Category Archives: Church

CHURCH AS KINGDOM NATION

Church June 14, 2016 Leave a comment

Church kingdomPMT 2016-042 by Don Strickland

Acts 17:26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,

Jeremiah 31:33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Psalm 74:2 Remember your congregation, which you have purchased of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage!

Ephesians 1:5 He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.

Every nation (ethnos, from which we get our word “ethnicity”) comes from God. As the word implies, nation denotes a common people. Thus, a nation’s origin pertains to common ancestors, or ethnicity, with a common language, culture, and religion. Of course, that fact does not mean that those who are outside that common ethnic group cannot be a part of the nation. In the Old Testament, those outsiders wishing to join themselves to the nation of Israel, for instance, were allowed to do so (Isaiah 56.3). However, for those outsiders to join themselves to the nation, they had to assimilate themselves completely into the nation with its laws, customs, culture, and most importantly, religion (Num 15.13-16 and Ex 12.48-49). Remember Ruth’s words to Naomi, “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God” (Ruth 1.16). Continue reading →

COVENANT THEOLOGY = REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY?

Church, Dispensationalism, Israel May 27, 2016 Comments: 4

Replacement TheologyPMT 2016-037 by R. Scott Clark

[Note: This is a helpful article by R. Scott Clark that responds to dispensational confusion regarding covenant theology.]

Recently I had a question asking whether “covenant theology” is so-called “replacement theology.” Those dispensational critics of Reformed covenant theology who accuse it of teaching that the New Covenant church has “replaced” Israel do not understand historic Reformed covenant theology. They are imputing to Reformed theology a way of thinking about redemptive history that has more in common with dispensationalism than it does with Reformed theology. Continue reading →

CHRIST AND EUROPE

Church May 10, 2016 Leave a comment

Churches burnt in EuropePMT-2016-032 by David Stoddard in Tabletalk

[Below is the first part of an excellent article titled “Christ Will Build His Church” that appeared in the April, 2016 Tabletalk devotional guide. I hope you will click the link and keep reading. – Ken Gentry]

Christ Will Build His Church

Europe is the new “dark continent.” Africa now sends more missionaries to Europe than Europe sends to Africa. The health reports of the European church aren’t terribly encouraging. Churches are closing and are being converted into mosques, museums, bars, and book depositories. In most European countries, less than 5 percent of the population attend any church. In France, there are more practicing Muslims than baptized Catholics. In England, more than 70 percent have no intention of stepping into a church—ever. In Berlin, the city where we live, 95 percent of church plants fail. Continue reading →

POSTMILLENNIALISM AND MISSIONS

Church June 8, 2015 Leave a comment

CareyPMT 2015-069 by Thomas Schirrmacher

Carey’s Theology – the “Missing Link”

William Carey is considered the “Father of Protestant missions.” His book, An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens, was written in 1792, the beginning of the so-called “Great Century” (1792-1914) between the French and the Russian Revolutions. For the centennial anniversary, none lesser than the mentor of German missiology, Gustav Warneck, wrote, “Thus, the year 1792 may be considered the true birthdate of modern missions.” Less that twenty days after the publication of the “Enquiry,” Carey held his sermon on Isaiah 54:2-3 and began to disseminate it with a clear appeal for missions to his fellow pastors, which soon led to the foundation of the mission society, “The Particular Baptist Mission”. The first mission society to do without state supervision, it was founded on different lines than the Anglo-Saxon honor societies.

Much has been written about Carey and his colleagues, their mission field in Serampore, and their achievements in printing, in Bible translation, in teaching and in many other areas. Continue reading →

CHRISTIAN PIETISM AND THE DEATH OF THE WEST

Church, Culture June 1, 2015 1 Comment

PietismPMT 2015-066 by by Larry E. Ball

Since the conversion of Constantine and the later events surrounding the Reformation, the West has been identified as Christian. This includes continental Europe, the British Isles, and America. The influence of Christianity was strong in all spheres of life including the arts, science, economics, family life, and civil government. Although the West was far from perfect, the Bible had a consequential impact on all of life.

Islam was a false religion. Muslims lived in the Middle East and Christians lived in the West. It was an assumption that Islam and Christianity could not coexist within the same national borders, but there was no prohibition against promoting economic exchanges that might serve the interests of both parties. Muslims were welcome to enjoy the fruits of Christianity, but they could not erect houses of worship in a Christian land. To allow this was viewed as a betrayal of the Christian Faith. It was considered as a precursor to religious civil wars. Continue reading →

HOW CHRISTIANITY IS GROWING

Church, Optimism May 27, 2015 1 Comment

Church crowdsCBN.com — In his book The Clash of Civilizations, Samuel Huntington predicts that demographics will decide the clash between Christianity and Islam. And, as he puts it, “in the long run, Muhammad wins out.” In this instance, Huntington is wrong. For the foreseeable future there will be many more Christians than Muslims in the world.

As Penn State professor Philip Jenkins writes in The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity, predictions like Huntingtons betray an ignorance of the explosive growth of Christianity outside of the West. Continue reading →

RISEN AGAIN: CHINA’S UNDERGROUND CHURCHES

Church, Optimism December 31, 2014 1 Comment

China preacherPMT 2014-157 by Emily Rauhala (Time magazine)

[Note: This article is published on Time magazine’s website. I am posting only the first three paragraphs but am urging your to follow the link and read the full article. As America is in full-scale spiritual, moral, social, political, and economic decline, postmillennialists need to recognize that God does not need America, and that he is moving elsewhere in the world in remarkable ways. Unless God pours out his Spirit on churches in America, it may be that he will promote the progress of the gospel in surprising places in the world.]

The pastor places a palm on the man’s head. As he closes his eyes, gentle hands tilt the man backward, below the surface, then guide him up. He emerges cleansed of sin and spiritually committed to Jesus Christ.

It’s a scene that plays out every Sunday, somewhere. This time the rite took place below a makeshift altar, in an unmarked building, on the outskirts of Beijing. When the man rose from the makeshift baptismal tub he joined a community tens of millions strong and growing by the year: Chinese Christians. Continue reading →