in ways that benefit us and glorify Christ.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

The Doctrine of Justification

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 14:06:18 GMT

The Reformed Tradition

The Protestant Reformers believed that the doctrine of justification by faith alone was “the article upon which the church stands of falls.” John Calvin said this doctrine is “the main hinge on which everything turns.” As Presbyterians, we belong to a Protestant tradition—the Reformed Tradition—that traces its roots back to the Reformation. We have inherited this treasure, the doctrine of free justification by grace alone. We prize it highly, believe it deeply, preach it loudly, and defend it passionately. We are gospel people, and nothing is more essential to the gospel than this precious truth, namely, that Jesus Christ has accomplished our whole redemption and bestows it upon us by grace alone, through faith alone. The church stands or falls on whether we get this gospel right.

It is possible, however, to be fully committed to the doctrine of justification by faith alone and yet unable to explain it. It is one thing to believe the doctrine, but can we articulate it? If we are going to make our stand on this gospel, if we are going to claim with Calvin that everything hinges on getting this doctrine right, we better be able to tell people what it is. Few authors I have read give a better, clearer summary of what justification means than the English Reformer, William Tyndale. In his English translation of the New Testament, Tyndale included prefaces for each book. When he came to Paul’s Letter to the Romans, he decided to translate Martin Luther’s preface from German. The translation stays very close to Luther’s original for the most part. At the end of the preface, however, Tyndale writes his own conclusion, summarizing the main import and purpose of the letter. In this conclusion, Tyndale explains with crystal clarity the meaning of our Protestant “gospel vocabulary”: justification; God justifies; Christ justifies; and faith alone justifies. Here is Tyndale’s excellent summary (updated into modern English).

“The sum and whole cause of the writing of this epistle is to prove that man is justified by faith alone. . . . And by justification, understand no other thing than to be reconciled to God and to be restored into his favor, and to have your sins forgiven. And when I say God justifies us, understand thereby that God, for the sake, merits, and deserving of Christ alone, receives us into his mercy, favor, and grace, and forgives us our sins. And when I say Christ justifies us, understand thereby that Christ alone has redeemed us, bought and delivered us out of the wrath of God and damnation, and has, by his works alone, purchased for us the mercy, favor, and grace of God, and the forgiveness of our sins. And when I say that faith alone justifies, understand thereby that faith and trust in the truth of God and in the mercy promised us for Christ’s sake, and for his deserving and works alone, can quiet the conscience and certify that our sins are forgiven and that we are in the full favor of God.”

Let us learn this vital gospel vocabulary about justification by faith, and let us use it in our devotions, prayers, and evangelism to strengthen our faith and to share the good news of Christ.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

St. John Chrysostom’s Nativity Sermon

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 18:03:00 GMT

The Shephard's Song

One of the most interesting literary remains from the early church are the sermons that have come down to us. The earliest known Christmas sermon that we have today was preached over sixteen-hundred years ago by Saint John Chrysostom in 386 A.D. He could not have dreamed that you and I would have this sermon all these centuries later! The sermon was preached in the city of Antioch, which is in modern-day Turkey. This is the same Antioch where the Apostle Paul and Barnabas ministered in the Book of Acts. Chrysostom preached this sermon on the first Christmas of his first year in ministry. This sermon is a treasure, and I would like to share it with you. The following is an edited excerpt of the oldest surviving Christmas sermon in the history of Christianity.

St. John Chrysostom’s Nativity Sermon

Behold a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the Shepherd’s song, piping no soft melody, but chanting full forth a heavenly hymn. The Angels sing. The Archangels blend their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise. The Seraphim exalt His glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven. He Who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below; and he that was lowly is by divine mercy raised…. What shall I say to you; what shall I tell you? I behold a Mother who has brought forth; I see a Child come to this light by birth. The manner of His conception I cannot comprehend. Nature here is overcome, the boundaries of the established order set aside, where God so wills. For not according to nature has this thing come to pass. Nature here rested, while the Will of God labored. O ineffable grace! The Only Begotten, Who is before all ages, Who cannot be touched or be perceived, Who is simple, without body, has now put on my body, that is visible and liable to corruption. For what reason? That coming amongst us he may teach us, and teaching, lead us by the hand to the things that men cannot see…. For this He assumed my body, that I may become capable of His Word; taking my flesh, He gives me His spirit; and so He bestowing and I receiving, He prepares for me the treasure of Life. He takes my flesh, to sanctify me; He gives me His Spirit that He may save me. Come, then, let us observe the Feast. Truly wondrous is the whole chronicle of the Nativity. For this day the ancient slavery is ended, the devil confounded, the demons take to flight, the power of death is broken, paradise is unlocked, the curse is taken away, sin is removed from us, error driven out, truth has been brought back…. Why is this? Because God is now on earth, and man in heaven; on every side all things commingle. He became Flesh. He did not become God. He was God. Wherefore He became flesh, so that He Whom heaven did not contain, a manger would this day receive…. To Him, then, Who out of confusion has wrought a clear path, to Christ, to the Father, and to the Holy Spirit, we offer all praise, now and forever.

Amen.

Reformation Sunday

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 17:01:27 GMT

The Obedience of a Christian Man

On Reformation Sunday, we learned about the life and legacy of William Tyndale, the great English Reformer. As a companion to that sermon, and as a follow-up to my article last month, I want to provide for you a sample of Tyndale’s writing. The following is a selection of excerpts from the preface to Tyndale’s book The Obedience of a Christian Man, published in 1528. In this preface, called the “Epistle to the Reader,” Tyndale sets forth his case for why the Scriptures ought to be translated into English. He makes several arguments and gives answers to objections. Here are three of my favorite excerpts, with modern spelling and the language slightly updated.

“First, God gave the children of Israel a law by the hand of Moses in their native tongue; and all the prophets wrote in their native tongue, and all the psalms were in their native tongue. And there Christ was figured, and described in ceremonies, riddles, and parables, and in dark prophecies. Why may we not have the Old Testament along with the New, which is the light of the Old, and in which is openly declared before the eyes, what was darkly prophesied in the Old? I can imagine no cause, truly, except that it is to keep us from seeing the work of Antichrist and the juggling of hypocrites. What cause should there be that we, who walk in the broad day, should not see as well as those who walked in the night; or that we should not see as well at noon, as they did in twilight? Did Christ come to make the world more blind? By this means Christ is made the darkness of the world, and not the light as he himself says he is.”

“‘If the Scripture were in the native tongue,’ they might say, ‘then the lay-people would understand it, every man in his own way.’ What end does the curate [pastor] serve, but to teach him the right way? Is this not why the holy days were made, so that the people may come and learn? I say, are you not then abominable schoolmasters, in taking such great wages, if you will not teach? If you would teach, how could you do it so well, and with so great a profit, as when the lay people have the Scripture before them in their native tongue? For then they would see, by the order of the text, whether you juggle them or not. And then they would believe it, because it is the Scripture of God, no matter how abominable your living may be.”

“There is such a great diversity of spirits, how shall I know who lies, and who says the truth? By what shall I try and judge them? Truly, by God’s word, which alone is true. But how shall I do that when you will not let me see the Scripture? No, they say, the Scripture is so hard, that you could never understand it except by the doctors [theologians]. That is, I must measure the yardstick by the cloth. Here are twenty cloths of diverse lengths and of various breadths: how shall I be sure of the length of the yardstick by them? I suppose, rather, I must be first sure of the length of the yardstick, and thereby measure and judge the cloths. If I must first believe the doctor, then the doctor is true first, and the truth of the Scripture depends on his truth; and so the truth of God springs from the truth of man. Thus Antichrist turns the roots of the trees upward.”

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

The Reformers

Sat, 01 Oct 2022 19:29:45 GMT

The Winds of Change

Who is your favorite Protestant Reformer, and why? When I was in college, there were two guys on campus that everybody recognized. It was hard to forget them. They were both extremely tall and very outgoing. They also happened to be identical twins. Every year on October 31st, they would shave the center of their heads bald, leaving a rim of hair around the outside. Then they would fully dress up like 16th-century monks and carry a staff with them as they walked from class to class. They were both dressed up like the young Martin Luther when he lived in a monastery. So we had identical twin Luther monks walking around campus all day! Guess who their favorite Reformer was. Unforgettable.

October is the month of the Reformation. The two are inseparably linked in my mind. The cool air of Autumn signals the arrival of a new season, and each year this reminds me of the winds of change that swept across Europe in the 1500s, ushering in a new season in the history of the Church. Luther famously translated the New Testament from Greek into German and published it in September of 1522. For that reason, Luther’s 1522 New Testament is nicknamed “The September Testament.” Today you can purchase a modern update of another Reformation-era New Testament in English called “The October Testament.” This modern update is based on the 1549 edition of the Matthew Bible, which was published on October 31st of that year. The name "Matthew Bible" was intended to conceal the identities of both the publisher and the translator from the authorities—and for good reason. Both men suffered martyrdom at the hands of the state for their Protestant convictions.

The man who produced that English translation is my favorite Protestant Reformer. His name is William Tyndale. Tyndale gave us the first complete translation of the New Testament from the original Greek in the history of the English language. One of his biographers hails him as “the man who gave God an English voice.” Tyndale’s first edition of the New Testament was published in 1526, and a second revised edition was published in 1534. It was this second edition that was picked up by his friend and fellow reformer, the publisher John Rogers, and included in the Matthew Bible under the pseudonym Thomas Matthew. All subsequent Reformation-era English Bibles are based heavily on Tyndale’s remarkable, pioneering work. Few people today realize that the bulk of the familiar language of our King James Bibles originated with Tyndale.

October marks a season of new beginnings, from the spark of the Reformation to the birth of the modern English Bible. October also marks a season of endings. On October 6, 1536, Tyndale was executed for his illegal translation of the Scriptures. He is a true hero of our faith, a man who gave his life so that you and I could have the Bible in our own language. He is rightly praised as the English Luther, the Apostle of England, and the Grandfather of the Puritans. This month, let us treasure our “October Testament.” Let us thank God for giving us his word in English. Let us remember the legacy of God’s servant, my favorite Reformer, William Tyndale.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

The Necessity of Reforming the Church

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 19:19:50 GMT

Proper Worship and True Salvation

In 1544, one of the great founding fathers of the Reformed Faith wrote a letter to Emperor Charles V, king of the Holy Roman Empire, as he was holding a political conference with his subordinate princes from across the empire. The famous letter addressed to Charles, intended as a public statement before all the princes, is called The Necessity of Reforming the Church. The author is none other than John Calvin.

In this letter, Calvin summarizes the two most important areas in which the Catholic Church needed to be reformed according to the word of God. If you were writing such a letter, what would you say are the two most important, most crucial things that must be reformed? On what two things does the purity, faithfulness, and orthodoxy of the whole Christian religion depend? Calvin’s answer may surprise you. Here is what he says,

"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, namely, a knowledge, first, of the mode in which God is duly worshiped; and, secondly, of the source from which salvation is to be obtained. When these are kept out of view, though we glory in the name of Christians, our profession is empty and vain."

Notice the language Calvin uses. He says the very existence and truth of Christianity itself depends on these two things, and within these two things everything else in Christianity is contained. In other words, if we endeavor to get these two, most necessary things right, we get the whole Christian faith right. What are those two things? What could be that important? Calvin says: proper worship and true salvation. These are the sum and substance of Christianity.

Notice also the order in which Calvin ranks these two things. He places worship ahead of salvation! Can you believe that? This means, according to Calvin, that salvation is in order to worship. God saves us, A.W. Tozer once said, for the purpose of “turning rebels into worshipers.” To Calvin’s mind, the whole Christian religion is first and foremost about the proper worship of God, the due honor of God, the glory of God. If we get God’s majesty wrong, or fail to acknowledge the absolute supremacy of his glory in all things, we will inevitably corrupt his pure worship. From the corruption of pure worship ensues the corruption of all else.

Is worship as important to you as it was to Calvin? Do you consider that the proper worship of God is the most vital element of Christianity? If God’s glory is the most important thing to God himself, then properly glorifying him in worship must be our highest aim. This is why the church needed a reformation, so that we could truly know God in his glory and majesty.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley

Our Vision

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 19:48:35 GMT

Worship, Fellowship & Witness

How often do you pay attention to the cover of the bulletin? We see the cover every week, the same thing Sunday after Sunday, but do we notice what it says? Beneath the church’s name, there is a statement about our congregation—that’s the vision statement. A church’s vision statement announces to everyone why we exist. Our vision is what animates us as a body. It tells us what we are on a mission to accomplish, what reality we strive to actualize.

This is our vision at Forks of the Brandywine: We exist to glorify Christ in joyful community through worship, fellowship, and witness.

This vision is the measure of our ministry. It determines when we are on task and decides when we succeed and fail. Rather than unpack the full meaning of our vision statement here, I want to relate how our newest ministry connects to and helps us accomplish our vision.

Earlier this year we launched our new discipleship groups. These are set up as small groups that meet at various times every other week. We have chosen a set curriculum called the Navigators 2:7 Series, and all groups are moving along at the same pace. This curriculum consists of three workbooks that takes each group member step by step in very practical ways from the basics up to a more advanced level of discipleship. It does this through group discussion, brief lessons in the workbook, tips on how to read the Bible more effectively, and a few Bible memory verses.

In our vision statement, we declare that we exist to glorify Christ in joyful community. It is impossible to foster a joyful community that only sees each other once a week. By joining a discipleship group, you have an opportunity to connect with others on a more personal level and deepen meaningful relationships. These groups help knit our community closer together and foster the joy we share with one another in Christ. Christian growth only happens in community.

Our vision statement goes on to state three ways that we glorify Christ together: through worship, fellowship, and witness. Our discipleship groups are designed as a time of worship, specifically through discussing the Bible and joining together in prayer. Group meetings are also a time of great fellowship, as we gather in people’s homes or at church, learn and grow together, talk and laugh, and celebrate our mutual inheritance in Christ. Finally, these groups are aimed at preparing us to be better, bolder witnesses for Christ. As we grow in our knowledge, love, and maturity as Christians, our hunger to share our faith increases as well. One of the key skills of discipleship is learning how to relate the gospel to others who need to hear the good news.

In all these ways, our discipleship groups fit perfectly with our vision as a church. At the beginning of the year, I preached several sermons that were intended to raise the bar on our discipleship as a church. The response has been tremendous. Nearly half the church is in a discipleship group. What a blessing! We want the rest of you to join one too. Here’s how. In September, the existing groups will move on to Book 2 in the curriculum. For those who have not yet joined, a new group will be available that starts with Book 1. This is your opportunity!

I encourage all of you to join a group and participate in what God is doing at the Forks. Now is the time to rally around this shared vision. Let’s be that joyful community that worships, fellowships, and witnesses together, and in so doing bring great glory to Christ.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Wesley