Yearly Archives: 2003

(A Testimony) [The following anonymous testimony shows how the doctrines of grace affect our whole outlook on life. We trust it will help others who find themselves in a similar situation to that of the writer. Ed.] Introduction My early Christian years were spent in evangelical churches where the ministry of the Word was far […]

Gospel Reading: Mark 1: 29-39 One of the great preachers of the last century was the Welshman, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. I have heard a story about him that I have not been able to locate, but it sounds true of him. Once a woman, who was leaving church, said to him. “Dr, Lloyd-Jones, listening to […]

Who, when given a choice between experiencing joy or sorrow, would choose sorrow? It is natural and completely understandable that we should prefer pleasure to pain. The benefits of delight are numerous. Those who are cheerful usually enjoy more sound physical and emotional health than do those bearing the burden of affliction. The joyful ones […]

People who go to rock, country, or pop concerts have to listen to an “opening act” before the person or group they went to hear takes the stage. People who go to the movies or plays know that often there are several scenes before the main character appears. Sometimes it can be that way even […]

‘God’s Glory, Our Joy’ was the name of a conference held on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th October at Milnrow, near Rochdale. It was organised by a group of pastors from evangelical churches in north-west. An invitation was extended to all Christians, and the aim of the event was to remind them of their ‘chief […]

Three addresses on Jonathan Edwards’ exposition of I Corinthians 13 given at the November 2003 Reformation and Revival Conference by Ian Hamilton of Cambridge Presbyterian Church: (1) Jonathan Edwards was a stratospheric Christian but he was pre-eminently a pastor and paramount in all his concerns for his congregation was to impress upon them that love […]

The reformed doctrine of justification, and whether it is being undermined by recent theological musings, set the stage for Dr. Cornelis P. Venema at the Annual Reformation Conference of Bethel URC Calgary on October 24-26. Venema said the "central question of religious life is where I stand with God," adding that justification is the "most […]

[Knox Hyndman is Lecturer in Church History at the Reformed Theological College and Minister of Newtownards Reformed Presbyterian Church, Co. Down, Northern Ireland.] Preachers of the Gospel are dealing with truths which always ought to grip their hearts. They are ministering to people who are of infinite worth. Their purpose is to glorify God. Zeal […]

Roger Carswell reflects on 20 years as an itinerant evangelistLife itself is a great teacher. For 20 years I was involved in evangelism whilst a student and then a teacher. For the last 20 years I have worked full time as an itinerating evangelist. I have had many teachers, and lessons! They are too numerous […]

The history of the ‘Reformation and Revival Fellowship’ was outlined in a fascinating way by the Rev James Wood at the annual Conference of the Fellowship this November. Mr Wood wasn’t present at the very first residential conference, but in 1956 he went to the third conference in the Highleigh Conference Centre, the year in […]

Three addresses at the Revival and Reformation conference at Swanwick, November 2003, given by Stephen Clerk, Minister at Free School Court Evangelical Church, Bridgend (1) Can you imagine the following situation, a typical British Sunday, but the shops are closed, and there is no major sporting event. Where are all these crowds going? They are […]

"Does the church still need free grace?" To answer the question Rev. Mark Vander Hart travelled from Dyer, Indiana to Ancaster, Ontario on October 31, to give his affirmation to what was – in the confines of a receptive Reformed audience – an obvious answer. Obvious as it was however, it was clear from the […]

Psalter Reading: Psalm 27Epistle Reading: 2 Timothy 4: 9-18Text: 2 Timothy 4: 16-18 Sometimes you have to go it alone. The old spiritual teaches us to sing, “You gotta walk that lonesome valley, you gotta walk it by yourself, oh, nobody else can walk it for you, you gotta walk it by yourself”. There are […]

October 29, 2003 Dear Mr. Prowse, It would be my great joy to persuade you that God’s demand for worship is beautiful love, not ugly pride. On March 30, 2003 you wrote in the Financial Times: “Worship is an aspect of religion that I always found difficult to understand. Suppose we postulate an omnipotent being […]

James W Galyon (A PhD candidate at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas) When God initiated his covenant with Abraham, He declared, "I will make you a great nation…. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:2-3). All the families of the earth will be blessed because […]

Think common grace is no longer an issue in the Reformed community? Think again. The issue of common grace came to a head in 1924 when the Christian Reformed Church Synod determined that, in addition to the saving grace imparted only to the elect, there exists a “common grace” which is manifested to all people […]

Paul Brand was born in Ootacmund on the Nilgiri Hills in South India on 17 July 1914. He died on 8 July 2003. His parents were Jesse Brand of Guildford and Evelyn Harris of St John’s Wood, London. They had married and gone to work for the Strict Baptist Mission in the Kolli Hills, 150 […]

The Presbyterian minister and author G.I. Williamson has now retired from the pastorate after fifty years in the ministry. His paperback commentaries on the Westminster Confession and Catechism are well known. He was recently interviewed by Glenda Mathes in the ‘Christian Renewal’ magazine. CR:Rev. Williamson, during a lecture at a conference in Johnston, Iowa, you […]

Austin Walker was the first of the Aberystwyth students to go into the ministry after I arrived in the town in 1965. He is now the pastor at Maidenbower Baptist Church, Crawley, Sussex. His son, Dan Walker, is a radio sports commentator with Key 103 FM (Piccadilly Radio) based in Manchester. He has been described […]

Baruch Maoz, a Christian pastor in Israel, has been confronted with a phenomenon called ‘Messianic Judaism’ for many years. It is a blending of Jewish cultural practices with Christian convictions about the Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Claims are made that this is the most potent means of leading Jewish people to faith in […]

by Baruch Maoz Israel has always had grounds for hope, although the people have not always exercised that hope. The religion of Israel was conceived as a religion of hope: hope promised, lost and regained. The nation was born in hope: Abraham was called to leave his homeland and step out into the desert, away […]

EXTRACT FROM THE INAUGURAL LECTURE OF HYWEL JONES AS PROFESSOR OF PRACTICAL THEOLOGY AT WESTMINSTER SEMINARY ESCONDIDO. Looking back on the first 75 years of the last century, several writers have noted that the Holy Spirit had been overlooked in theological writing in the English language. Juergen Moltmann and Alister McGrath, for example – and […]

Glenda Mathes The fact that a movie about Martin Luther is necessary for our culture can best be demonstrated by a recurring phenomenon. Some people, hearing about the selection of the actor Joseph Fiennes for the lead role, asked why a black man wasn’t chosen for the part. It’s a sad commentary on modern society […]

What are your recurring, chronic temptations? I know you have them. We all do. I classify them as the fearsome foursome: sensuality, food, possessions and speech. There is not a man alive who does not face sensual temptation. It is everywhere he looks. Some battle food, either gorging or purging. All are tempted to want […]

RICHARD M. BENNETT Introduction I had great difficulties as a Catholic priest in listening to evangelists in my fourteen years of searching for the Gospel. Christian radio programmes continually told me the amount of things I had to do to accept Jesus into my heart. Christian tracts likewise told me the amount of dedication or […]