During my active mothering years, one little son came in one late afternoon and asked for some water. As a very weary mama I sighed, and was immediately rebuked by the Holy Spirit, who reminded me of His Word. My child received a cup of water that day from his mother who received a heart lesson from the Lord. How gracious our God is to link His glory with our everyday living!

God is intrinsically glorious; He is worthy to receive glory and honor! When Moses asked to see God’s glory, He showed Moses His goodness—His mercy, grace, longsuffering, and truth (Exodus 34:6). In the New Testament, the disciples beheld God’s glory revealed in Jesus Christ, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Hebrews 1:1–3 proclaims the honors of God’s Son, our dear Lord Jesus, who embodies the brightness of God’s glory. I love William Gadsby’s hymn “Immortal Honours Rest on Jesus’ Head” because He has finished the work needed for our salvation! Truly “that man of Calvary has won my heart from me; He died to set me free, that man of Calvary”! Paul told the Galatians that he didn’t want to glory in anything except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (6:14). The gospel gives Christian women ample reason for living entirely for the glory of God.

How can we make the general principle of living for God’s glory specific to our ordinary lives? We declare God’s glory when we live for Him: when we regard and reverence God before men and in letting our light shine that they may see our good works and glorify the Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). We glorify God by our speech: by glorifying Him for His deliverances (Psalm 50:15) and by transferring the praise we receive onto God as Paul did in 1 Corinthians 15:10. We glorify God by loving Him as the first and great commandment says; we esteem Him above all; and our highest affections belong to Him as Asaph exclaims in Psalm 73:25. We glorify God when we lean on Him in faith and trust Him to be our refuge, strong tower, shield, rock, wisdom, strength, and all we need in times of both joy and sorrow.

To be more intentional about living for God’s glory will greatly benefit our growth in grace, but even when we are unaware, God takes note and in the last day will say, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me” (Matthew 25:40). So dear teenage girl, beautiful single woman, weary mama of a newborn, busy mama of littles, tired mama of teenagers, older mama of adult children, grandmas, widows, stressed ladies, be not weary in well-doing, but count it a high honor to live, speak, love, and lean on Him for His glory day by day!

B. Mooney

This spirit was present not only in the pulpit but also in the prayer meetings. Week by week earnest prayer was offered for men to be converted. Given the preaching and the praying, it was no surprise deliberate attempts were being made to win souls for Christ. Groups went door to door inviting people to come under the Word and telling them of the Savior. Open air preaching was conducted in many towns and almost every church would hold an evangelistic campaign at least once a year. It should be noted that the late ’90s were not marked by a great ingathering of souls. But the heartbeat of the denomination was obvious to a new visitor like me.

These early memories of my exposure to the Free Presbyterian Church have returned to my mind in recent weeks. Prior to our presbytery meeting in October 2023, I was present in, or made aware of, presbytery committee meetings where the subject of reaching lost souls was the main burden of the meeting. During discussion about the practicalities of committee business was the concern—how can we see sinners be saved from the wrath to come? This burden then came to the floor of the presbytery meeting. These meetings have been such an encouragement to my soul. Our denomination still longs to see souls converted. We have gone through testing times that could have had the effect of cold water on a fire, but by the grace of God it seems like the fire of evangelistic zeal has not been quenched.

We are united in our conviction that salvation is found in Christ Jesus alone: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). We are united in our conviction that faith comes by hearing the Word preached in truth: “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:14,17). Our discussions centered around how we can reach people in a day of social media, reels, podcasts, and the like. People around us in Canada and in the United States are generally unaware that we are here preaching Christ. How can we reach them with the gospel? The answers to that question are not the aim of this article. My aim is to encourage you with the knowledge that we still long for souls to be saved. And along with that, I want you to examine your own heart. Do you know something of this burden for souls? If so, may God cause that burden to grow.

I trust and pray that the desire to see men and women come to Christ is an imitation of the apostle Paul, who was following his Lord: “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Another thing that struck me in my early experience with the FPC was that the evangelistic heart was present accompanied with an understanding of the sovereignty of God in salvation. The pleading with sinners wasn’t coming from the thought of man’s free will. Rather it was believed and confessed that only God can change a man’s heart. There was also the open profession that God has chosen a people from all eternity to be the church, the bride of Christ. Again, the shared convictions of God’s sovereignty and evangelistic necessity arise directly in reflecting the heart of the apostle Paul.

Perhaps no chapter in the Bible more highlights God’s sovereignty than Romans 9. Think of verse 18: “Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.” Yet that chapter begins with the most heartfelt expression of love for lost souls. Indeed chapters 9 through 11 begin with a personal statement of the apostle indicating his concern for the lost Jews. These chapters highlight God’s dealings with national Israel, but the openings speak to us in general principles regarding evangelistic zeal.

A Passion for Lost Souls

“I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:1–3). The third verse is undoubtedly challenging to expound. To be accursed is to be devoted to destruction and this describes the state of the unbelieving Jew. To be “[apart] from Christ” is to be excluded from all saving graces. How could the apostle believe this is possible (Romans 8:38–39) or desire it (Philippians 3:8)? Professor John Murray is a help here. “The tense used in the Greek is well expressed by the version in the words “I could wish.” It is hypothetical to the effect that if it were possible and of avail for the salvation of his kinsmen he would be willing to be accursed on their behalf. The intensity of the apostle's love for his own people is hereby disclosed.” In a similar vein John Calvin states, “It was, therefore, a proof of the most fervent love that Paul did not hesitate to call on himself the condemnation which he saw hanging over the Jews, in order that he might deliver them.” Convictions about the sovereignty of God and holding to a Reformed faith should not quench our concern for the lost and our desire to see them saved.

Praying for Men to be Saved

Chapter 10 of Romans opens, “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved” (Romans 10:1). A belief in the electing purposes of God does not produce a freezing fatalism in the apostle’s heart. He understands that the God who chose men unto salvation also ordained that prayer would be a means to draw them to Himself in the power of the Holy Spirit.

When the Lord taught the disciples to pray, the first three petitions all have application in our praying for the unbeliever.

• “Hallowed be Thy name.” The unbeliever lives in rebellion to God and despises God. Part of our petition for God’s name to be hallowed is that the rebel against God would be changed to one who rejoices in God, hence bringing glory to God’s name.

• “Thy Kingdom come.” As our Shorter Catechism states, “In the second petition…we pray, that Satan's kingdom may be destroyed; and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others brought into it, and kept in it; and the kingdom of glory may be hastened.”

• “Thy will be done.” Once more we think of the unconverted in terms of them being transgressors of God’s law. This petition is, in part, a prayer that God, by His grace, would make sinners “able and willing to know, obey, and submit to His will in all things, as the angels do in heaven.”

My perception of the heart of the FPC was that the burden for sinners found expression in the place of prayer. That should always be the case. Our public and private prayers must pulsate with cries unto God for the salvation of the lost.

The Purpose of God to Save

Chapter 11 begins with Paul using his own testimony of grace to prove that God had not forsaken His people or forgotten His promises. “I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin” (Romans 11:1). The fact that Paul was saved was a proof that in his day “there was a remnant according to the election of grace” (Romans 11:5). I use this to remind you that God has an eternal purpose of redemption that will not fail to be realized. Your longing for souls to be saved and your prayers to God to save will be futile or frustrated. Remember—Christ “shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:11).

By God’s grace may the FPC continue to sing:

Pity the nations, O our God!
Constrain the earth to come;
Send Thy victorious Word abroad,
And bring the strangers home.

We long to see Thy churches full,
That all Thy chosen race
May, with one voice and heart and soul,
Sing Thy redeeming grace.

The question, however, can lead to serious errors. Sometimes an assertion is made with an air of infallibility as to the intent of God in an event. That assertion may be true or false. How are we to know the mind of God? We are helped by seeing through the lens of God’s character revealed in His Word but even then, we could say that we see through a glass darkly. There were those in Jesus’s day who presumed to understand the hand of God in the massacre of Galileans and in the falling of a tower. The Lord Jesus didn’t confirm their judgment but warned that they would likewise perish if they did not repent (Luke 13:1–5).

God at work

We have a well-articulated statement on the doctrine of divine providence in our confession of faith: “God the great Creator of all things doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by His most wise and holy providence, according to His infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of His own will, to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy” (Westminster Confession of Faith 5.1). This is simply an expanded statement of the truth espoused by Paul, “[God] worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” (Ephesians 1:11). The Bible teaches that God upholds everything and everyone. He is over all the events of history as the sovereign director. He governs the affairs of rulers and nations and attends to the needs of sparrows and saints.

The wisdom and power of God are truly beyond our full comprehension. What is remarkable is that God is working on so many levels, in the lives of so many people, as He oversees an event that is singular, at least from our perspective. The believer is helped in his walk of faith by remembering that God is at work in all things, even if he cannot perceive all that God is doing.

Our confession asserts that God governs all things, “from the greatest even to the least.” What is remarkable is that God has His eye on the least, even as He governs the affairs of the greatest. God was overruling in Syria when the bands came and took captives from Israel as described in 2 Kings 5:2. He was chastening the people for their idolatrous practices, as they followed the example of Jehoshaphat who made Israel sin. Yet, at the same time, in the same event, He was bringing a young girl to serve in a family of a soldier who had to hear about the servant of Jehovah in Israel. Imagine the agony of the young girl and her family when the soldiers arrived at their door. Given the girl’s future testimony, it seems likely that her parents were probably faithful in a time of declension. Yet they all suffered in events, governed by the providence of God. God was governing the affairs of armies, kings, and nations, yet preserving the faith of a maid and leading a sick soldier to the truth.

It is a precious comfort to consider the Lord’s greatness in His governing of all things. Let me take you back to 1939 and ask you to consider the hand of God.

God of the Nations

On September 3, 1939, Britain and France declared war on Hitler’s Germany. They were allies of Poland, a nation invaded by the Nazi army on September 1. Neville Chamberlain’s "This country is at war with Germany" broadcast was aired just after 11:00 a.m. on the third. By 8:00 p.m. that evening the maritime conflict had begun. A German U-30 submarine had assumed the British ocean liner, Athenia, was armed and aggressive. A torpedo was fired from the U-boat, hitting the ship with 1400 passengers and crew on board. Among the passengers were 500 Jewish refugees and 311 US citizens. The vessel sank slowly, but 117 people lost their lives.

A BBC article reported, “Germany initially denied involvement fearing the US would join the war. U-boat commander Fritz Julius Lemp had mistaken the liner for an armed cruiser and the German naval authorities tried to cover up the sub's actions. They even attempted to blame the sinking on Winston Churchill, who on that very day was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty. The Germans said he had ordered a British submarine to fire on the Athenia as part of a plot to force Washington's hand. The full truth only emerged at the Nuremberg Trials.”

In America, even though 28 US citizens had perished, President Roosevelt was apparently unmoved. He declared that no one was to “thoughtlessly or falsely talk of America sending its armies to European fields.” The United States would remain neutral until the attacks on Pearl Harbor over two years later.

From a biblical perspective, God was actively overseeing the events of September 3. Why was a civilian liner one of the first targets in a horrific conflict? What if Hitler’s fears of US involvement had been realized? Ultimately, we can’t answer these and other legitimate questions. There would seem to be good reasons for alternative actions. Here the Christian must beware asking “what if” questions? Here the doctrine of God’s wise providence is an anchor for the troubled soul. The secret things belong unto the Lord. The only option that is not open to us is that God lost His sovereign rule in those moments. Either God was sovereign over the direction of a German torpedo, or He is not God. “Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?” (Amos 3:6)

“The Lord was in it all!”

If I was asked, “Why discuss the sinking of the Athenia in Current?”, I’d answer with the name, Betty Chestnut. Mrs. Chestnut, now in her mid-90s, is a member of our Malvern congregation. She was one of the American citizens on the Athenia.

As the clouds of war gathered in Europe, word came from America that US citizens should return home. Mrs. Campbell and her 10-year-old daughter, Betty, boarded the Athenia for that reason. On the tragic evening Betty was beneath the decks playing with a new friend. Her mother was enjoying company with others on the deck.

When the torpedo struck, the lights went out and there was widespread panic. Talking to Betty, over 80 years later, it was wonderful to hear her words, “The Lord was in it all!” She left her room and in all the chaos, considering all possible choices, she “happened” to meet her mother in the dark stairway just below deck. Believers can reflect with comfort on the Lord’s kind care in ordinary providences. They think of the Lord’s dealings with Ruth. “And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech” (Ruth 2:3). Seemingly chance happenings are in the hand of the Lord. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way” (Psalms 37:23). Betty learned this lesson as a young girl. Her faith in the God and Father of her Lord Jesus Christ was strengthened and she holds unto God by faith to this day.

The chance meeting with her mother was the beginning of a catalogue of events. When they made it back on deck the lifeboats had already been launched. A sailor asked if there were more children and Mrs. Campbell handed over her daughter who was dropped several feet into the arms of others on the lifeboat below. We can only imagine the thoughts and fears in the heart of both mother and daughter.

The night spent in the lifeboat was a terrifying ordeal. Amid rain and rough seas, the first rescue ship, Southern Cross, arrived. Betty was then transferred, along with the other Americans, to another vessel, City of Flint which was sailing to Nova Scotia, Canada. During the 12-day voyage, a kind Captain kept a close eye on this young girl who didn’t know what had become of her mother.

Her mother was rescued! A British destroyer brought her to Glasgow, Scotland. As it happened, two destroyers docked next to each other and a woman saw Mrs. Campbell on the other ship. She recognized her and was able to tell her that her daughter had been rescued by Southern Cross. These details are incredible to report. The “chances” of these events coinciding are almost beyond calculation and are certainly beyond coincidence. The news of Betty’s safety sent her loving mother to action, writing to Betty’s aunt in Montreal. When Betty arrived in Nova Scotia, she received the news of her mother’s safety and that she was to take a train to Montreal. In the weeks that followed she would be well looked after, first in Montreal and then by another aunt in Philadelphia. Before long she would be reunited with her mother.

What was God doing when a torpedo sped across the sea? He was watching one of His dear little ones. He was working in her life, teaching her lessons of faith that would help her in the decades to come. He preserved the life of a girl who would live for His glory in the world. She would gladly testify of the goodness of God worthy of our trust. She would marry and have children. She and her husband (a Ballymena man incidentally!) would become part of the family of God in Malvern. Betty would become a sweet encourager and a woman who prayed for her minister and prayed for God’s people. God had a gift in mind for the Free Presbyterian Church in Malvern when He ensured the safety of Betty in a lifeboat!

Trusting the Lord at all times

The sinking of the Athenia and Mrs. Betty Chestnut’s story brings to our attention the truth of our Confession of Faith. “God the great Creator of all things doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by His most wise and holy providence, according to His infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of His own will, to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy.” As He works in the nations, He governs the lives of the individuals.

May we be inspired to trust more deeply in God’s providence and to bear witness to His faithfulness in our own lives. We do not always know what God is doing but we always know that God is doing something well. “In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah” (Psalms 62:7–8).

The church benefits from singing both psalms and hymns. Some Reformed churches disallow the singing of hymns along with the use of musical accompaniment. They teach that God intends for His church to sing only psalms in public worship, a position known as “Exclusive Psalmody.”

The Scottish Metrical Psalter has a rich history that dates back to the 17th century. It was first approved by the Westminster Assembly and underwent further careful revision by members of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. The final version was adopted and sanctioned in 1649 and was publicly used for the first time in Glasgow on May 15, 1650. This Psalter is known for its plain text with meters that allow for ease of singing, even without music. It is still considered one of the foremost metrical renderings of the Psalter in the Reformed Churches and has maintained a prominent role in church public worship despite many attempts to supersede it.

The popularity of the 1650 Psalter may arise from it being, in the mind of some, exalted to the place of divine inspiration. Naturally that opinion would lead to a key principle of exclusive psalmody, viz. we should sing the words that God has given us. It must be remembered, however, that every Psalter, including the Scottish Psalter, is merely a paraphrase of God’s Holy Word.

The Holy Spirit mandated that the church sing “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” in Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16. The Greek word for “spiritual songs” is odes. That term only occurs in these two places and five times in Revelation (5:9; 14:3 twice; and 15:3 twice). In each Revelation passage, the noun and the verb from the same Greek root occur together. “They sang a new song” is literally “They ode-ed a new ode.” The odes are distinctly different from the Psalms. They are praises to the redeeming Lamb. The term ode is also used for the “song” of Moses. Nowhere in the Psalms do you find a song of praise to “the Lamb.” In fact, you never find the word “lamb” in the singular nor with the definite article in any Psalm. Surely this observation suggests that it is not sinful to worship God with words that are not included in the Psalter. Churches must sing truth; truth that arises from the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Believers long to worship their Savior, the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is revealed in all the Scriptures, so let us worship Him expressing truths written in Holy Scripture.

Regarding music there is an interesting fact to observe: the Old Testament reveals the content of Hebrew vocal praise in seven Hebrew words. It is quite startling that the Holy Spirit did not choose to use any of those words in the New Testament when referring to the Old Testament Psalms. Startling, because the Spirit often set Hebrew names and other Hebrew terms straight into the Greek text like “Emmanuel” in Matthew 1:23 and “Corban” in Mark 7:11 which were transliterated and recorded with their meaning. The Holy Spirit chose rather the Greek term psalmos originating from psallo which means “to pluck the strings of a musical instrument.” Every thorough Greek lexicon defines psalmos as “a song accompanied by a musical instrument.” The New Testament clearly commands the church to sing psalms. Given the word study, complying with this biblical command permits the use of a musical instrument.

Earnest believers are passionately faithful to the heroic past of “the faith once delivered to the saints.” But while desiring to be identified with some of the Reformed heroes and heroines of the past, the believer must not divide Christians whom God has joined together. The unity of Christ’s church has been marred for two millennia by needless division. Separation from heresy, error, and blatant disobedience is imperative, but separation without biblical warrant is sin. We need to beware of any doctrine or practice that enables anyone to presume that, above all the professing Christians in the world, we are the only ones consistently true to Christ.

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1). The Lord observes that “true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23–24). God seeks sinners, joins them to Christ, and to each other. Unity is expressed in united voices praising God in the Spirit and with scriptural truth.

When John Calvin, William Farel, and Pierre Viret pleaded for God to send help for the great harvest field, God answered abundantly. Numerous, young Swiss and French men came to Switzerland to be trained for the ministry. And the Lord was at the same time preparing teachers that would continue teaching such young men when Calvin and his colleagues had gone to their reward.

One of those teachers, Theodore Beza, was born into a wealthy family of the French nobility on June 24, 1519. When Theodore was three years old, his uncle Nicholas Beza visited his brother Pierre’s home. Nicholas was a member of the Parlement de Paris, and was greatly delighted with the intelligence of his three-year-old nephew Theodore. Nicholas asked the boy’s parents to let Theodore come to live with him. Somewhat surprisingly, the parents agreed. Perhaps this was because Pierre and his wife had six more children in their home.

Theodore was so traumatized by dislocation from his family that he was literally sick for several years and wanted to die. His uncle Nicholas enlisted the finest physicians of Paris to administer medicines to Theodore. Those cures only compounded the child’s misery. What he needed was his mother!

Happily, when Theodore was nine years old, his uncle let him go to Orleans to study under the famed humanist Melchior Wolmar. From the time of the Renaissance, humanists had been unlocking the treasures of ancient literature. Of course, the richest treasure contained in ancient Greek is the New Testament of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Theodore testified that entering Wolmar’s home was a foretaste of heaven. The very atmosphere of the home was comforting to the child’s heart. The study of the New Testament was enhanced by the teacher whose heart had been set free through the knowledge of justification by faith in Christ alone. Wolmar was a secret follower of Dr. Martin Luther.

As an adult, Theodore celebrated the day of entering Wolmar’s home as his second birthday. However, the Roman Catholic clergy were beginning to realize that the study of the New Testament in both French and Greek languages was their undoing. Therefore, they persuaded King Francis I to expel humanist professors and to ban the publishing of the New Testament. After seven years in Wolmar’s home, the saddest day of Theodore’s life came when his teacher was forced to return to Germany, and Theodore was forbidden to accompany Wolmar.

Pierre Beza ordered his son to enter the University of Orleans and begin the study of civil law. Theodore obeyed and earned his degree in civil law, but he did not practice law since his heart was not in it. He loved literature and began writing romantic poetry. Moving to Paris, he published a book of his poems, which was a great success. Sudden popularity swept Theodore into the elite social circles of Paris. He lived luxuriously from his publishing and from two ecclesiastical benefices earlier granted to him from the “church.”

As Theodore read the writings of the Protestant Reformers, he realized the danger that surrounded him. Sexual promiscuity was rampant among the Parisian social elite. Therefore, Theodore secretly married Claudine Denosse: secretly, because though she was from a wealthy family, she was not of nobility as Theodore was.

Life was happy for the young couple living among friends and enjoying plenty, until Theodore was stricken with the plague. As the 29-year-old lay helplessly on what he thought was his deathbed, he cried unto the Lord, and God delivered him “from the hand of the grave” (Psalm 89:48). In the time of his sickness, he promised God that if he lived, then he would serve Christ. As soon as the Lord raised him up, he and Claudine gathered as many of their possessions as they could manage. They hastily abandoned their homeland, their families, and their remaining wealth, fleeing to Geneva, Switzerland, to truly follow Christ.

Near the close of 1548, Theodore and Claudine stood in Geneva’s St. Peter’s cathedral and publicly said their marriage vows in the presence of John Calvin and several other friends. Soon afterward, the Parlement de Paris declared Theodore a criminal, confiscated his remaining wealth, and publicly burned him in effigy as a heretic. Thus, Beza’s ministry began, a ministry that would extend over half a century. God had mightily answered the prayers of the men which became Theodore’s colleagues in the ministry. When Calvin, Farel, and Viret passed into glory, Beza was left to continue leading French Protestantism for another 30 years,

He capably filled Calvin’s shoes preaching in St Peter’s church of Geneva and training another generation of young men for the ministry. God used Beza in his French homeland as he often secretly traveled there to preach for the persecuted Huguenots and to raise money and troops for the French Protestant armies. He was the private counselor and minister to the French King Henry IV of Navarre, to whom he had ministered the Gospel since Henry’s childhood.

Prayer does indeed “move the Hand that moves the world.” It is God’s will that we pray for laborers to be sent into His harvest fields. Never has the Lord failed to answer the prayer of Matthew 9:38. Pray that the Lord will raise up such men as Theodore Beza in our day.

Just because you can do something doesn’t mean that you should! That’s the message of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9. It is the go-to chapter for every Christian when you must decide between what you may do and what you should do.

In chapter 9 the apostle followed on from the subject of abstaining from meats for the sake of the weak brother. That was the professing Christian who had a troubled conscience about eating meat that had been presented in the meat-market for idolatrous worship. The apostle exhorted that the “strong” Christian, the one who could discern that meat advertised for an idolatrous use was still just meat, should still deny himself of that meat for the sake of his weaker brother. It is Christian to be considerate of norms and values held by any community, by a family, or by an individual.

In this chapter, Paul firstly established his authority as an apostle. He had seen the living Lord Jesus Christ with his own eyes. God had blessed his ministry in the conversion of souls who formed the Corinthian church.

Paul could exercise this apostolic authority, but for the good of the church and the gospel he voluntarily suffered loss in a number of areas. Note the repeated questions about his own power, or authority, which he was free to use, but chose to forego, so that the gospel would not be hindered.

• In verse 4 he asked, “Have we not power to eat and to drink?” This was a rhetorical question with a positive answer, “Yes.” Paul had that authority, but he chose not to use it, lest the gospel be hindered.

• In verse 5 he asked, “Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife?” Again, this was rhetorical, and the answer was another, “Yes.” But Paul chose to remain unmarried due to the demands and dangers of gospel ministry in the first century.

• In verse 6 – 9 he asked, “Have we not power to forbear working?” Again the answer is, “Yes.” Paul used a number of examples to illustrate how gospel ministers have the right to receive practical support for their spiritual labours. A soldier should receive support while enlisted in the service of his country. A vineyard worker should enjoy some of fruit of the vine, and a shepherd who spent his days and nights caring for the sheep should partake of the milk of the flock. He cited the Old Testament practice of allowing the laboring ox to eat while it was treading out the corn. And the same applies to oxen ploughing and threshing. The farmer who cares for the oxen, will provide for them in their labor.

In all of these examples the apostle convincingly proved the case that ministers of the gospel should receive support for their spiritual labors. He concluded, “Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live off the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14).

But Paul gave up his right to receive practical support as compensation for his gospel labors lest, in his case, the gospel should be hindered. Others had received support, but not the apostle Paul! He stated, “Nevertheless we have not used this power, but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ” (1 Corinthian 9:12).

Self-denial became Paul’s overriding principle of ministry. If anything might hinder the gospel, Paul would deny himself of it. To him, the testimony and advance of the gospel was all-important. He had received a commission from the Lord to preach the gospel and he wrote to the Corinthian church that, “It were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void” (1 Corinthians 9:15).

Like the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul did not seek to be ministered unto, but to minister. He had the heart and attitude of a servant toward all men, Jews, Gentiles and the weak—those professing Christians who had a sensitive spirit on various matters of conscience. This broad attitude toward all types of men led to his remarkable statement:

“To the weak became I as the weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22).

Later in the chapter 9, Paul clinched his appeal to sacrificial Christian service by listing the hardships endured by athletes as they trained to run a race for an earthly crown, even a corruptible crown. His point was that Christians should willingly sacrifice for the Lord because they labor for an incorruptible crown.

The chapter closes with a picture of how the apostle disciplined himself spiritually in keeping with how an athlete kept himself fit to compete in the athletic games. He wrote, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection…” (verse 27).

Paul saw himself as a spiritual athlete. He willingly sacrificed for Christ, submitting to anything that promoted the work of the gospel. What a model for us all in Christian service! This was the commitment of C.T. Studd, the renowned missionary to China, India, and Africa, who passionately stated:

“If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, there is no sacrifice too great for me to make for Him.”

If you believe this and, therefore, see it as God’s way to greater usefulness in the Lord’s work, then put it into practice in your service for the Master. Fall into line with Paul’s attitude in the Lord’s service, “For if I do this willingly, I have a reward…” (1 Corinthians 9:17). Keep your eye on the incorruptible crown that awaits all those who serve the Lord willingly with self-denial.

Spurgeon says that if the promise is presented at the fulfillment date, the Lord will answer right away, but if the date is farther on, we must wait for it. Second, the manner of presenting the check is important: it must be presented to the Lord by faith and “in a common sense, business-like” way. Having never been taught before how to intentionally bring a promise to the Lord in prayer, I was delighted both for my mother gifting the book to me and for the godly instruction from God’s servant. How simple yet how transformative are God’s promises in our lives as Christian women!

God’s promises have brought bright hope and comfort to God’s people throughout the ages. Eve hoped that the manchild born to her would be the Savior promised in Genesis 3:15. God gave Abraham covenant promises and aged Sarah the promise of a son. Moses received promises from the Lord when God called him to stand before Pharaoh: God would be with him, help him speak, and give him power. Through the wilderness wanderings, the crossing of Jordan, the conquering of Canaan, and the history of Israel, God gave encouraging promises to strengthen His servants. Many promises of comfort and provision are found in the Psalms.

Embedded in Israelite history and the prophetic writings were promises of the coming Messiah who would save His people from their sins. Even though God gave no new word from the end of Malachi until the angel visited Zacharias and Mary, godly sincere Israelites looked for the coming Messiah. Matthew’s gospel especially records events in Christ’s life which had been prophesied “that it (the prophecy or promise) might be fulfilled.” The earthly life of Christ manifested the fulfillment of those Old Testament prophecies, and He “established the better covenant…upon better promises” (Hebrews 8:6). The promise of the coming Holy Spirit, recorded in the Gospels, was fulfilled in Acts. John reminds us that eternal life is the promise of God to us (1 John 2:25). Paul teaches us that “all the promises of God in Christ are yea and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 1:20) while Peter tells us that the promises of God are “exceeding great and precious” (2 Peter 1:4). Spurgeon himself knew God’s help and faithfulness through severe pain and deep controversy. He testified that the Scripture promises grow ever more precious with the passing years!

Just as God’s people have depended upon His promises to see them through ordinary days as well as through surprising and turbulent times, so must we Christian women. Living by faith rather than by feelings means relying on the promises of God daily. As we read the Bible and come to a promise, Spurgeon advises us to tarry over it, rest upon it, take it as spoken especially to us, and ask the Lord to fulfill it personally for us. My dear sisters-in-Christ, are you intentionally depending on the promises of God for your daily living? Can you testify to special promises fulfilled in your life? The instruction in Spurgeon’s preface changed my life because I more seriously brought God and His Word into my life and the difficulties I faced. Thankfully, God’s promises are timeless because they come from our immutable God.

God has given each of us a path of life, following our Savior in obedience whether as a daughter, a mother caring for her children and managing her home, a working woman, an older woman, or an ill woman. Too often we find ourselves distracted from following closely on the path God has set before us, but the Lord has provided promises to guide us. Proverbs 3:5-6 provided boundaries to keep me in the path when burdens, distractions, or temptations intruded in my life. The Lord taught me to pray each phrase of Proverbs 3:5-6 while applying it to my own situation. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart” became my prayer, “I trust You completely with this problem. “Lean not unto thine own understanding” led me to pray, “Lord, I cannot solve this problem at all.” To acknowledge the Lord, I affirmed that God sees and understands the whole matter; He is sovereign and has ordered it for my good and for His glory. How comforting and relieving to read the promise that God will direct my paths. Whatever I was supposed to be doing in that moment was brought back into focus because the problem had been given to the Lord.

Reading Faith’s Checkbook this year again is like re-visiting old friends! Truly, the promises of God are precious! Each one that we personally prove true reinforces our faith, hope, and trust in our eternal God. When the trials of life surprise us, let us not escape, become distracted, tune out, or buffer with food or shopping; rather let us seek the Lord with a promise and watch Him work in both the problem and in us for His glory and our good.

Steele, in chapter two, details the causes of aging and decay, rooting them ultimately in the Fall of Man. In the same chapter, he lists the most effectual means of delaying old age: piety and sobriety. Chapter three warns against the common sins and vices of the elderly, such as irritability, talkativeness, jealousy, arrogance, covetousness, craftiness, unteachableness, and resentfulness. In chapter four, Steele transitions to talking about the graces and virtues of godly elders, and then in chapter six, he expounds the privileges and comforts.

Chapter seven gives practical advice on the most needful work of old age. Steele here urges the elderly to repent of their sins, obtain assurance, offer prayers and praises, instruct the younger, guard against temptations, provide for posterity, mortify sin and the world, lay up treasure in heaven, meditate on death and eternity, and persevere in the faith. Regarding education, Steele particularly exhorts the aged (181-183):

You should acquaint [young people] with such particular instances of the wisdom, righteousness, power, and goodness of God, which you have read, heard or seen; that the generation to come might know them, even the children that should be born who should arise and declare them to their children, that they might set their hope in God, and keep his commandments (Psalm 78:6-7). You can tell them also the methods of Satan, and the wicked devices whereby he beguiles poor souls . . . You can describe the intrigues of sin, and warn young people of the deceitfulness and folly thereof by your own experience. They who have been almost mired in a puddle or quagmire, can easily show others the place, and direct them to avoid it. In sum, you should instruct the younger to know, and serve, and trust in God; and whatsoever you have observed in the course of your lives conducive thereunto, you should impart unto them. That as ungodly men wickedly communicate their sinful acts and practices, and endeavor to propagate them unto posterity, that each generation may be worse than [the] other; so all wise and good men, especially when they are in years, should transmit the knowledge and practice of piety to their successors, that the next age may be better than this; and that when we are dead and gone, yet it may be truly said, the world was better for us.

Besides these instructions in the excellent manner of religion, it lies in the power and way of many ancient persons to direct and advise the younger in many useful observations otherwise – as concerning the education of their children, and the disposing of them into callings or marriage; concerning the preservation or recovery of their health. And in case they have any peculiar skill, receipt, or art useful for the good of mankind, they ought not to bury it in their graves, but to assign it to posterity. And whatsoever you have learned or observed that may be beneficial or any way useful to the Church or Commonwealth, to your country, town or family, all these notices you should communicate to those who are younger, with all possible fidelity and exactness. And if need be, commit them to writing for the benefit, at least, or your own posterity. And although your instructions may not at present seem to be much regarded, yet be not discouraged by this; for the wise counsels of the ancient, like the seed of the word of God (Luke 8:11), seems to die and to be lost, and yet in process of time it revives, and brings forth fruit.

Howbeit, there is wisdom to be used in the instructing of young people. For they too commonly are proud, conceited, and self-witted. Your lessons therefore must be at such seasons, and by such degrees, as may render them most valuable and welcome[.]

Older saints may especially benefit from getting a copy of Steele’s book, but younger folks can also glean many insights. First, they can learn how they ought to “rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God,” as Moses commanded in Leviticus 19:32. Sadly, society today undervalues the elderly as did the children of Bethel, who mocked the prophet Elisha and suffered the consequences (2 Kings 2:23–24). Secondly, young people can learn to “remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth” (Ecclesiastes 12:1) and thereby establish spiritual disciplines which will enrich the latter days of their lives. Regardless of age, Steele’s book will help all those who wish to “run with patience the race that is set before” them (Hebrews 12:1).

Steele’s book was out of print, but Lloyd Sprinkle thankfully republished it in 2014. He asked his friend Bill Foster of Straight Gate Publications if he would write a preface and edit the book. Foster recognized that some words or phrases in Steele’s original might seem archaic, so he kindly provided modernized spelling and a glossary for the Sprinkle Publications edition. Although the publishing house dissolved after Rev. Sprinkle’s passing in 2019, Reformation Heritage Books acquired much of the remaining inventory and has been selling Steele’s book at a heavily discounted price. Monergism and Grace Gems also have digital copies available online in ePub, Mobi, pdf, and htm formats (without Sprinkle’s updates).

Jonathan Peters is administrative assistant at Reformation Bible Church and Harford Christian School in Darlington, MD.

I’ve had success with all of those before, but I’ve also attempted to grow various plants that have not turned out well. Some critters ate my bell peppers, my cucumbers got moldy, and my cilantro plant just died. Because I’m still very much a beginner gardener, I’m not really sure what happened to those plants. Maybe my soil wasn’t the best, maybe I watered those plants too much or too little, or maybe I should have protected them better from bugs and animals.

A parable
As I think about all the variables in planting and growing a garden, I’m reminded of Jesus’ parable in Matthew 13 about a farmer sowing seeds. Jesus used parables, which are simple stories with a particular lesson, to help us understand more about how we should listen to God’s Word. Perhaps you could read Jesus’ story in Matthew 13:1–9 to find out what happened to the seeds and then come back here to see what Jesus wants us to learn.

Birds
First, some of the farmer’s seeds fell on the road and were eaten by birds. Jesus explained that this is similar to what happens when people hear God’s Word being read or preached but they don’t understand it, and then the devil comes immediately (just like the birds) and snatches it out of their heart. They never again think about the Word of God that they had just heard. They don’t even remember it. This happens when we’re distracted during our devotions or at church. When we’re thinking about or doing other things, the devil takes away God’s Word, and then later we don’t even know what we read or what was preached about. Let’s be careful to listen carefully so that we can say with the psalmist in Psalm 119:11, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

Stony ground
Next, some of the farmer’s seeds fell into stony places where the soil was shallow, which means that their roots had little room to grow and were very small. As a result, when the sun came up, the plants got scorched and withered quickly. They didn’t have what they needed to become strong, healthy plants. Jesus explained that this is like people who enjoy hearing God’s Word in the moment, but when a hard time or persecution comes, they fall into sin. In those hard moments, following God doesn’t seem worth it, and, because they haven’t put in the effort to really learn God’s Word, they don’t rely on it to help them in the difficult times. Just enjoying hearing God’s Word isn’t enough. As James 1:22 reminds us, we must be “doers of the word, and not hearers only.”

Thorns
Then, some of the farmer’s seeds fell among thorns and because the thorns grew faster than the seed, they took all the water and blocked the sun from reaching the seeds, so that the seeds were choked and unable to thrive. Jesus explained that this is like people who hear God’s Word but then get busy with the things of this life and with the desire to gain more money in this world, completely forgetting about the importance of eternity and the things that truly matter. These people hear God’s Word, but then school, sports, games, their job, hobbies, movies, or something else seems to be more important, so they focus on those things instead. We must make an effort to meditate on God’s Word after we hear it and to treasure it. In Jesus’ sermon on the mount in Matthew 6:19–21, He reminds us, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth ... but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven ... for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Good ground
Finally, some of the farmer’s seeds landed on good ground. The soil had good nutrients, it had enough water, and there were no thorns or weeds so the seeds could grow deep, strong roots to support the plants and their fruit. Jesus shared that this was like the people who hear God’s Word, understand it, and their lives show that they have been changed. This won’t happen by accident, though. If we are to understand God’s Word and if our lives are to show fruit, then we must ask God for help. He promises to give us understanding so that we can really know His Word. We must memorize His Word and think about it often. We must watch out for the distractions and sins in our life (like the thorns and stones) and be ready to put God’s Word first over the things of the world.

Salvation has a wonderful story to tell. Rev. Craig Vosekalns was saved at the age of 23 in San Diego, California. Not having the advantage and blessing of growing up in a Christian home, Craig heard the gospel for the first time at the age of nineteen from a co-worker while working at a masonry supply company. Months later, the gospel seed continued to be watered in Craig’s heart while employed at International Iron. There he met and was greatly influenced by the ministry of Rev. Tomm Tice of the Free Presbyterian Church located in San Diego at that time.  

phoenix

Craig was burdened by sin, guilt, and an ungodly lifestyle and at the steel company on December 20, 1991, he called on the Lord, confessed his sin and cried for salvation. Craig knew from that day forward that he was a new creature in Christ. But like so many, Craig struggled with the assurance of salvation for a time. After wrestling over the matter, he came to an understanding of justification by faith. Craig drew much comfort from Galatians 2:20. In that text, the apostle Paul highlights the testimony of all believers when he expressed, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”  

In 1993 Craig moved to Greenville, South Carolina to attend Bob Jones University, knowing there was a Free Presbyterian church in the vicinity that could provide support for his walk with God. Faith FPC quickly became his spiritual family and home. While attending the church Craig met Sharon Wolfe who was preparing to attend the University of Chapel Hill in North Carolina for her master’s degree in physical therapy.  

Sensing the Lord’s call to the ministry, Craig trained for two years at the Whitefield College of the Bible in Northern Ireland. He later studied at Geneva Reformed Seminary and did his internship at the Free Presbyterian pioneer work in Mercer County, Illinois.  Shortly after his return from Illinois, Craig and Sharon got married on September 20, 2003.  Upon the request of Rev. David McClelland, the session of Grace FPC, New Hampshire asked Mr. Vosekalns to assist in various ministries of the church for one year.  

In January 2004, the Vosekalns moved to New England and within that year the church issued a call to him. He gladly accepted as he believed it was the will of God. In November of the same year, Mr. Vosekalns was ordained and installed as the associate minister at Grace FPC, Litchfield, New Hampshire.  He served the Lord there for several years, but began to have a burden to encourage the work in Phoenix. That burden eventually led him and his family to relocate to Arizona in 2009 where they began to attend Phoenix Free Presbyterian Church.  

Since then, Rev. Vosekalns has served the church in numerous capacities, including pulpit supply, teaching Sunday school, outreach, and making sure the church has been cleaned for the weekly services. The Vosekalns family have also thoroughly enjoyed working with the young people at Phoenix FPC over the years.   

On September 8 of this year, Rev. Vosekalns accepted the church’s call to be their minister. The installation service was conducted on Friday, November 8 and marked a new chapter in the life of Phoenix FPC as well as the life of the Vosekalns. They will deeply appreciate your prayers as they go forward in the work of God together. 

Should a Christian go to the meat market (“the shambles” 10:25), and purchase meat that was used as a sacrifice offered unto idols in a heathen temple to eat of it? This is the second major question raised by the Corinthian Christians in their communication with the apostle Paul. It was a pressing issue in a predominantly Gentile city.

Christians are the easiest people in the world to offend. Unlike ungodly people who care less about pleasing God, God-fearing Christians are to be scrupulously careful to keep a good conscience by weighing everything in the balance of what is right and what is wrong. Even if it be in eating or drinking, they desire to do all to the glory of God.

Living in a Gentile world required daily decisions on how to please the Lord. The problem is worsened by the reality that not all professing Christians comprehend what is right and wrong in the same way. It should be no surprise that the apostle began his response with the need for “knowledge” (1 Corinthians 8:1).

In chapters 8–11, the apostle laid out the believer’s responsibility to avoid offence at all costs. He established some firm principles to guide believers on what is right and what is wrong. These principles may apply to many forms of social behavior for the Christian including music, dress, alcohol, speech, and superstitions of all kinds.

Always keep to the central truth.

The apostle wrote, “We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one” (1 Corinthians 8:4). God’s oneness is an essential, irreducible doctrine of the Christian faith. This was Paul’s starting point as he worked to untangle this issue of eating meat offered to idols. He argued from the solid truth that as God is one, or single, then all other objects of worship are vanities and no gods at all. Pagans in the Greek and Roman world attributed deity to multitudes of objects as gods, but this core truth of Christianity, that God is one, exposed idolatry as a lie.

Always act in love.

The apostle went on to warn his readers of the misuse of this knowledge. He pleaded, “But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak” (1 Corinthians 8:9). By using the term “liberty” translated from the Greek word for authority, the apostle empowered Christians to withstand idolatry, and he removed all grounds for even the suspicion of idol worship. As a closing argument in his response he made the concrete statement, “Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils” (1 Corinthians 10:21).

Paul knew, however, that if not twinned with love, the knowledge of the one living and true God that outlaws all idolatry would puff believers up. So, with a pastoral concern for the whole church, the apostle pointed out, “Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled” (1 Corinthians 8:7). Here was the issue at stake. One’s misuse of the knowledge of the true God may do harm as much as one’s ignorance of idols. So, what is to be done? The answer is to use love. Let everything be done in love for the good of the weaker brother, or sister.

Always consider those who struggle over matters of conscience.

The apostle caused the whole congregation at Corinth to think hard about the weaker brother or sister. These weaker believers were not practicing idolatry, but they could quickly leap to the conclusion that any professing Christian who would dare to eat meat that had been offered to idols was guilty of idol worship. It was the weaker brother who would be quick to accuse the stronger of sinning by eating meat that had been offered to idols.

The apostle set forth the responsibility of the strong believer to help the weaker: the one who has not come to the full knowledge of the oneness of God and, therefore, has not been fully delivered from all notions of the powers of idols.

Always use your liberty in Christ wisely.

While the strong believer knows that God is one, and he knows he may use his liberty to participate in various things, yet he must think about what exercising his right as a Christian will do to others. The considerate Christian will say to himself, “I may do this without going against my conscience, but what about my brother or my sister?” Will this trouble their conscience, or even worse, will they be “emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols” (1 Corinthians 8:10), and thus be led into error and away from faith in Christ alone? Believer, that should always be your genuine concern.

Always be ready to deny yourself for your brother’s sake.

In his conclusion, Paul cited his own self-denial in avoiding offence and this must be your response on the many issues of Christian liberty. He wrote, “Wherefore, If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend” (1 Corinthians 8:13).

Rev. Ian Goligher

Prayer is one of those precious gifts whereby we ask for desires “agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ” (Shorter Catechism #98). We come humbly to God confessing that we know not what we should pray for and asking the Lord to teach us to pray. As we look at our lives, we can see how God is bringing us to love and value prayer. Our gracious God leads us, His daughters, to more highly esteem the place of prayer as both a good gift as well as a lifeline for our survival.

During my childhood and youth, my parents included prayer in everyday life. They trusted the Lord for safety in driving by consistently praying before leaving the driveway. Although they drove thousands of miles, they never had an accident, which is a testament to the faithfulness of God. During our family devotions after dinner, we read the Bible together, Dad prayed, and we sang. My dad’s faithful, heartfelt prayers showed his trust in God. At night, my parents prayed together before dropping off to sleep. When I was up late completing college assignments, I could hear their voices praising God and praying for the family. In Mom’s later years, when she couldn’t attend Faith Free Presbyterian Church, she faithfully prayed for the church children. This heritage of prayer has become precious to me.

During my New Jersey teen years, our family attended a rather dispensational church, but the teenagers there loved to meet in the church kitchen to pray. We called it KP, “kitchen prayer” meetings, and I learned that prayer could bring unity among Christian peers as we praised the Lord and prayed together for His work.

After Myron and I married, we traveled to Belfast, Northern Ireland for Myron to study in the Theological Hall for that school year. Sitting in Free Presbyterian church services and prayer meetings was like no other church experience I had ever had. Hearing ministers, elders, businessmen, farmers, and women all pray with power and trust in God was an amazing blessing to my soul. Their prayers honored and extolled the God of Heaven and their earnest pleas for matters large and small were expressed as though they expected God to answer as He has promised in His Word. The throne of grace was a beloved place where God’s people loved to gather. I am extremely grateful for the heritage of prayer the FPCNA has from the Ulster Free Presbyterian churches.

The Lord continued to teach me to use the means of grace to solve the problems in my life. At a time of rejection when my heart ached, the Lord used the preaching of the Word and the prayer meetings to heal my hurting heart. Many preaching and prayer services left me weeping out my grief because I had been pointed to Christ who was acquainted with grief and took mine.

I also found victory over Satan’s attacks to keep us from the mid-week prayer meeting. He does not like God’s people to pray! Beginning the get-ready-for-church routine with little children around 5:00 p.m., I was dismayed at various frustrating time-consuming happenings which hindered us every Wednesday. As the Wednesday attack pattern repeated, I moved the get-ready-for-church routine to 4:00 p.m. to allow enough time to get our young family to the prayer meeting. Praise God for victory!

When parenting brought challenges, the Lord taught me to depend on Him! The Bible is full of promises, but we must ask. I asked for His strength, patience, wisdom, and help! How gracious is our great God who is more ready to give than we are to ask! I simply took God at His Word and asked. He was right there, gifting me needed wisdom in the moment, His strength for my weakness, patience to stay cool, and His ready help.

Myron planned to establish a Free Presbyterian church with Sunday meetings first, but our souls desperately needed earnest prayer meetings, which we didn’t find locally as we settled. In the Lord’s mercy, He provided a meeting place where we went each Wednesday evening. Although often just our own family attended in those days, Myron preached, and we sang and prayed. Putting our circumstances, needs, and the church ministry into God’s hands exercises our faith by lifting the burdens and encouraging our hearts to trust the mighty power of God. Trinity FPC was birthed in prayer.

Sharing my prayer journey overwhelms me with gratitude to God. Dear Sister-in-Christ, what is your prayer journey like? We exercise ourselves in faith before God both in private prayer and in church prayer meetings. May we highly treasure God’s precious gift of prayer and deeply appreciate the lifeline to God for help in time of need. These verses from “The Mercy Seat” by Hugh Stowell express prayer so well:

From ev'ry stormy wind that blows,
From ev'ry swelling tide of woes,
There is a calm, a sure retreat:
'Tis found beneath the mercy seat.

Ah, whither could we flee for aid,
When tempted, desolate, dismayed:
Or how the hosts of hell defeat,
Had suffering saints no mercy seat?

Mrs. Barbara Mooney

The doctrine of election is looked upon with fear and suspicion—a doctrine that might belong in a seminary but not in the mind of the regular Christian. Such thinking is inconsistent with the truth of the Scriptures. Our Lord Himself spoke to His hearers, “For many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). Paul covers the subject many times, “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4). 

The issue at stake is not if there is election but rather why? Why did God choose to save some out of humanity—all of whom deserved His wrath and condemnation? In the simplest terms the God of heaven chose to save some because He chose to save them. Paul says it was out of God’s “good pleasure” (Ephesians 1:5). The Lord teaches that it was because it was “good” in God’s sight (Matthew 11:26). The election of sinners to salvation occurs before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), before men did “good or evil” (Romans 9:11). The choice occurs in the free and unconstrained will of God and all for His glory (Ephesians 1:6,11). Considering the depth of our sin and the evil of our rebellion, it is not a marvel that God chose some, but that God chose any. God did not choose us because we were lovely but because He loved us.

My answer to the one who wonders, “Am I elect?” is not, “Don’t concern yourself with that!” Paul shows us that such can be discerned. Yet no one knows his election until they respond to the gospel. Paul knew the “election of God” of the Thessalonians because the “gospel came not unto [them] in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance” (1 Thessalonians 1:4-5). Young person, it is not your duty to figure out if you are elect or not. Your duty is to repent and believe the gospel. Such faith arises in those chosen of God. In obeying the duty to repent and believe the gospel you evidence God’s gracious election. Then in humility and gratitude you sing with the hymn writer, “Tis not that I did choose Thee, for, Lord, that could not be; this heart would still refuse Thee, hadst Thou not chosen me.” 

When Moses was a baby, his life was miraculously saved. Pharoah, the ruler of Egypt, had demanded that all baby boys be killed as soon as they were born, but because Moses’ parents loved God and knew how precious every life is, they hid their son in their home. When he was too big to easily hide, his mother placed him in a basket in the river. In God’s providence, Moses was discovered by Pharoah’s daughter and his life was spared. God had big plans for Moses’ life.

God had chosen Moses to one day lead the children of Israel out of Egypt and through the wilderness to the land He had promised to His people. God’s plans for him began by saving his life when he was just a few months old. There is no way for you to know what God’s future plans are for your life, but you can completely trust in the knowledge that God has each step planned out. God’s Word tells us, “I know the plans I have for you” (Jeremiah 29:11) and promises that when we trust in Him, “He shall direct [our] paths” (Proverbs 3:6).

The second baby in the Bible that we’re going to look at is Samuel. Samuel’s mother, Hannah, had a difficult life. She was married to a godly man called Elkanah, but he had another wife, Peninnah, which was against God’s commands. Peninnah was unkind to Hannah. She had been blessed with children and she made fun of Hannah because she didn’t have any. Hannah could have become angry or bitter, but instead, she took her desires and worries to God. Hannah prayed, asking God to give her a baby boy and promising to give him back to the Lord to serve Him.

God graciously answered her prayer and gave her a special gift—baby Samuel! Do you have hard things in your life? Do you have needs or wants that you think about often? Just as Hannah did, you should take them to the Lord in prayer. God hears us when we bring our requests to Him. His answer may be “no” or “not right now,” but He still encourages us to be “casting all [our] care upon Him; for He careth for [us]” (1 Peter 5:7).

John the Baptist is another special baby the Bible tells us about. John’s father was very old when he received miraculous news. The angel Gabriel met Zacharias to give him a message from God. His wife, Elisabeth, was going to have a baby! This was a huge shock since Zacharias and Elisabeth were much too old to have children.

Zacharias was so surprised that at first he didn’t believe what the angel told him. As a result, Gabriel told Zacharias that he would be unable to talk until the baby was born. God wanted Zacharias to learn to believe His Word and to trust Him, even when it seemed too wonderful or mysterious to be true. Some parts of God’s Word are hard for us to believe, and some things in our lives are hard for us to understand as God’s best for us. But the Psalmist says, “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in Him” (Psalm 37:5) and Isaiah 12:2 reminds us, “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid.”

The most well-known baby in the Bible is the Lord Jesus Christ. His birth was prophesied for hundreds of years, it was announced by angels, and it changed the world! What makes Jesus’ birth so different from all of the other births in the Bible is that He was born without sin! Even though Moses, Samuel, and John were born into Christian homes, they were born with sin. They needed a Savior, just like all of us.

But Jesus was sent from heaven, perfectly sinless, to die on the cross for our sins. This is very important! God’s requirement is that all sin must be punished by death. That would mean that we would all die with no hope of eternal life with God. The only Person who could meet the requirement of living a perfect life for us and dying a perfect death for us was the Lord Jesus Christ. God graciously sent Jesus to earth to be our substitute—living and dying in our place—and Jesus was completely willing to take our guilt and sin. How thankful we should be that God sent Jesus as a little baby to this earth to accomplish His great plan of salvation for us!

Mrs. Lois Carper

This issue of Current covers the installation of two new teaching elders and the ordination and installation of two new ruling elders. The church government that our loving Savior instituted involves the use of men in the offices of the church. These men are nothing more than saved sinners, but they are set apart by Christ for the good of the body. Christ loves His church when He gifts elders to His church.

Rev. Wagner’s article highlights the gift of the pastor to the church. Dr. Byers encourages us all to pray for our ruling elders. In reading and praying over these matters we are to remember that Christ loves His church, gave Himself for His church and governs His church through properly appointed overseers. These men need God’s grace if they are to serve righteously and effectively. So let us all pray. To pray for our elders is to pray for your own spiritual enjoyment of the gifts of Christ in His goodness to His church.

From the Past

Now we must speak of the order by which the Lord willed his church to be governed. He alone should rule and reign in the church as well as have authority or preeminence in it, and this authority should be exercised and administered by his Word alone. God's Word is the standard of church government.

Paul shows by these words that this human ministry which God uses to govern the church is the chief sinew by which believers are held together in one body. Whoever, therefore, either is trying to abolish this order of which we speak and this kind of government, or discounts it as not necessary, is striving for the undoing or rather the ruin and destruction of the church.

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, iii, 1&2

That’s a tall order. To walk diligently and constantly “with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love” is a daunting challenge. But the Lord never gives a command to His people for which He will not provide the grace to keep it. His grace really is sufficient. What that grace looks like in the church’s endeavor to guard her unity is on display in this chapter.

The focus of this article is on one of the primary ways in which the Lord does this in His church. Not only has Christ purchased the gift of the Spirit who unites believers to Christ and to each other, but He has given the church another gift by which He guards and grows that unity. Paul writes that when Christ arose from the dead and “ascended up on high…he gave gifts unto men” (v. 8). These gifts were given for the benefit of the church and, in the immediate context, to protect and promote the unity of the church. In verse eleven he specifically states that Christ gave to the church the gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists and—to the point of this article— “pastors and teachers.” Paul is clearly stating that when the pastors of the church fulfill their God-given calling, the church will enjoy the protection and promotion of the unity of the Spirit. How does this work? Let’s look at this as it touches upon those in the pulpit and then upon those in the pew.

First, the peace and prosperity of the church is guarded when the pastor faithfully carries out what the Lord called him to do: shepherd His flock. Christ gave to His church pastors and teachers. Without going into Greek grammar, this is not a reference to two separate offices, but to one office with a dual function. The Greek word translated “pastor(s)” is translated in every other place in the New Testament by the word “shepherd(s).” It is only fitting that the Holy Spirit would use this term to describe the role and responsibilities of a pastor since it’s a term often used to describe the Lord Jesus Christ, the Chief Shepherd and the Shepherd and Bishop of [our] souls.

The minister shepherds the flock of Christ by teaching. The chief responsibility of any pastor is to “feed the flock of God” (1 Peter 5:2) and “feed the church of God” (Acts 20:28). Christ told Peter on the seashore that morning, “feed my sheep” (John 21:10). In all of these cases, the word “feed” is the verb form of the word “shepherd.” Harmony and happiness are promoted in a church when the minister faithfully opens the Scriptures and feeds his congregation week by week with sound doctrine that enlightens the understanding and thrills the heart. His main goal must be to keep setting Christ before them. Every true minister of the gospel knows well from his own experience that nothing so establishes the heart and walk of the believer than being firmly grounded in the great truths of the gospel of God’s grace. The sheep that are well-watered and well-fed are the most contented, the most protected, and the most peaceful.

The pastor also guards and advances the unity of the church by exercising oversight of the flock entrusted to his care. “Feed the flock of God, which is among you, taking the oversight thereof” (1 Peter 5:2). Christ has given to your minister and elders the responsibility of overseeing your congregation. While this fact certainly underscores that Christ has placed them in a position of authority, it deals fundamentally with caring for the Lord’s people; looking out for their welfare; ensuring as best as they can that the Lord’s sheep are healthy and walking with God. If they find otherwise, then the Lord expects the shepherds to take whatever necessary steps to bring the sheep back into a place of strength and safety.

Turning to those in the pew, unity is guarded and nurtured as the congregation views its pastor as a gift from Christ. A faithful minister is Christ’s gift to your church and, as such, the Lord has given him the gifts necessary to carry out his responsibilities as your pastor. It cannot be denied that Christ has gifted some men more than others in various aspects of the ministry, but that fact doesn’t diminish the congregation’s obligation, not only to submit to their minister, but to regularly thank the Lord for him, to pray for him, always viewing him as the Lord’s gift to bring you into closer communion with Christ. This heart attitude goes a long way in guarding the unity of the church.

Paul goes on to point out in Ephesians 4 that as the pastor shepherds the flock of God, it will result in “the perfecting of the saints” which leads to “the edifying of the body Christ” which brings the church into “the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.”

What pastor, what congregation wouldn’t like to enjoy that experience? When ministers shepherd the sheep as Christ has taught them and the sheep receive and follow the teaching of their shepherd, that church will enjoy the harmony, the blessing, and the safety that is promised by Christ “the good Shepherd.”

Who are the ruling elders?

The ruling elders, together with the teaching elder (the minister), are collectively called the session. One of the distinctives of Presbyterianism is the principle that the leadership consists of a plurality of elders who exercise authority over the flock. Weighty responsibilities accompany this role, and therefore, much prayer for the help of the Lord is needed.

According to the Book of Church Order of the Free Presbyterian Church of North America, “ruling elders are the representatives of the people, authorized by Scripture to exercise government and discipline, in conjunction with their ministers.” Among other things, their leadership responsibilities involve overseeing church policies, guarding the doctrinal purity of the church, and caring for the flock.

Why pray for the elders?

First, the Lord commands us to pray for those in authority over us. The apostle Paul’s admonition to pray for “all that are in authority” (1 Timothy 2:1–2) relates not only to government officials, but to our ruling elders as well. In 2 Thessalonians 3:1–2 Paul asks for prayer “that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified,” and so that he would be “delivered from unreasonable and wicked men.” Paul understood that the prayers of the saints are necessary if the word and work of God is going to prosper. We need to pray for our ruling elders if we truly want our churches to be effective in the ministry of building up the saints in Christ and of pointing lost souls to the Savior.

Second, the responsibilities involved in the leadership of the church require much time and effort: attending regular monthly meetings as well as specially-called ones; dealing with spiritual issues both of individual members as well as the church as a whole; the routine handling of church matters like scheduling, overseeing, and problem-solving for the various ministries of the church. These all add to the pressures of the work of the session.

Finally, the ruling elders are only sinners saved by grace. Like everyone else, they possess tendencies to pride, self-centeredness, and human emotions; their wisdom is based on finite knowledge and limited experiences. They need our prayers.

How to pray for the elders

It is important to pray first for the personal purity, integrity, and humility of each elder. How can elders expect to lead the flock in the way of righteousness if they themselves are not cultivating a close, personal walk with Christ? Pray that each elder will be daily reading God’s Word, maintaining a consistent prayer life, keeping short accounts with God in all matters of sin, and partaking of all the means of grace.

Pray that God will give strength for the labor and wisdom for the hard decisions that need to be made. God has not promised to remove difficult work, but He has promised to give strength to those that wait upon Him (Isaiah 40:31). God has not promised to take away issues that require difficult decisions, but He has promised to give wisdom to those that ask (James 1:5). Call upon God to keep His promises for the sake of the elders.

Pray also for unity in the session. The elders need to be united in their stand on issues because a united session makes for a united church, while a divided session risks dividing the church. That does not mean elders must always be of one mind while deliberating. Differences of opinion need to be expressed to examine all aspects of a matter, and session meetings can become quite animated as a result. A final vote may not be unanimous, but once a vote is taken, each elder needs to submit to the decision for God’s glory and for the good of the church. That is the kind of unity to pray for.

Do not neglect to pray for the families of the elders as well. The elder should be “one that ruleth well his own house” (1 Timothy 3:4) because trouble at home will have a negative effect on his ability to lead the church. Pray also for patience on the part of the elder’s family so they can be understanding and supportive when he must be absent from the home to attend to the demands of his ministry.

Pray for God’s will to be known by the elders

In the ninth chapter of the book of Joshua, we read of how the Gibeonites tricked the leaders of Israel into sparing their city. They dressed in worn clothes, packed moldy bread and torn wine skins, and made a short journey to the camp of Israel. When they met with Joshua, they told him they had come from a “very far country” and asked him to make a treaty with them. Thinking they were not a people of Canaan which he was to utterly destroy, Joshua made peace with them and allowed them to live. Later he learned that he had been deceived, but he was compelled by his oath to spare them. Joshua 9:14 provides the key to understanding why Joshua was so easily taken in: “And the men [the leaders of Israel] … asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord.” They learned a hard lesson, one that every elder should heed. Before any decision is made or any course of action is taken, the Lord’s will needs to be earnestly and prayerfully discerned. Pray that each elder as an individual and that each session as a whole will never presume to know God’s will without praying for it to be revealed to them. Pray that the “counsel at the mouth of the Lord” will always be sought so that the elders will never be deceived into leading the church in the wrong direction.

Let’s thank the Lord for the elders He has given us and be faithful in upholding them in prayer.

Dr. Bruce Byers | Ruling Elder, Faith FPC, SC

For many who will not know me, I am Nathan McVeigh, newly-installed pastor of Calgary Free Presbyterian Church. I am married to Melissa, and we have five children: Julia, Joanna, Jesse, Eden and Gideon.

When recounting my testimony I always begin with the words of Titus 3:5-7, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

I am only redeemed because of Christ; I am only in the ministry because of Christ. All glory must go to God alone.

I had the privilege of being raised in a Christian home. I spent most of my upbringing attending Bangor Free Presbyterian Church, Northern Ireland and a short time at Mount Merrion FPC in Belfast. I am thankful for Christian parents who took me to the Lord’s Day services, Sunday School, children’s meetings, and in later years, to the Youth Fellowship and prayer meetings. From an early age I was taught that my sin grieved God and that I needed a Savior. I was in no doubt that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was that Savior.

On April 19, 1994, when I was five years old, I asked the Lord to save me. I praise God that night my Savior not only redeemed me but has also kept me by His wondrous power. I don’t remember many of the details, but I do remember wanting to phone my grandmother to tell her that I had been saved by Jesus Christ.

There have been times when I have failed the Lord, particularly a period in my life when I was not walking with Christ as I ought, but I am grateful that my Savior kept me by His power and His grace. I look back and see the Lord’s hand move in so many ways. For instance, in 2012, my wife Melissa was diagnosed with thyroid cancer while expecting our eldest daughter. This was a difficult time for us, but we knew the peace of God through it all. Melissa had surgery to remove her thyroid and some biopsies were taken. When the results came back, there was no trace of cancer. The medical profession could not explain it as they were so sure of the data and didn’t know what had happened. We believe that our God answered prayer and removed the cancer.

In 2014 the Lord began to challenge me regarding full time service. One of the many verses the Lord used in calling me was Matthew 4:19, “And He saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” God gave me a willingness to go into His service; however, there were challenges: a mortgage, young children, and a loss of salary since I would have to leave my job. From a financial point of view, it was not possible. But we prayed that God would open the door and we didn’t anticipate the way in which He would do it. My great uncle Tommy suddenly died in a car accident and shortly after, we learned that he had left us an inheritance which helped to cover some of our mortgage while we were in college. The Lord had opened the door. Uncle Tommy, who was a faithful prayer warrior, no doubt would be delighted that his financial gift enabled us to train for the ministry.

I commenced the four-year ministerial course at the Whitefield College of the Bible in September 2015. By God's grace I completed the training and was licenced by Presbytery in September 2019. In that same month I received a call to Dunmurry Free Presbyterian Church. I commenced my ministry there and was ordained on October 25, 2019. I count it a great privilege and joy to have served God alongside His people in Dunmurry for almost five years.

On August 18, 2024, I was humbled to receive a unanimous call from the congregation in Calgary FPC to become their minister. The Lord had been working upon my heart regarding this work since the early part of that year. It was a strange thing to have a burden and care for a place I had not yet visited and a people that I had not yet met. I had the opportunity to visit Calgary FPC twice in 2024. The Lord continued to burden me for that work and day by day made His will clear to me. Those visits were used by God to confirm how God had been directing me.

We moved to Calgary as a family on October 9 and I was installed in the congregation on October 15. We are grateful to the Lord’s people in helping us settle and providing for our immediate practical needs.

Above all, we thank God. We see His hand in all things, directing and orchestrating and bringing us to where we are now. I commence my ministry here with the confidence of God's personal call to me through His Word, Mark 10:49, “Be of good comfort, rise; He calleth thee.” I trust the Lord will bless the Calgary congregation, edify His saints, save souls and build His Kingdom, all for His praise and glory!

Rev. Nathan McVeigh | Minister, Calgary FPC, BC

Summary

In response to letters from Corinthian believers about various marital issues, the apostle Paul stood strong on the sacred institution of marriage. He reaffirmed that marriage is the first and foremost pillar of society built on God’s masterplan for a life-long union between one man and one woman, with each spouse owing total marital fidelity one to the other.

Paul was not married. He stated that, because of persecution against Christians, marriage was unadvisable. The apostle stated, however, that marriage is unquestionably God’s provision for the natural desires of human nature. He clarified that celibacy is not God’s command, but it is commendable to those who have the gift of singleness, especially when used in Christian service. From his delicately phrased instructions regarding the marriage bond, we see how purity of life was at the top of the apostle’s mind.

A necessary history to understand Paul’s teaching on singleness

The reader of 1 Corinthians 7 may find it seemingly strange that Paul could discourage marriage. It may even appear contradictory when we discover that the same apostle taught the Ephesian Christians that marriage is a picture of Christ and His church, for which a man is to leave his father and mother, cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh (Ephesians 5:31). It is also strange because Paul wrote to Timothy that to forbid marriage is a mark of apostasy (1 Timothy 4:30).

There are, however, good reasons for this seeming conflict in Paul’s instructions on marriage. His advice to hold off on marriage or to choose a life of singleness must be read in the light of the persecution that Christians were either already facing or were soon to face. This perspective underlies his reference to “the present distress” (1 Corinthians 7:26). Throughout the first century Christians faced various waves of terrible and bloody persecution. Paul counseled that in such dangerous times marriage was not advisable.

While living in western countries, where many of our laws and customs are founded on Christianity, it’s not easy for us to realize the danger that Christians faced in the first century. Though living in the Roman Empire, Christians renounced idolatry to be separate unto the Lord (2 Corinthians 6:17). This was radically life-changing because idolatry permeated so much of Greek and Roman culture. Daily life involved eating meats offered to idols. Idols of Greek or Roman gods were on open display in homes and at feasts and even worn on clothing or put on as jewelry. Trades and professions including the military, architecture, education, manufacturing, and the athletic games required open loyalty to the gods and often by publicly offering sacrifices to idols before witnesses. Life as a Christian required daily courage.

Corinthian Christians were called to separate themselves from the lewd sins of fornication paraded in public. The temple at Corinth boasted of having a thousand prostitutes to whom soldiers, sailors, and others resorted with shameless pleasure. At Corinth, fornication polluted every fiber of society. By refusing to participate in all forms of idolatry and uncleanness, Christians stirred up the bad blood of die-hard Greek and Roman citizens. Christians, out of conscience, who rejected the commands of their pagan fathers, were disowned. Christians who dared to refuse orders from their slave-masters were often sold off into extreme hardship, or they lost their lives on the spot.

And because Christians often met for worship under the cover of darkness, they were accused of forming secret societies to commit heinous crimes. They were even labelled cannibals because they celebrated communion with bread and wine, which they referred to as the body and blood of a Godman. Because of their faithfulness to Christ and His commands, Christians were looked upon as a menace and counted as rebels against the Roman Empire. In the eyes of Roman citizens, a Christian was a criminal.

Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians around AD 57. In AD 64 vast areas of the city of Rome burned to the ground. The Emperor Nero blamed the Christians and hunted them to their death. Thousands of believers in Christ were tarred and burned as torches to light Nero’s palace gardens or were dragged to public execution. We know that Paul became a martyr for Christ, beheaded at Rome, a short time before Nero’s death in AD 68.

It is with these times of persecution in mind that we must read Paul’s statements in 1 Corinthians 7. He wrote to single men, “I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be… Art thou loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife” (1Corinthians 7:26–27). The same perspective must be given to Paul’s words to widows, “But she is happier if she so abide” (1 Corinthians 7:40).

Today, a father or a pastor would give such advice in a time of war, or in a major societal crisis. But let it be known that in every other way, the apostle Paul stood strong for marriage as a union between one man and one woman: God’s sacred prescription for purity of life and for stability of society. So should we!

God’s lovingkindness is His favor or grace toward His people. My husband says that grace is getting what we don’t deserve; that is, we receive God’s undeserved gifts for every need we have—saving grace, sustaining grace, strengthening grace, sanctifying grace, satisfying grace, and sufficient grace (Spurgeon). How loving and kind is our God to bestow upon us what we need when we cannot provide for ourselves. Mercy, on the other hand, is not getting what we deserve, which is any misery in this life and eternal punishment in hell for our sins. We are all sinners by reason of the Fall and by our own sins, but because of God’s mercy, our miseries are less than we deserve. “All our past mercies are tokens of future mercies” (Spurgeon).

The gospels show us that the Lord Jesus Christ cared for women of all ages—children, young girls, single women, married ladies, mothers, middle aged women, widows, the worst of characters and the best, foreigners, and mothers-in-law. These women provide a vignette of Christ’s lovingkindness and tender mercies, which are as unchangeable and vibrant now as then.

Luke 13:10-16 records Jesus’ grace and mercy to one poor woman. She certainly looked quite deformed, being bowed over for eighteen years, having a spirit of infirmity, and being bound by Satan. Although she was quite unattractive, she came to the synagogue to worship on the Sabbath Day, and Jesus was there teaching that day! Imagine yourself in such a case—her infirmity bowed her over physically, but we all have stressful problems that weigh us down—maybe in a physical sense, or perhaps in mental, emotional, or spiritual ways, so that we can identify easily with this dear woman. Ingratitude, anxiety, depression, impatience, bitterness, or something else triggers a heaviness that bows us over and bends us out of shape! Just as the poor woman could not make herself stand upright, neither can we free ourselves. But she bravely came to the synagogue on the Sabbath Day! Too often, when we feel bent over with care, we want to avoid going to church, thinking that “I’m not good enough” or “I have to clean up my act” thereby isolating ourselves. However, we need to be like this woman and go to meet with the Lord Jesus Christ in the place of worship! Notice what Jesus did—He saw her, He called her, He spoke to her a good message, He laid His hands on her, and she was made straight and glorified God! The Lord Jesus lovingly cared for her and healed her! How beautiful! Jesus did just what Isaiah 61:3 said of Him: He came to give her beauty for ashes!

The reaction from the ruler of the synagogue in front of the people was angry criticism because Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath Day! Again, Jesus demonstrated His lovingkindness and tender mercies toward this woman by defending her, “Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?” (Luke 13:16) She was one of God’s chosen daughters, who had been bound by the enemy of her soul. The Savior freed her from the bonds, causing the people to rejoice while Christ’s enemies were ashamed.

The Lord Jesus sees us bowed down with care, and He knows that Satan capitalizes on our weaknesses to defeat us. But God calls and speaks to us by His Word and Spirit. He comes to meet our need and brings us to Himself. He takes our burdens and sets us free! He defends us from our adversaries, calls us His daughters, assures us of forgiveness, and accepts us in the Beloved. May we trust Him more and more!

Although our outward circumstances may not look very glorious, if we belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, we are His daughters. For our miseries, He gives mercies so tender and His grace to help in time of need. Even Jesus in His sufferings was comforted with the thought of who He really was. In Luke 22:69, Jesus said before the council of the scribes and chief priests, “Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.” Regardless of present circumstances, we are God’s beloved daughters who will be with Christ forever in Heaven one day!

God’s lovingkindness and tender mercies truly do crown our lives (Psalm 103:4). The beauty for ashes in Isaiah 61:3 means “a fancy headdress.” Our God dignifies us with the beautiful gifts of His wonderful lovingkindness and His abundant tender mercies, as if they were crowns! May we remember these precious truths in our everyday living for our own good and for God’s glory!

Mrs. Barbara Mooney | Trinity FPC, Trinity, AL