The Evangelical Presbyterian - March-April 2003

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Evangelical Presbyterianis published by the Presbytery of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

Editor: Rev. Stephen Atkinson1 Lord Wardens Dr

Bangor, Co DownBT19 1YF(E-mail: [email protected])

Subscriptions:Annual subscription (six issues)Surface post: UK: 5.70

Rep. of Ireland and Overseas 8.10

Subscriptions enquiries to: Evangelical Book Shop15 College Square EastBelfast, BT1 6DD

Donations:If any of the Lords people wish to help in the work of the Church, pleasesend donations to the Honorary General Treasurer

Mr. J. R. McCormick6 Eileen Gardens

Belfast, BT9 6FW

GiftAid: Under the GiftAid scheme the Church can benefit by Income Tax return onany donation from someone who pays tax.Contact the Honorary General Treasurer for further details.

Internet: Visit the EPC Home Page on www.epc.org.uk

CONTENTSEditorial 1EPC Pulpit:A Moments Indecision (Deuteronomy 1) A. Lucas 2Pamela Johnstons Farewell Service G. Burke 5Christ in the Psalms (i) J. Ligon Duncan III 6Declaring our Distinctives: Presbyterian S. Atkinson 9

The Regions Beyond: Providing Tools for Teachers J. MacPherson 12YPA Project 2002 E. Brown 15Old Light for New Paths: Ecclesiastes 2 S. Atkinson 17Choosing a Career S. Bell 21Books etc. 25

Making Progress with Pilgrim (8) - In the Mountains S. Atkinson 29Cover Photo

The Cooley Mountains, near Carlingford.


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Editorial: Spiritual Pacifism

Peace rallies have recently been heldaround to world to protest against apossible war with Iraq. Many people ofdiffering philosophies have chosen tostate their opposition to such conflict,and call for peace. The doves wouldseek to protest against the hawks.

Now if an editor chooses to makecomment upon the current worldscene, he runs the risk of being out ofdate by the time the magazine isdistributed. However, the pacifism Iwant to draw attention to is similar, butconcerns a higher plane. There arethose who suggest a softer approach tothis world; a more gentle engagementwith the world, the flesh, and the devil.

The Scriptures, however, would speakof an enemy, of a battle, ofengagement, of intelligence, ofweaponry and armoury, of strengthand courage. Yet what amazes me is

that very often there is a promotion ofa kind of spiritual pacifism whichdislikes such heavy vocabulary. Somekinds of Christianity seem to presentnothing more than a spiritual flower-power of the sixties re-vamped. Somechurches have already made a peace-pact with the world, and far from evenutilising sanctions against such a sworn

enemy, all kinds of his goods arebought and sold in the church inVanity Town.

No doubt, in the church there arethose who, by nature, are hawkish andthose who are doves, but we need torecognise that the dove symbol is notsomething appropriate to ourengagement with the world. Againstour spiritual enemies we must all havea hawk attitude.

If international war becomes thereality, it is only after all other avenuesof engagement have failed; and wewelcome the patience of world leaders,seeking that path of peace. But if, inour global village, the threat of roguenations and dictators remains, andintelligence suggests that with thepassage of time there is an increase ofthat threat to the liberties of the freeworld, there comes a point whendecisive action must be taken.

Satan has been thrown out of heaven.His world, and his regime are not to be

engaged by way of dialogue. Scripturesintelligence suggests that the moreroom we give him, the more he willrob us of our liberty. If we are inChrist, he must not be given afoothold; his world must not be ourplayground and his power to threatenour spiritual graces, by the old manwithin, must be ruthlessly killed.

There can be no spiritual pacifism. Letus be holy hawks.


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As we anticipate a new year, I want usto turn to an incident in the history ofthe people of God, where a momentsindecision radically changed a situation.The situation held out the promise ofgreat blessing but, as a result of a loss offaith and indecisiveness, the blessingwas turned to a curse. The occasion thatI am referring to is when Israel reachedKadesh Barnea.

Now we need to get a feel for thesituation. Remember that it is almosttwo years since the people of God hadleft Egypt. The Lord had saved them

miraculously, in numerous ways. Therewere the plagues; the incident at theRed Sea; there had been the divineguidance and provision of food. Forabout twelve months, Israel encampedat Sinai, where they received the TenCommandments and various laws andinstructions designed to regulate theworship of God. At the end of thetwelve month period they werecommanded to leave and eventuallywere led to Kadesh Barnea which

borders onto the promised land. Soafter two years since leaving slavery,two years during which they have been

There are certain occasions in life when a moments indecision can radically changea situation, even change a perfectly safe situation into a very dangerous one!

Let me give you an example. Sometimes when driving you find yourself in asituation where you have to carry out a right turn which will take you across thepath of on-coming traffic. Now as you sit there you spot a gap in the traffic and,acting decisively, you turn right safely. But sometimes, for whatever reason, you

might hesitate and question whether you have time to turn, and in that split second,a perfectly safe situation becomes dangerous and you risk incurring the wrath ofother drivers if you continue to carry out the turn.

A Moments

Indecision

- Deuteronomy 1 -


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miraculously provided for, they are nowon the verge of entering the promisedland that God had given to them.

Now Moses commands them to goahead and take what is theirs (Deut.1:21); but the people hesitate andsuggest that it might be worthwhile tosend a search party, just to check thingsout (Deut. 1:22).

Moses agrees and taking representativesfrom each tribe, sends them on ahead.

After forty days they return havingconducted a thorough survey. Butwhen they return there is a differenceof opinion as to how the facts are to beinterpreted. The people listen to thepessimists and refuse to enter the land.They grumble. They blame God andtheir leaders. They decide that thingswere better in Egypt and resolve to takethe next flight home. As aconsequence, a blessing becomes acurse, because they arouse the Lord'sanger.

Now there are three things that weought to notice about this incident thatare relevant to us as we anticipate theNew Year. The first is that theyexaggerated the facts.

1. EXAGGERATED FACTSWhat we have here is a classicfisherman's tale. You know the typeof thing where the angler has caught afish but, by the time he gets home totell the tale, the fish has become a killer

whale.

In the book of Numbers we have a

fuller account of the report broughtback by the spies. It's a report thattestifies to the fact that the land flowswith milk and honey; but it also states

the difficulties (Num. 13:27-29).

Now interestingly, that report is notdisputed by Joshua or Caleb. In fact,Caleb without attempting to downplaythe difficulties that they face, urges thepeople to enter the land (v30).

But it is then that the exaggeration

begins. A difficult situation becomes animpossible situation. The land thatflows with milk and honey becomes aland that devours its inhabitants. Thestrong sons of Anak become incrediblegiants (vs31-33).

In verses 27 and 28 the Lord's love hasturned to hate and the fortified cities

have become enormous structureswhere the walls reach up to theheavens. Exaggeration becomeshysteria. As a consequence there is nowopen rebellion. Not only do they refuseto enter the land but their anger isdirected towards their leaders (Num.14:10). But the most incredible thing ofall is their anger against the Lord andtheir desire to return to Egypt (Num.14:1-4).

There is something that we must learnhere. As God's people we need to becareful that we do not exaggerate theproblems that we face and as a resultadopt a very defensive stance. The

world that surrounds us is pluralisticand secular. It is a world that is openlyantagonistic towards Christianity and


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we could easily be intimidated,withdrawing into our own little ghetto,being paralysed into inaction.

But whilst we ought not to downplaythe difficulties that we face, yet neithershould we be intimidated. We need toget things into perspective andremember whose side we are on.

2. A FORGOTTEN HISTORYIn this crisis moment, as Israel

experiences a complete loss of faithand is paralysed by fear, it is as if thelast two years haven't happened. Theyseem to have been wiped from theirmemory.

Sometimes as we get older we begin tolose our memory. Quite often it is theshort-term memory that we lose first.

We can remember things thathappened years ago, but we are at aloss to remember what happened fiveminutes ago. That is what is happeningto Israel. They are suffering from ashort-term memory loss.

For one thing, they have forgottenwhat life was really like in Egypt. Here

they are on the borders of thepromised land and yet they are harpingback tp Egypt, as if it had beenparadise on earth. They have forgottenthe misery and the slavery. They haveforgotten how they cried to God andhow he heard them. They haveforgotten the plagues, the Red Sea andSinai. They don't seem to remember

the divine guidance and the provisionof their material needs. And what iseven more amazing, they were actual

eyewitnesses of these events - as Mosespoints out to them (v31).

Yet despite all that had happened;

despite everything that they had seen,now they do not seem to remember athing. All they want to do is to returnto Egypt.

Now as the Lord's people, lookingforward to the New Year, it isimportant that we remember what hasgone before, because remembering the

past will help us in the future.

At a personal level we can rememberhow the Lord brought us out of ourown Egypt. There are also thoseincidents when the Lord miraculouslyprovided or protected us. There is thefact that he has led us up until thispoint! As a congregation we can

remember how the Lord has workedon our behalf. We should alsoremember our denominations historyover the last 75 years. Rememberingthese things helps us to get things intoperspective and not to be intimidated.

3. AN ABSENT GODThe final thing to notice is an absentGod. By the way in which the childrenof Israel react to this report it wouldseem as if God is not there, and thatthey would have to conquer the landby themselves.

When ancient Rome conquered Gaul,it was the presence of Julius Caesar

that made all the difference. He hadthe ability to encourage and strengthenhis men, merely by his presence


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alongside them in the battle.

If Israel could only have grasped thefact that the God who had brought

them out of Egypt and through theRed Sea was there with them as theyanticipated entering the promised land,they would not have been intimidatedby the difficulties, (vs20-21, 29-31).

We need to do the same. We need toremember that the God who has

blessed us in the past, the same God asIsrael's God, is with us as we enter theNew Year and that means that there isnothing of which we need to be afraid.

As we anticipate 2003 let us get thingsinto perspective. Let us remember whatthe Lord has already done for us and letus remember that he will continue to bewith us in the year ahead.

PAMELA'S FAREWELL

On the evening of 2nd January 2003 a good sized congregation gathered inStranmillis Church to bid farewell to Pamela Johnston who was scheduled totravel to Nigeria the following Monday to begin her missionary service withAfrica Christian Textbooks (ACTS). The service was organised jointly by the

Stranmillis congregation and Mission Africa and various folks from the twosending bodies took part: Ernest Brown, Colin Moore and Gareth Burke fromStranmillis and John Cardoo, Maxwell Blair and Howard Hawe from MissionAfrica. Pamela herself, as a member of Stranmillis Church and a missionary ofMission Africa, spoke with characteristic enthusiasm and flair about the work ofACTS, urging us to pray much for her as she settled in to her new situation.

There were I think two poignant moments during the course of the evening.One was when Peter Garland read a warm and suitable greeting from fatherSidney as Executive Director of ACTS. The other was when Miss Nan Dunlop,a former missionary and highly respected member of Stranmillis, passed over thecongregation's gift of a laptop computer to Pamela. A retired missionary thusgreeted a new missionary, with new technology for a new era; but they bothrejoiced in the same Lord calling forth workers and expressed the same need forprayer and support from those of us who stay at home.

Gareth Burke


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Many evangelical churches today havelost the distinctive doctrines of the

Reformation. But why now? Whataccounts for this loss in churcheswhere Reformation faith was heraldedfor generations? Why is the faith oncedelivered now being abandoned? It isbecause we have lost the reformersGod. Behind the church's currenttheological crisis is a spiritual crisis. Just

as false doctrine leads away from theliving God, so also true doctrine isbuttressed by fellowship with him. Iftrue godliness does not anchor us in thetruth, then we will probably pursue thevain theological imaginings of oursinful hearts. This spiritual principlesdread consequences are now upon us.

What is the proper remedy? Part of it, Ibelieve, involves reappropriating thetheology of the Psalms. Today's churchhas lost the Psalms. We rarely singthemour choruses and praise songsfeature only snippets dislocated fromtheir rich contexts, and many churcheswhere Psalms once were sung singthem no more. The Psalms confound

us with their robust and realisticspirituality. They discomfort us withtheir sharp denunciations and

imprecations. Our theology iseffeminate by comparison. But we must

recover them. The early church -indeed, the church in almost all ages -saw them not only as the church's mainhymnbook but also as the definitive,inspired guide to Christian experience.As Thomas Scott said There isnothing in true religion -doctrinal,experimental, and practical- but will

present itself to our attention whilst wemeditate upon the psalms. TheChristians use of them in the closet,and the minister's in the pulpit, willgenerally increase with the growingexperience of the power of true religionin their own hearts.

In spite of their centrality in Christian

worship and meditation throughout thechurch era, we face several barriers inattempting to recover the Psalms today.Probably the greatest barrier is theclaim that to read the Psalms in thelight of Christ is inevitably to distortthem. Yet the New Testaments writers,as well as earlier Christians, saw thePsalms as essentially about Christ. They

took them to reveal his person andwork, his divinity and ministry, hisincarnation and resurrection, and his

Christ in the Psalms (Part 1)

by

J. Ligon Duncan III


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humiliation and glorification.Establishing this may open the way toour reappropriating their theology and

spirituality.

The Psalms are about Christand we meet Christ everywherein the PsalmsThe Psalms are quoted throughout theNew Testament with most of thosequotations applied to Jesus. Earlier

Christians saw the Old Testament asan essentially Christian book, andthey believed the Psalms, above all ofthe rest of the Old Testament, wereuniquely christological. They alsofound Christ in more than what wetitle the messianic Psalms. JonathanEdwards catches this perspectiveperfectly when he says, The main

subjects of these songs were theglorious things of the Gospel, as isevident by the interpretation that isoften put upon them, and the use thatis made of them, in the NewTestament. For, there is no one bookof the Old Testament that is so oftenquoted in the New as the Book ofPsalms. Here Christ is spoken of inmultitudes of songs.

Liberal Old Testament scholars love toparody assertions like this as involvinggross, interpretive abuse. They arguethat authorial intent as well ascontextual relevance are savaged bysuch a Christianized reading of thePsalms. Jesus can be read into thePsalms they say, but he wasn't there inthe first place. Christians may apply

portions of the Psalms to Christ, buttheir original meaning and referents arefound elsewhere.

In contrast, earlier Christians viewedthe New Testament Scriptures as thedefinitive and divinely inspiredinterpretive manual for the OldTestament; and so, since the NewTestament takes the Psalms to beabout Christ, they also took them asfundamentally christological. That we

should still do so is easily establishedby reviewing the New Testamentschristological interpretation ofmany psalms.

Christ's Exaltation andResurrection:Acts 13:33; Psalm 2:7When Paul preached the gospel to theJews and God-fearers in the synagoguein Pisidian Antioch, he not onlyasserted that the death of Christ wasaccording to Scripture (see Acts 13:29)but also that Jesus' resurrectionfulfilled Psalm 2:7: And we bring youthe good news that what Godpromised to the fathers, this he has

fulfilled to us their children by raisingJesus, as also it is written in the secondpsalm, You are my Son today I havebegotten you (Acts 13:32-33). Here Paulapplied this statement from the Psalmdirectly to Jesus resurrection. So thePsalms reveal Christs exaltation,especially by referring to hisresurrection.

The Father's appointment of


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Christ as our High Priest:Hebrews 5:5; Psalm 2:7Hebrews 5:1-5 also appeals to Psalm

2:7:

For every high priest chosen from among menis appointed to act on behalf of men in relationto God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. Hecan deal gently with the ignorant and wayward,since he himself is beset with weakness. Becauseof this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for hisown sins just as he does for those of the people.

And no one takes this honor for himself, butonly when called by God, just as Aaron was.So also Christ did not exalt himself to be madea high priest, but was appointed by him whosaid to him, You are my Son, today I havebegotten you.

The writer of Hebrews thus takes thisPsalm as revealing Jesus appointment

as high priest on our behalf.

Today, ostensibly evangelical NewTestament scholars speak of Christ'sresurrection as a testimony to hisLordship but downplay the role andmeaning of his death. Yet this passageinextricably ties Christ's resurrection tohis priestly work, which links it to his

sacrificial death. It also draws attentionto the eternal covenant of redemptionbetween the Father and the Son byemphasizing that God appointed Christto be our high priest in contrast toChrist appointing himself.

Christ as appointed Mediator

will dispense his ownprerogatives to His people onthe Last Day:Revelation 2:26-27; Psalm 2:9The Psalms teach that Christ, after hisresurrection, is seated at the right handof the Father, from where he willadminister retributive and remunerativejustice. Thus, when our Lord speaks tothe church in Thyatira, he encouragesthem to persevere and endure withthese words: The one who conquers andwho keeps my works until the end, to him Iwill give authority over the nations,and he will rule them with a rod ofiron, as when earthen pots are

broken in pieces, even as I myself havereceived authority from my Father. And I will

give him the morning star. He who has an ear,let him hear what the Spirit says to the

churches(Rev. 2:26-27, my emphasis).The emphasized words are from Psalm2:9. They remind us that the Father hasgiven Christ every spiritual blessing sothat he may dispense them to his peopleon the last day, even as God has givenhis Son rule over and judgment of allhis enemies.

J. Ligon Duncan, III [Ph.D., University ofEdinburgh] is pastor of the First PresbyterianChurch in Jackson, Mississippi, and is an adjunct

professor at Reformed Theological Seminary[Jackson, Mississippi). He is also amember of the Council of the Alliance of Confessing

Evangelicals.

Reprinted by permission fromMODERN REFORMATION

(Nov/Dec 2002)(To be continued)


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It is not the remit of this brief article to

fully develop and articulate historicPresbyterianism, however beneficialthat might be. Nor is it my felt desireto repeat age-old arguments promotingour favoured form of churchgovernment. Rather I wish to speak ina simple manner of the biblical natureof our church order, the beauty of such

practice, and the practical benefits inthe church and beyond of consistentPresbyterianism.

Most Christians, sadly, are content toretain the church affiliation that theirgreat-grandparents decided with littlethought or investigation. ManyPresbyterians are such by birth and

habit, but seldom by conviction. Oneimagines then that Presbyterianism isof little importance to them. The

Evangelical Presbyterian Church began

life as the Irish Evangelical Churchand, in a day when the evangel wasunder threat, our forefathers rightlyfought for the centrality of the gospelin the church. It was only in later yearsthat our name was changed and fullPresbyterian order instituted, thoughthat is not suggesting earlier

generations were unfaithful in churchpractice. Yet it was deemed sufficientlyimportant to return to being namedPresbyterian as well as Evangelical.

I was once criticised in a church forpreaching Presbyterianism with acapital P. I took it as a compliment,and while certainly evangelical comes

first in our name and practice,presbyterian is our polity, beloved,and pursued.

2. PRESBYTERIANIt is our purpose in this new series to identify some areas of distinction in the denomination, and

positively point out to ourselves and to others the importance of such. We have just concluded asuccessful anniversary year, in which there was much looking back with thankfulness. We mustalso now look ahead, refreshing our mind as to our particular calling as a denomination, and ourdistinct concerns within the wider church scene.


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BiblicalChurch government which is notfounded on the Word of God is at the

very least in error, and at worst indanger of unbiblical excesses anddistractions. We maintain that in boththe origin and continuance of ourchurch order procedures, the Scripturesare our rule of faith and practice.

Moses chose the wise and able men torule over thousands, hundreds, fifties

and tens. The Old Testament people ofGod had elders in governing and rulingpositions. The synagogues, which wemight think of as the local churches ofthe Jews, were governed by elders.Indeed we might consider their practiceas Judaic Presbyterianism.

The local assemblies were also subject

to the great synagogue at Jerusalem anddisputes were often taken to thiscorporate court. There was a clearunderstanding that while there werelocal groups with local authority, thecommunity was one body, ordered andruled as one.

The early church modelled itself by

divine order and by common Judaicpractice. The functioning synagoguebecame the base model for churchorder. Some of the offices of the NewTestament church no longer exist, dueto their unique character and temporarypurpose, but rule by elders continues.

We retain rule by elders as biblically

ordered, and we retain this sense of theunity of the corporate church. Whilelocal churches may enjoy a measure of

autonomy in local decision-making wealso ensure a corporate identity andpractice through Presbytery oversightand rule in accordance with the

principles of Acts 15, and otherpassages, seeking that things be donedecently and in order.

BeautifulIf it were not biblical we would notoperate by this method, but we furthermaintain that not only is this order

biblical, but beautiful. Where there is aplurality of elders, coupled with a parityof authority, there is a beautifulfunctioning system of oversight, safe-guarding doctrine and practice with acorporate spiritual mind.

When such a working beauty isdisplayed there can be no room for

lording it over the flock, either locallyor denominationally. Each local elderdisplays parity of esteem to the other,recognising that he himself has nomonopoly of truth and wisdom. Indeedit is a good thing to distrust oneself, andtemper ones own thoughts andconclusions by the advice and wisdomof the many.

The operations at both local anddenominational level give opportunityfor the expression of graces that oughtto be found among those called to suchoffice, namely, humility, mercy,forgiveness, a guarded tongue, a levelhead, and a seeking the glory of Godrather than ones own pet position.

How beautiful it is to see disagreementresolved by godly submission to each


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other in love. How beautiful to seepersonal opinions giving way to acorporate wisdom that truly seeks thewell being of the people of God, and

the extension of the kingdom of God.Furthermore, how beautiful to see thepromised blessing of God upon suchhumble functioning. The anointing oilof God flows upon such beautifulagreement (Psalm 133).

It is fair to say that oft-times our sins,rather than our graces, may come forth

in heated debate, and our virulentdefence of truth may be nothing morethan an arrogant defence of our ownmistaken conclusion. More progresswould be made in corporate decision-making if we saw the beauty of thePresbyterial decision, even when goingcontrary to personal desires. Whilereformed history reveals thatsometimes one person has to standagainst the world, it is not often thecase; and some who cry Here I standshould instead consider if it were betterand more beautiful to say, Here Istand aside, when the mind of myspiritual brothers differs from my own.

BeneficialMy simple argument and pleaconcerning our distinctiveness asEvangelical Presbyterians would standalone upon a full Scriptural exposition;but that which God gives to the churchalso has a spiritual beauty to it, whencarried through in the graces expected

of spiritual people. But further, such asystem and order brings benefits to thepeople of God, and the neighbourhood

and nation in which it is placed.

We have already commented that theblessing of God flows upon the

garments of such a system functioningspiritually. When Gods people knowthat they are cared for and ruled byelders who are not simply lording itover with their opinion, but humblytempering their own wisdom by thewisdom of others, and acting ingracious humility one to the other, thecongregation knows that it is in safe

hands. The people are happy to submitin the Lord to the courts of the church.

Further, when each congregationknows that its representatives, withtheir own firmly held opinions, havetheir minds tempered by the corporatewisdom of a Presbytery which desiresthe good of the whole denomination,

and the glory of God, eachcongregation should happily bow toany decision taken by Presbytery. Thebeauty and the benefits flow thenthrough the denomination andthroughout the land. Indeed within theland, pagan and Christian, both in inter-church relations, and in contact with

the unbeliever, the simple, humble,submissive, expression of godlinessbears its fruit to the glory of God.

Presbyterianism will not save you;Christ alone does that. But this biblical,beautiful, and beneficial system ofgovernment is most suited to thegathering, guarding and guiding of the

people of God, until we all sit at Hisfeet, sheep before our Great Shepherd.


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Suppose you were a minister on a verylow stipend, or even, without being atrained minister, you were the personresponsible for preaching in yourcongregation because there was nobodyelse able to tackle it.

An Undreamt-of LuxuryIf you were in this country you wouldhave books to help you with yourpreaching. If you didnt have very manyof your own you could probably borrowfrom a friend or a library. If you cameacross a difficult passage that you feltyou should preach about, you couldreach over to your bookshelf and check

out a reliable commentary. If you were abit hazy about a geographical orhistorical reference, there would be an

atlas or a dictionary to hand. If sometext eluded you but you knew it wasimportant, you would look it up in yourconcordance.

But if you were in many countries inAfrica, Asia or Latin America, thatwould be an undreamt-of luxury. In

spite of growing numbers of people inyour churches, often clamouring forspiritual food, many of them would beliving on or below the bread-line, able-bodied men would be longing foremployment but unable to find it andmothers would be weeping over theirhungry or even dying children. If theycan't feed their own families, how canthey feed the pastors family, let aloneprovide him with even one useful book?

ProvidingTools for

Preachers

By Rev John MacPhersonwho has recently completed six months service at Dumisani Theological Institute


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Not every minister in South Africa is inthat situation. But many are. And in theXhosa-speaking churches from whichour sister Free Church in Southern

Africa springs, ministers and elders andother preachers often struggle to makeends meet and cannot begin to affordthose books which are vital tools fortheir ministry, but which are oftenimported and very expensive.

Tussling with the ProblemIn recent years the staff ofDumisaniTheological Institutehave found themselvestussling with this problem, and havecome up with some partial answersanoccasional discounted book, a specialoffer on a vital reference book, a bookprize on graduation. But even so, manyof the men going out into the ministryare painfully aware how meagre theirpersonal libraries are, especially havingbenefited from the treasure-trove of theDumisani library.

Finally, this year, the problem is beingtackled head on. The 2003 session,beginning at the end of January, sees thelaunch of the Student Book Fund.How does it work?In the first place, each new student willreceive, on payment of his matriculationfee, a valuable Bible Dictionary andStudy Bible. The discrepancy betweenthe fee paid and the value of the booksreceived, to say nothing of the othermultiple benefits of enrolling as students

in the College, is so huge as to belaughable. But thats where the Student

Book Fund comes in, covering thedifference in cost on behalf of thestudent.

Secondly, as each semester passes, thosestudents who successfully complete theircourses, will be given credit pointswhich can be used to purchase heavilydiscounted books. The books will not befree, but with the help of the allocatedcredits, they will cost only 10% ofwhatever the Institute has paid for them.Thus a book with a cover price of 20

could be bought for 2 or even less.That may sound dirt cheap to us, but ifmany of your congregation areunemployed, while others are on theminimum national wage of just over 2per day, and you yourself are unable toearn while you are studying, the picturechanges radically. To buy several books

at that price is a wonderful opportunity,but it demands personal discipline andsacrifice.

How is it all financed?The Institute has been able to buygenerously discounted books, especiallylarger reference volumes, from theEvangelical Literature Trust, amarvellous ministry of LanghamPartnership International. Then again,many Christian publishers, such asEvangelical Press, Inter-Varsity Press,Christian Focus Publications and Bannerof Truth Trust, recognise the poverty ofmany Third World churches, seminariesand ministers, and do their utmost to

make their books available at reducedprices. But clearly they have to covertheir costs, and there is also the cost of


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postage and sometimes excessivecustoms charges.

Relatively Small AmountsBut even with all this financial help,there still remains a considerable gapbetween what the College wants to dofor prospective ministers of the Wordand what it is able from its own limitedresources to accomplish. And here weacknowledge the provision of the Lord,whose is the silver and the gold, andwho moves the hearts of his servants tofulfil his purposes. A gift from friendsin Northern Ireland and a smaller onefrom a Christian Trust in England haveset the Fund going with an initialcapital of just over 1000. This shouldcover the first years costs, but withsuch large discounts being offered, the

Fund will need regular topping up.

Part of the beauty of the scheme is thatrelatively small amounts can keep thisministry going. A small congregation,unable to raise large sums for itsdenomination or for wider missionarywork, may well feel that it could helpwith 100 or 150, and the same could

be true of individual Christian people.What a privilege it is, by means of godlyliterature, to assist in equipping presentand future preachers of the Gospel,(there were 50 of them last semester atDumisani) for their high calling offeeding and caring for the flock ofGod, and reaching the world at largewith the good news of Jesus!

Supporting a Strategic Role

Let me close with some lines from aletter I received last week from aservant of Christ whom I know well,

who ministers in a Central Asiancountry where persecution andharassment are a way of life forbelievers.

There is a greater openness, greaterthirst and a greater turning to Christ. Inour home Bible Study groups there aremany more new faces. For every house

group, we could have five, if only wehad the qualified believers to leadthemStreams of young people, manyof them well educated, wish to givethemselves fully to the service ofChrist. If we could provide thenecessary theological education toqualified servants and find a means tosupport them in the work, our number

of Bible Study meetings, house groupsand house churches would multiplymany times over.

Im not saying that we can see such aremarkable turning to the Lord inSouth Africa. Nor sadly is there muchevidence of it in our country, thoughwe must plead for the Lord so to work.

But in South Africa there is also anurgent need for more and better-trainedministers of the Word. DumisaniTheological Institutehas a strategic role inpreparing some of these people, andone of the ways of fulfilling its calling isthe Student Book Fund. We too have aprivileged part to play.


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Scottish Missionaries served theBurnshill District of Ciskei from 1912to 1928, coinciding with a period of theministry of Rev Alexander Dewar whocovered the whole of the Transkei and

Ciskei areas from 1910 to 1943. RevJoseph McCracken succeeded MrDewar, ministering to the sameextensive territory during the years1944 to 1948. In 1948 he wasappointed specifically to the work inBurnshill when Rev Huite Sliep arrivedto serve Transkei, and Rev CampbellAndrews the other Ciskei district of

Pirie. Rev Albert Sliep joined themission in 1962 and took over the workat Burnshill later in the 1960s when

Joseph McCracken moved to Pirie. Weare indebted to him for first-handinformation on the construction of theAmatole and Mkubisho churches.

Amatole Basin was the first church to

be established in the Burnshill District.The present building was erected in thelate 1960s when the original, lesssubstantial, building was collapsing.Some years previously Mr Sliep hadspent a short time at the School ofBuilding in Edinburgh and worked on abuilding site, setting out foundations,

making rafters, and so on. He foundthe experience a great help when hebecame involved in church planning

YPA Project 2002

The YPA has developed the practice of an annual fund-raising missionary project,supporting our various mission interests in turn. After the CWI Childrens Bible

Project in 2001, and the Annie Soper School, Moyobamba, Minibus Fund in 2000,it was South Africas turn in 2002. The Young People collected the amazing sum of

1475 for the replacement of the floors and ceilings and the re-painting of the twochurches we describe below. Norman Reid who is organizing the repair work for thesechurches is delighted, and he will provide more information and some photographs a bitlater. We express our own sincere appreciation to our young people for their missionaryinterest and for their commitment to raising this generous gift. We also wish them every

encouragement with future projects.

Amatole and Mkubisho Churches

Burnshill District, Ciskei, South Africa


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and building in South Africa. There wasno road up to the site at Amatole andthe builders, who included a group oflocal students and their teacher, had to

carry materials up the hill or have thempulled up on an ox-drawn sledge. Theymade the large building blocks on sitefrom a mixture of soil and cement thatthey put into a wooden frame andcompressed. The mixture was thencarefully turned out and left in the sunto harden. The roof timbers and the

corrugated iron sheets were broughtfrom King William's Town, 30 milesaway, deposited at the foot of the hill,and then carried or pulled up. Thewalls, inside and outside, were renderedwith a mixture of white paint andcement.

Rev Billy Graham who went to South

Africa in 1976 had responsibility for theBurnshill district for some years. Herecalls that the Amatole building wasused as a community school and thatthe floor, which is now in very urgentneed of replacement, had been salvagedfrom the original church building thathad fallen down. No doubt the dailytramp of youthful feet has contributed

to its poor condition. He alsoremembers that birds broke thewindows frequently, apparentlyattacking their own reflections.

The Slieps were also involved in thebuilding of a similar church for thesmall neighbouring congregation ofBurnshill (Mkubisho)where the

services were first held in the home ofthe Elder. They were able to burn the

bricks at Mkubisho. They made thebricks near the river and stacked themin quite large piles around a fire in thehollow centre which burned slowly

until the bricks were baked hard. Thedistrict itself was also calledBurnshill, betraying the Scottishorigins of the first missionaries in thearea in the 19th century, some of whomwere buried there. Rev AngusMacDonald did some fencing andcleaning of the burial site.

Rev Billy Graham also tells the story ofa funeral that took place at Mkubisho -the most moving of all his missionaryyears. A boy of thirteen had died as aresult of tetanus that had developedfrom a cut he received in his foot whenbringing in the cows one evening.During the funeral the people laid his

twin sister in his grave for a short timeas their way of expressing the specialbond that exists between twins. Thenthe boys grandfather, who had sent theboy to the field for the cows, began tospeak. When he broke down at onepoint and was unable to go on, thelarge number of people, who hadgathered in the open air, spontaneously

came to his assistance as they began toquietly sing the words of a hymn. Andthey kept going until they could see thatthe man had regained his composure.The boys twin sister later became aChristian and came into churchmembership. Billy and ElizabethGrahams two daughters also came into

membership at Mkubisho.


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The wisdom of Ecclesiastes is supremelyrelevant for our day. Though 3,000 years

have passed, there is nothing new underthe sun. We identify some contemporaryissues and bring,

Old Light for New Paths.

Solomon had everything at his disposal.He had the money, resources, and thepower and ability to virtually doanything humanly possible in his day.As he struggled to find meaning, as hepursued avenues to find purpose, under

the sun, he engaged in various pursuits.In the closing verses of chapter one wefind his pursuit of wisdom taught him

that the world without God is acrooked, dissatisfying, anddisappointing place. He found suchdeep thoughts would weigh heavy uponhis mind. It gave him a headache, andheadaches need pain-killers. But

Solomon didn't have Anadin, so hetried the next best thing - Pleasure.

If something is too heavy to mentally

Trivial Pursuits(Ecclesiastes Chapter 2)

byRev Stephen Atkinson

It is amazing what we can do today. If I decided I wanted to go to Australiatomorrow, I could do it. My credit card would permit me to book the flightseven if my current bank balance didn't. In our day we have been able to dothings former generations could only dream of. There are many things we canpursue in our three score and ten years. Wonderful opportunities are given tous by God. But what is your true pursuit? What are you running after? What isyour goal? What do you want? In its advertising campaign Microsoft used toask - Where do you want to go today? - suggesting that through the internetand its software you can go anywhere. So where do you want to go?


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bear, there is often the tendency topursue pleasure. Man swiftly movesfrom wisdom to hedonism. When themind is dismissed, the body does the

dictating. Thus when people excludeGod and His wisdom, they serve theirbasest bodily desires. What didSolomon do? In Chapter two ofEcclesiastes he confesses to pursuingpleasure in the three areas of wine,women, and work.

The Pursuit of Wine.v3 - I searched in my heart how to gratify myflesh with wine...How much we see this endeavouraround us! As life is too heavy peoplecant wait for the week-end. It is thetime for alcoholic escapism.

v10 -Whatever my eyes desired I did notkeep from them.

This is a no-holds-barred fun time, andhe has the money to do it. It all soundspretty up-to-date. Man is basically ahedonistic animal. He pursues pleasurebecause he won't pursue God. Heknows something is missing, but its

too heavy, so fill the gap with booze.Reality is too heavy so crawl inside abottle. The real world is too serious, solets just have some fun.

But where does it lead? Does that drugbring satisfaction? Let me read someportions from another bit of 3,000 yearold wisdom - Prov. 23:29-35.

Who has sorrow... who has redness of eyes?Those who linger long at the wine... Your eyes

will see strange things, and your heart willutter perverse things... When shall I awakethat I may seek another drink?You wake up with a hangover, andreturn to your disappointing life. It isthe morning after the night before. Thepursuit of pleasure from wine, and allother associated mind-bending drugshas a pay-back time.

At the last it bites like a serpent, and stingslike a viper(Prov. 23:32).

The Pursuit of Women.vs7-10 (portions) I acquired male andfemale servants... male and female singers, thedelights of the sons of men... I did not withholdmy heart from any pleasure.

One wife is not enough for Solomon.Like father, like son, he had a weakness

here; and he has the power to be ableto satisfy that weakness. But with athousand wives he isnt satisfied!

Isn't this another area that man pursuestoday? We live in a society obsessedwith the subject of sex. How many menare living that double life in adultery, orpornography, and yet are not satisfied?Scripture calls us to drink from ourown fountain.

Prov. 2: 16 Wisdom will deliver you fromthe immoral woman, from the seductress who

flatters with her words her house leads downto death None who go to her return.

Solomon has been there, done it, and

met the consequences.

The Pursuit of Work


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Solomon had an important workproject to do. It would have beenwonderfully spiritually satisfying tobuild the glorious Temple of the Lord.

But Solomon moved on from thosespiritually wise days, into worldlywisdom and carnal pleasure.Furthermore, in the pursuit of carnalpleasure came carnal projects.

v4 - I made my works great. I built myselfhouses, and planted myself vineyards.Stonewall Jackson, as well as a mightyGeneral in the Confederate Army, wasa deacon in his local church. There wasan important Deacons Meeting oneevening, due to begin at 8pm. At fivepast, some of the men were not yetpresent. Jackson paced up and down,and eventually went down the road tothe house of one of the deacons. He

knocked the door, and when it openedhe promptly told the man it was eightminutes past eight. The man madesome lame excuse that he didn't havetime to go out tonight. Jackson replied,You shouldn't have time for anythingelse. How can you put aside yourobligations in the matter? He turned

and walked back to the church. Theman was soon right behind him.

Sometimes the pursuit of work canbecome a carnal pleasure in itself, andwhen we complain that we do not havetime for this or that spiritual activity,perhaps we should hearken toStonewall Jackson - You shouldnt

have time for anything else!Solomons work pursuits were a littlehigher than wine and women. Indeed, it

is more noble to climb Everest thanlaugh away your Friday evenings in thepub or brothel. But what is the trueworth of the achievement?

Sir Edmund Hillary was the first manto climb Everest. The night before heand Sherpa Tenzing reached the topthey drank a lot of tea, as one of thegreat problems for climbers at highaltitude is dehydration. So, in themorning, upon arriving at the peak,they had full bladders, and their first

business at the top was a call of nature.It seems a little ironic that you climbthe highest mountain - and then what?

He actually said, For some reason Ididn't feel particularly excited about oursuccess. I had no sense of ultimateachievement - I just felt I had donerather well on a big challenge.

His pursuit of such challenges meantthat he was not present when hismother died, and he constantlyregretted it. Also connected with hiswork, he persuaded his wife to flyinto a difficult small airfield, but theplane crashed and both she and his 16year old daughter died. He never

forgave himself. The pursuit of hiswork, to the detriment of things thatreally matter, led him to make suchtragic mistakes.

Is your work your idol? Do you live towork, or work to live, for the glory ofGod? Thats a serious question!

v11 - I looked on all the works that myhands had done... and indeed all was vanity.


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Alexander the Great in his youthconquered the known world. When hehad won all wars, and captured allenemies, and stood alone in control,

what did he do next? He broke downand cried, because there was nothingelse for him to do!

If you give an inordinate amount oftime and energy to your work, one dayyou too will break down and cry. Yourfamily has grown up, your parents havedied, your achievements may be great,

but who cares - it has only been achasing after the wind.

The pursuit of pleasure, in the form ofwine, women, or even the more noblepursuit of work, is a trivial pursuit.Thus the logical conclusion is to saywith Solomon in v17 - I hate life.

World Wars I & II showed man to bemore crooked than the enlightenedoptimists of the previous century hadthought. After the hard-working 40sand 50s the nation drifted from God,and instead there was the pursuit ofpleasure. Thus came the swinging 60s,and days of sexual liberation. Man ranafter the trivialities. However there was

some measure of return to hard work,in the achieving 70s and 80s. But theeconomic bubble burst. The 90's and00's for mans pursuits have notbrought the utopia. The nihilistic Ihate life, has come around, once again.

So in the nothing new under the sunworld, we've done it all, tried it all,achieved it all. But we wake up in themorning, hating to get out of bed. Ihate life. Yet, that is exactly where

Solomon wants to bring us. Becomeanimal-like, and eat grass. Some evenlike to smoke it! But it is futile, andtrivial. So, look up!

The Pursuit of Godly Wisdom.v24 - There is nothing better for a man thanthat he should eat and drink, and that hissoul should enjoy good in his labour. This alsoI saw was from the hand of God.

The first half of the verse is similar tobefore, but the second part shows realwisdom in his philosophy of life.

v26 - For God gives wisdom and knowledgeand joy to a man who is good in his sight; butto the sinner he gives the work of gathering andcollecting...

God gives wisdom, spiritual wisdom.God gives knowledge, spiritual

knowledge of sin, and the Saviour. Godgives happiness, real spiritualblessedness, in that pursuit which firstseeks the kingdom of God and Hisrighteousness. Life has meaning; andyou can find satisfaction. Real life, ahappy life and blessed life, is onlyfound in resting in the shadow ofCalvary, turning from sin to trust JesusChrist, and pursuing the divine way, thedivine image of godliness.

Man's chief end is to glorify God. It isnot to pursue wine, women, or the idolcalled work. Get your priorities rightand dont sacrifice time to trivialities.Choose this day whom you shall serve.


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Choosing a Careerby

Shirley Bell

To pursue or not to pursue? That isthe question!

Can I begin by saying that at first thisquestion sounds quite negative in thesense that it almost stipulates that thereare many careers that we cannot pursue

simply because we are Christians, whenin fact there are a multitude ofoccupations that are open to us.

But how are we to know the one towhich God has called us? Certainly,there are not any biblical texts that tellyou that this is what you are to do withyour life. There are texts that say there

are things that you must not do. Forexample, the ten commandments inExodus 20. How then are we to arriveat the personal knowledge of Godswill?

As Christians we are certainly in needof guidance. God, of course, is to bethe Guide of our lives. The Shepherd

makes me, leads me, restores me, andguides me (Ps. 23). For the Christian,then, the choice of a life-calling will be

one of the most important decisions heever takes. It is essential to be assuredthat we are doing the will of the Lord.

Marking Out PossibilitiesGod has given us minds with which to

reason, to think, to reflect, to analyse.To begin, God wants us to mark outthe possibilities. If we were to readthrough a career manual, at first sight itmight seem impossible to choosebecause of the variety. But it is notreally so, because all of us are able tolimit the possibilities. There are somecareers that are not legitimate for a

Christian, such as being a manager in acigarette factory, or a publican. Theseconflict with the biblical teaching thatour bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit,and you are not your own, for you are boughtwith a price, therefore glorify God in yourbody, and in your spirit, which areGods (1Cor.6:19-20). We ought,therefore, to look after our bodies, andnot abuse them. Another example is,if we train to be a medical student,


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towards us. Our desires on their own,of course, are not a trustworthy guide,but if we delight ourselves in the Lord,producing the fruit of the Spirit (Gal.5:22-23), then surely this points us inthe direction of the sphere of work thatGod in his providence has created usfor. However, if we do not seek Godsface, if we are careless of whether thisor that will be more glorifying to Godin our lives, it is unlikely that the will ofGod means anything vital to us at all.

Questions To AskNow let us put some questions toourselves, keeping in mind that asbelievers our chief end is to glorifyGod:

1. The particular career that you areconsidering, is it merely for self-

fulfilment? Is that the be all and endall?

2. Is it for your own self-gratification?

3. Is this particular career going toallow time to serve God?

4. Is this particular career going to

allow time to meet with Gods people?5. Are there particular temptationsinvolved in this career to which youmay be susceptible? For example, thetemptation to be deceitful in order tosell property, push sales, or to performwell?

6. If you go into the field of mediacoverage, what about the gutter pressand character marring that goes on,

when as believers our words andconversation ought always to be withgrace and seasoned with salt (Col. 4:6)?

7. Is this particular career a high-pressure, high-stress job with whichyou can cope? If you come home eachday feeling mentally, physically, andemotionally worn out, then of coursewhen it comes to spending time withGod or going to mid-week Bible studyyou are unable to because all your

energy has been sapped. If this is thecase, you need to ask: Is this the job forme?

8. Does this career enable you to seekGod first?

9. Is it Gods choice for you?

10. Does this career allow you to show

Gods love in a practical and creativeway?

11. Does it allow you to have aninfluential position from which tofurther Christian principles? (cf. Matt.5:13-16 where we are to be the salt ofthe earth and the light of the world).

Whether we are cleaning the churchtoilets, or leading a medical team, orwhether we are involved on the missionfield or in our own local assembly,there is one exhortation for all:Whatever you do in word, or in deed, do allin the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, givingthanks to God and the Father by him(Col.3:17).

Summing Up


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Whatever employment we engage in, itmust not conflict with the clearteaching of the word of God. Wecannot be supportive of lying and

deceit (Ex. 20:16). The key questionmust be: Is there clear teaching in theScriptures that shows me that this jobis dishonouring to the Lord? Am Ibreaking any of the commandments ofthe Lord by engaging in thisemployment?

Whatever we do must be to the glory

of God. We must ask: Am I glorifyingthe Lord in this job. (1 Cor. 10:31)?

This employment should not interfereseriously with our Christiandiscipleship. The job itself may not bewrong, but is it going to prevent usfrom meeting together in worship withthe people of God?

We should always have time tocultivate our relationship with the Lordin any post we take up (Matt. 6:6;Heb. 10:25; Ex. 20:8-11).

We should never enter employmentwhere we are not permitted clearly tostate that we are Christians. Think of

Esther and her initial secrecyconcerning her faith. See how theLord dealt with her, and she had todeclare to whom she belonged.

Taking all these things into

consideration, what has God promisedto us as his children? He haspromised: Grace which is sufficient(2Cor. 12:6); Direction for our path (if

we acknowledge him - Prov. 3:6);Guidance with his counsel (Ps. 73:24);Footsteps that will not slip (for, thesteps of a good man are ordered by the Lord- Ps.37:23).

With these promises in mind, when wecome to consider which career topursue, or not to pursue, let us think

again of the foundational principles:Consider God first and his kingdom;consider his will for us; consider hisgrace bestowed upon us; consider hisgifts given to us; and consider theneeds around us.

We conclude with two helpfulquotations:

John Murray: What path of life eachindividual is to follow in reference tothis basic interest of life (i.e. his dailywork) is to be determined by theproper gift which God has bestowedand this is the index to the divine willand therefore the divine call.

Elisabeth Elliot: Let us rest assuredthat God knows how to show his willto one who is willing to do it.

The content of this article began as a response paper to the question belowdelivered at the YPA Panel Evening in Knock EPC, in November 2002Question: In todays society are there any careers that the panel wouldsuggest the young Christian should not pursue?


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The Narrow Gate andThe Heavenly Footman

John Bunyan

Evangelical Press

144 pages 7.95

Reviewer: Allan Thompson

Bunyans opening words in his personalletter to the reader brings us soberingly

to the solemn topic which he is about toaddress. The first part of the book isarranged in three sections:- The firstsection explains the context andmeaning of the text Matthew 7: 13-14,as well as giving reasons and necessitiesfor careful consideration of theSaviour's words in the text.

The second makes three observations ofthe phrases in the text Luke 13:24, anddiscusses them in two parts:- (i) manymake claim to heaven. (ii) few shall befound fit for or entitled to heaven.The third presents some uses andapplications which even in this 21stcentury age of enlightenment are astimely, relevant, and worthy of embrace

as when first penned. These may bebriefly summed-up as prayer andpetition; meditation and study;fellowship and godliness.

The second title, The Heavenly Footman, isa suitable companion to the first as itdeals with the Christian lifestyle afterthe former has dealt with the way ofbecoming a Christian. In it we areexhorted to walk worthy of our callingin Christ. The text is 1 Corinthians 9: 24

and by way of introduction Bunyan

again presents a letter, this time to warnthose who profess faith yet are slothfulor careless in their walk. Bunyans ownsubtitle ably describes the content of hissubsequent deliberations:- adescription of the man who gets toheaven, together with an explanation ofhow he travels, the signs he follows, andsome directions on how to travel in

such a way as to be granted entranceinto heaven.

After showing the need to run in Part 1,Part 2 gives nine directions on how torun. Part 3 gives nine motives to urge usto run. Part 4 gives nine uses of thissubject, (by way of application). Part 5exhorts Christians to run at the front,

and Part 6 exhorts sinners tocommence running!

Overall I found this book to be arevelation of the doctrinal beliefs ofBunyan in a way which is not quite asevident as in Pilgrims Progress. It is mostreadable and enjoyable in the literarysense while in its spiritual context I wasbrought to feel a sense of utter failureand unworthiness in self, but tookcomfort and strength in the Great Godand Saviour Jesus Christ who saves tothe uttermost all who come unto Godby Him. I believe this book could alsobe useful as a pastoral tool to hand tospecific believers who may be indeedrunning, but alas are running on

empty!

The Pigtail and Chopsticks Man

Books etc.


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(The Story of Hudson Taylor and theChina Inland Mission)Jim Cromarty

Evangelical Press

160 pages 9.99

Reviewer: Catherine Leach

God will supply all that I need. Theseare the words of Hudson Taylor, a manwho trusted God with unshakeablefaith.

This biography is a joy to read. It isconcise and interesting, giving insightinto his family background. His great-grandfathers conversion on his ownwedding day was the beginning of afamily having the Gospel at the centreof their lives. Hudsons own fathercalled the family together for worshipeach day.

Having been described as an angry,rebellious boy, at the age of 17 hetrusted Christ. The great need formissionaries in China was often spokenabout in his home and he wept at thethought of millions dying withoutChrist.

So, it was in 1853, he left England forChina. Having his head shaved at thefront, the hair at the back tied in apigtail and eating with chopsticks, weresome of the ways he used to identifywith the people. Hardships, criticism,disappointments, all came his way.Undaunted, he followed his Master andas a result that great missionary

organisation the China Inland Mission(later O.M.F.) was founded.

Questions at the end of each chapter arethought provoking about many aspectsof the Christian life. Young people willbe challenged by this book as well as

home or church groups.

There is a God, He has spoken in theBible and He means what he says.Hudson Taylor held on to these greattruths and his life is an example to all.

Thirsting Soul(The saving work of God in theheart of man)

Roger Fellows

Evangelical Press

160 pages 7.75

Reviewer: Ron McCormick

Most readers of this review willprobably be familiar with the Fivepoints of Calvinism, and if they readthe first four chapters of Roger Fellowsbook in isolation, they would anticipatea concluding chapter on thepreservation of the saints. HoweverChapters 5 to 8 expand the theme ofchapter 4, An effective invitation -invincible grace by dealing withconversion, justification, adoption and

sanctification. It is not until you reachchapter 9 that preservation is thencovered.

Each chapter is entitled with a phrasethat describes the doctrine that is to beexpounded and the subtitle is thedoctrine upon which it focuses.

As well as explaining the relevantteaching the author proceeds to showthe practical effects of each doctrine.


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For instance in the chapter on adoptionhe reminds readers that this not onlyencourages us to look ahead to theworld to come, but it should have a

profound effect upon our behaviour inthis life.

At the end of each chapter a number ofquestions are listed under the headingHomework. These can be a usefulaide-memoire to the subject matter ofthe chapter, and additionally can act asa means of instilling further thought

about the subject.

The final chapter is an epilogue thatsummarises the teaching covered in thebook. But it is more than that; it alsopresents the reader with a challenge.Believers are urged to realise thepreciousness of, and live out, theteachings. If there are unbelievers

reading they are urged to understandand believe the teaching.

This is a clear and straightforwardpresentation of the central truths of thegospel and deserves to be widely read.

A Call to PrayerJ C Ryle

Banner of Truth

32 pages 1.25

Reviewer: Ann Somerville

This little book was given to me at atime when my prayer life was not allthat it should have been and with God'sgrace it has helped to elevate my

communion with God onto a differentplane. The benefits are enormous.

The author describes the book as a'tract', but it is much more than whatwe often understand by that phrase. Itaddresses both the non-Christian and

the Christian, exploring the power ofprayer in a most challenging manner. Itis well written and easily read throughin a couple of hours. Real benefitcomes from reading it a second timeand delving into all the scripturalquotations.

Ryle says that 'Prayer is to faith, what

breath is to life'. If you struggle in thisarea and need to get into better habits,begin with this little book.

Christmas EvansTim Shenton

Evangelical Press

526 pages 14.95

Reviewer: Andrew Lucas

At various times in the history of thechurch God has raised up unusuallygifted men, who, through the preachingof the Word, have, under God,transformed entire communities andeven nations. This is certainly true ofChristmas Evans!

Evans was born on Christmas Day,1766 and being converted whilst still inhis teens, he quickly became known asa gifted preacher of the Gospel. Heministered in a number of differentlocations in his native Wales andtravelled widely. Wherever he went thecrowds gathered to listen to him preach

in his own unique and, from ourperspective, unusual style. Yet he knewgreat blessing and many hundreds of


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people were converted under hisministry.

Whilst some might be intimidated by the

size of this biography yet it isworthwhile persevering. The author goesinto great depth and does not shy awayfrom criticising Evans where he feels itnecessary, and yet he writes in such away as to capture the excitement of theday and the power of the man. In a dayof small things, such as our own, thisbook truly warms the heart and is a

timely reminder of what the Lord can dothrough the simple preaching of theGospel.

Feed my Sheep(A Passionate Plea for Preaching)Various

Soli Deo Gloria

285pages 7.50

Reviewer: Stephen Atkinson

Surely I must recommend a book thathas as one of its contributors the formerminister of our Stranmillis congregation,and former editor of this magazine,Derek Thomas. Added to that, the factthat theEvangelical Presbyteriangets a

mention in Dereks author profile, andthe review goes from good to glowing!

This book is a compilation of articlesfrom twelve well known reformedauthors who have made and are makingconsiderable impact in their own sphereof labours, and have both experienceand expertise in the vital subject of

preaching.

Ligon Duncan, writing in the booksForeword, comments, This is a good

book to read on preaching; it isspiritually challenging and topicallypertinent. We find here an assemblage ofveritable titans of robustevangelicalism... Their topics are timely,their counsel is wise, and they will richlyand quickly reward the teachablereader.

Being a compilation there is obviously adiversity of style, and while not being asystematic study of the subject, therenonetheless is presented the reformedsystem and scheme of biblical preaching.

Montgomery Boice has an eye-openingquotation from one of the maintranslators of the Good News Bible,

Robert Bratcher, Only willful ignoranceor intellectual dishonesty can accountfor the claim that the Bible is inerrantand infallible...

As well as confirming my mind on theGood News Bible, Im happy to followsuch ignoramuses as Beeke, Sproul,and Boice; Ferguson, Kistler and

MacArthur, among others.

Fine work from all contributors, but Idid particularly enjoy Derek Thomas onExpository Preaching. Call it favouritismif you wish!

We would wish to congratulate Derek Thomas on being conferred the named chair ofJohnRichards Professor of Practical Theologyat Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson.


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making progress with pilgrim(for pilgrims of all ages)

- (8) IN THE MOUNTAINS -

(John Bunyan presented the world with a wonderful picture of Christian experience in The Pilgrims

Progress. We continue to retell some of the main parts of the story.)A walk in the mountains can be a lovely thing. It can be a challenge. It can

be refreshing. It can be calming to your soul. It can also be dangerous.

Bunyans pilgrims had faced many things along their journey, including

difficult hills and deep valleys, but now they came to the Delectable

Mountains. This was a place of great beauty, yet also many dangers.

Christian and Hopeful were soon met by shepherds who showed them some

extremely dangerous areas, such as Mount Error and Caution Peak. Looking

over the edge of these two hills, they saw men dashed to pieces at the

bottom of one, and at the bottom of the other men were wandering about

blind. They also saw a door in the side of another hill, and asked what it was

for. The shepherds replied that it was the By-Way to Hell, and some who

have looked like pilgrims have ended up there because they were hypocrites.

Our friends began to tremble. They were then taken to another high hill

called Clear and told to look far into the distance. They just might be able to

see the gate into the Celestial City. And they did; but because of the things

they had already seen they were still shaking, and did not get a clear sight.

When you walk with the Lord, there are times when you are brought to such

places of joy and delight. There can be times when there is the sunshine of

His presence. But always remember that dangers are all around. Many

indeed have fallen into error, and some are blind to the wrong things they

do, and the way that they go. The greatest fool is the one who fools himself;

and fools himself into thinking he is a Christian when he is not, and is

living a false life. There is a place reserved for such, and later in the story

one pretend pilgrim is thrown into the By-Way to Hell.

Now, these things may cause you to tremble, and rightly so, yet, there may

be times when you can almost get a clear sight of the glories of heaven. If so,

you are truly making progress with pilgrim. May it be so for you.

Are you making progress with Pilgrim?


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The Evangelical Presbyterian - March-April 2003

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Transcript of The Evangelical Presbyterian - March-April 2003