14.05.10 / Uncategorized / Author: Ruth Munro / Comments: (0)
THE CAMBRIDGE DECLARATION – A Time To Renew Our Faith
http://cap.comxa.com/?p=298
Evangelical churches today are increasingly dominated by the spirit of this age rather than by the Spirit of Christ. As evangelicals, we call ourselves to repent of this sin and to recover the historic Christian faith.
In the course of history words change. In our day this has happened to the word “evangelical.” In the past it served as a bond of unity between Christians from a wide diversity of church traditions. Historic evangelicalism was confessional. It embraced the essential truths of Christianity as those were defined by the great ecumenical councils of the church.
In addition, evangelicals also shared a common heritage in the “solas” of the sixteenth century Protestant Reformation.
Today the light of the Reformation has been significantly dimmed. The consequence is that the word “evangelical” has become so inclusive as to have lost its meaning. We face the peril of losing the unity it has taken centuries to achieve. Because of this crisis and because of our love of Christ, his gospel and his church, we endeavor to assert anew our commitment to the central truths of the Reformation and of historic evangelicalism. These truths we affirm not because of their role in our traditions, but because we believe that they are central to the Bible.
Sola Scriptura: The Erosion Of Authority
Scripture alone is the inerrant rule of the church’s life, but the evangelical church today has separated Scripture from its authoritative function. In practice, the church is guided, far too often, by the culture. Therapeutic technique, marketing strategies, and the beat of the entertainment world often have far more to say about what the church wants, how it functions and what it offers, than does the Word of God. Pastors have neglected their rightful oversight of worship, including the doctrinal content of the music. As biblical authority has been abandoned in practice, as its truths have faded from Christian consciousness, and as its doctrines have lost their saliency, the church has been increasingly emptied of its integrity, moral authority and direction.
Rather than adapting Christian faith to satisfy the felt needs of consumers, we must proclaim the law as the only measure of true righteousness and the gospel as the only announcement of saving truth. Biblical truth is indispensable to the church’s understanding, nurture and discipline.
Scripture must take us beyond our perceived needs to our real needs and liberate us from seeing ourselves through the seductive images, cliche’s, promises. and priorities of mass culture. It is only in the light of God’s truth that we understand ourselves aright and see God’s provision for our need. The Bible, therefore, must be taught and preached in the church. Sermons must be expositions of the Bible and its teachings, not expressions of the preachers opinions or the ideas of the age. We must settle for nothing less than what God has given.
The work of the Holy Spirit in personal experience cannot be disengaged from Scripture. The Spirit does not speak in ways that are independent of Scripture. Apart from Scripture we would never have known of God’s grace in Christ. The biblical Word, rather than spiritual experience, is the test of truth.
Thesis One: Sola Scriptura
We reaffirm the inerrant Scripture to be the sole source of written divine revelation, which alone can bind the conscience. The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured. We deny that any creed, council or individual may bind a Christian’s conscience, that the Holy Spirit speaks independently of or contrary to what is set forth in the Bible, or that personal spiritual experience can ever be a vehicle of revelation.
Solus Christus: The Erosion Of Christ-Centered Faith
As evangelical faith becomes secularized, its interests have been blurred with those of the culture. The result is a loss of absolute values, permissive individualism, and a substitution of wholeness for holiness, recovery for repentance, intuition for truth, feeling for belief, chance for providence, and immediate gratification for enduring hope. Christ and his cross have moved from the center of our vision.
Thesis Two: Solus Christus
We reaffirm that our salvation is accomplished by the mediatorial work of the historical Christ alone. His sinless life and substitutionary atonement alone are sufficient for our justification and reconciliation to the Father.
We deny that the gospel is preached if Christ’s substitutionary work is not declared and faith in Christ and his work is not solicited.
Sola Gratia: The Erosion Of The Gospel
Unwarranted confidence in human ability is a product of fallen human nature. This false confidence now fills the evangelical world; from the self-esteem gospel, to the health and wealth gospel, from those who have transformed the gospel into a product to be sold and sinners into consumers who want to buy, to others who treat Christian faith as being true simply because it works. This silences the doctrine of justification regardless of the official commitments of our churches.
God’s grace in Christ is not merely necessary but is the sole efficient cause of salvation. We confess that human beings are born spiritually dead and are incapable even of cooperating with regenerating grace.
Thesis Three: Sola Gratia
We reaffirm that in salvation we are rescued from God’s wrath by his grace alone. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ by releasing us from our bondage to sin and raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life.
We deny that salvation is in any sense a human work. Human methods, techniques or strategies by themselves cannot accomplish this transformation. Faith is not produced by our unregenerated human nature.
Sola Fide: The Erosion Of The Chief Article
Justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. This is the article by which the church stands or falls. Today this article is often ignored, distorted or sometimes even denied by leaders, scholars and pastors who claim to be evangelical. Although fallen human nature has always recoiled from recognizing its need for Christ’s imputed righteousness, modernity greatly fuels the fires of this discontent with the biblical Gospel. We have allowed this discontent to dictate the nature of our ministry and what it is we are preaching.
Many in the church growth movement believe that sociological understanding of those in the pew is as important to the success of the gospel as is the biblical truth which is proclaimed. As a result, theological convictions are frequently divorced from the work of the ministry. The marketing orientation in many churches takes this even further, erasing the distinction between the biblical Word and the world, robbing Christ’s cross of its offense, and reducing Christian faith to the principles and methods which bring success to secular corporations.
While the theology of the cross may be believed, these movements are actually emptying it of its meaning. There is no gospel except that of Christ’s substitution in our place whereby God imputed to him our sin and imputed to us his righteousness. Because he bore our judgment, we now walk in his grace as those who are forever pardoned, accepted and adopted as God’s children. There is no basis for our acceptance before God except in Christ’s saving work, not in our patriotism, churchly devotion or moral decency. The gospel declares what God has done for us in Christ. It is not about what we can do to reach him.
Thesis Four: Sola Fide
We reaffirm that justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. In justification Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us as the only possible satisfaction of God’s perfect justice.
We deny that justification rests on any merit to be found in us, or upon the grounds of an infusion of Christ’s righteousness in us, or that an institution claiming to be a church that denies or condemns sola fide can be recognized as a legitimate church.
Soli Deo Gloria: The Erosion Of God-Centered Worship
Wherever in the church biblical authority has been lost, Christ has been displaced, the gospel has been distorted, or faith has been perverted, it has always been for one reason: our interests have displaced God’s and we are doing his work in our way. The loss of God’s centrality in the life of today’s church is common and lamentable. It is this loss that allows us to transform worship into entertainment, gospel preaching into marketing, believing into technique, being good into feeling good about ourselves, and faithfulness into being successful. As a result, God, Christ and the Bible have come to mean too little to us and rest too inconsequentially upon us.
God does not exist to satisfy human ambitions, cravings, the appetite for consumption, or our own private spiritual interests. We must focus on God in our worship, rather than the satisfaction of our personal needs. God is sovereign in worship; we are not. Our concern must be for God’s kingdom, not our own empires, popularity or success.
Thesis Five: Soli Deo Gloria
We reaffirm that because salvation is of God and has been accomplished by God, it is for God’s glory and that we must glorify him always. We must live our entire lives before the face of God, under the authority of God and for his glory alone. We deny that we can properly glorify God if our worship is confused with entertainment, if we neglect either Law or Gospel in our preaching, or if self-improvement, self-esteem or self- fulfillment are allowed to become alternatives to the gospel.
Call To Repentance And Reformation
The faithfulness of the evangelical church in the past contrasts sharply with its unfaithfulness in the present. Earlier in this century, evangelical churches sustained a remarkable missionary endeavor, and built many religious institutions to serve the cause of biblical truth and Christ’s kingdom. That was a time when Christian behavior and expectations were markedly different from those in the culture. Today they often are not. The evangelical world today is losing its biblical fidelity, moral compass and missionary zeal.
We repent of our worldliness. We have been influenced by the “gospels” of our secular culture, which are no gospels. We have weakened the church by our own lack of serious repentance, our blindness to the sins in ourselves which we see so clearly in others, and our inexcusable failure adequately to tell others about God’s saving work in Jesus Christ.
We also earnestly call back erring professing evangelicals who have deviated from God’s Word in the matters discussed in this Declaration. This includes those who declare that there is hope of eternal life apart from explicit faith in Jesus Christ, who claim that those who reject Christ in this life will be annihilated rather than endure the just judgment of God through eternal suffering, or who claim that evangelicals and Roman Catholics are one in Jesus Christ even where the biblical doctrine of justification is not believed.
The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals asks all Christians to give consideration to implementing this Declaration in the church’s worship, ministry, policies, life and evangelism.
For Christ’s sake. Amen.
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30.12.09 / Uncategorized / Author: Ruth Munro / Comments: (1)
The first part I remember was being on a field with some casualties, no idea why we were there, but I walked into a tiled room, which could have been a public toilet facility, and a young man was lying on the floor injured. I tried to help him, but both ankles were broken, and I saw that on his left hand, his thumb and middle finger were cut off. The cut was clean and not ragged. I moved the bits that were cut off next to the stumps they came from, hoping to keep the blood flowing, although there was strangely no blood.
Anyway, I went to get help and an two nurses carrying a stretcher rushed in to help him. I was very clear that the man’s name was Matthew West. Matthew West is a Christian contemporary artist.
Later on, I wanted to go to the hospital to visit him, and although I got to the hospital, I kept being led into different rooms or situations and never saw him again. I remember in one room there was great rejoicing because they had created a hybrid species.
14.12.09 / Uncategorized / Author: Ruth Munro / Comments: (0)
John Knox 1505 – 1572
John Know was a key figure in the reformation, being one of the 6 men who dew up the 1560 Scot’s confessionhttp://www.swrb.com/newslett/actualNLs/ScotConf.htm and was, what would now be called, the first moderator of the general assembly of the Church of Scotland. He ‘contracted a close intimacy’ with John Calvin, and enraged and exasperated and Queen and Court many times.
“The Popish faction now found, that it would be impossible to get their idolatry re-established, while the Reformation was making such progress, and while John Knox and his associates had such credit with the people. They therefore set other engines to work than those they had hitherto used, sparing no pains to blast his reputation by malicious calumnies, and even making attempts upon his life. One night as he was sitting at the head of a table in his own house, with his back to the window, as was his custom, he was shot at from the other side of the street, on purpose to kill him. The shot entered at the window, but he being near the other side of the table, the assassin missed his mark. The bullet struck the candlestick before him, and made a hole in the foot of it. Thus was He that was with him stronger than they that were against him.
John Knox was an eminent wrestler with God in prayer, and like a prince prevailed. The Queen Regent herself had given him this testimony, when upon a particular occasion she said she was more afraid of his prayers than of an army of ten thousand men.
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On the 24th of January 1570, John Knox being in the pulpit, a paper was put into his hands, among others containing the names of the sick people to be prayed for; the paper contained these words ‘Take up the man whom you accounted another God,’ alluding to the earl of Moray, who was slain the day before. Having read it, he put it into his pocket, without showing the least discomposure. After the sermon, he lamented the loss which both the Church and State had met with in the death of that worthy nobleman, showing that God takes away the good and wise rulers from a people in His wrath; and at last said, “There is one in the company who maketh that horrible murder, at which all good men have occasion to be sorrowful, the subject of his mirth. I tell him, he shall die in a strange land, where he shall not have a friend near him to hold up his head.” Thomas Maitland, the author of that insulting paper, hearing what Knox said, confessed the whole thing to his sister, the Lady Trabrown, but said, that John Knox was raving, to speak of he knew not whom; she replied with tears, that none of John Knox’s threatenings fell to the ground. This gentleman afterwards went abroad and died in Italy, on his way to Rome, having no man to comfort him.”
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Towards the end of his life, he was enfeebled and confined to bed for several months.
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“Upon the Lord’s day, November 23, after he had lain for some time very quiet, he said, “If any man be present, let him come and see the work of God,” for he thought (as was supposed) then h=to have expired. His servant having sent for Mr Johnston of Elphinstone, he burst forth into these words, “I have been in meditation these two last nights upon the troubled kirk of God, despised in the world, but precious in His sight. I have called to God for her, and commended her to Christ, her head; I have been fighting against Satan, who is ever ready for the assault; I have fought against spiritual wickedness, and have prevailed; I have been as it were in heaven, and have tasted of its joys.”After sermon several persons came to visit him; one asked him (upon perceiving his breathing shortened), if he had any pain? He answered ‘I have no more pain than he that is now in heaven, and am content, if it please God, to lie here seven years.” Many times, when he was lying, as if asleep, he was in meditation, and was heard to say, “Lord, grant true pastors to Thy church, that purity of doctrine may be retained. Restore peace again to this commonwealth, with godly rulers and magistrates. O serve the Lord in Fear, and death shall not be troublesome to you. Blessed is the death of those that have part in the death of Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus, sweet Jesus; into Thy hand I commend my spirit.”
That night, Dr Preston having come to him, and being told by some of his constant attendants that he was often very uneasy in his sleep, the doctor asked him after he awoke, how he did, and what made him mourn so heavily in his sleep. He answered, “In my life-time I have often been assaulted by Satan, and many times he hath cast my sins in my teeth, to bring me to despair; yet God gave me strength to overcome his temptations; and now that subtle serpent, who never ceases to tempt, hath taken another course, and seeks to persuade me that all my labours in the ministry, and the fidelity I have shown in that service, hath merited heaven and immortality. But blessed be God that He hath brought to my mind that Scripture, ‘What hast thou that thou has not received?’ and, ‘Not I, but the grace of God, which is in me,’ with which he hath gone away ashamed, and shall no more return. And now, I am sure my battle is at an end, and that I shall shortly, without pain of body or trouble of spirit, change this mortal and miserable life for that happy and immortal life that shell never have an end.”
Having soe time before given orders for making his coffin, he rose out of bed (November 24) about ten o’clock, put on his hose and doublet, sat up about the space of half-an-hour, and then returned to bed again. Being asked by Campbell of Kinzeancleugh if he had any pain, he answered “No pain but such as I trust will soon put an a=end to this battle– yea, I do not esteem that pain to me, which is the beginning of eternal joy.” In the afternoon, he caused his wife to read the 15th chapter of 1st Corinthians. When it was ended, he said, “Is not that a comfortable chapter?” A little after, “I comend my soul, spirit, and body, into Thy hands, O Lord.” About 5 o’clock in the evening, he said to his wife, “Go, read where I cast my first anchor.” This was the 17th chapter of John, which she read, together with part of Calvin’s sermons on the Ephesians, Then they went to prayer, after which Dr Preston asked him if he heard the prayer. He answered, “Would to God that you and all men heard it as I have done; I praise God for that heavenly sound;” adding, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” His servant, Richard Bannatyne, hearing him give a long sigh, said, “Now sir, the time you have long called to God for doth instantly come; and, seeing all natural power fail, give us some sign that you live upon the comfortable promises which you have so often showed to us.” At this speech, he lifted up one of his hands; and immediately after, without any struggle, as one falling asleep, he departed this life, about eleven o’clock at night. Finishing his Christian warfare, he entered into the joy of his Lord, to receive a crown of righteousness, prepared for him and such as him, from the foundation of the world.
13.12.09 / Uncategorized / Author: Ruth Munro / Comments: (0)
Robert Bruce about 1554-1631
Robert Bruce was exiled twice to Inverness because he wouldn’t conform to ‘popery’.
“At Larbert it was his custom, after the first sermon,to retire by himself sometime for private prayer; and on a time, some noblemen who had far to ride, sent the beadle to learn if there was any appearance of his coming in. The man returned, saying, “I think he shall not come out this day, for I overheard him say to someone, ‘I protest I will not go unless thou goest with me.’ ” However, in a little
time he came. accompanied by no man, but in the fulness of the blessings of the Gospel of Christ; for his very speech was with much evidence and demonstration of the Spirit. It was easy for his hearers to perceive that he had been in the mount with God, and that, indeed, he had brought that God whom he had met in private, into his mother’s house, and into the chambers of her that conceived him’.
Robert Bruce was also a man who had somewhat of the spirit of discerning future events, and did prophetically speak of several things that afterwards came to pass; yea, and divers persons distracted, says Fleming, in his ‘Fulfilling of the Scripture,” and those who were past all recovery with epileptic disease, or falling sickness, were brought to him, and were, after prayer by him in their behalf, fully restored from that malady. This may seem strange, but it is true, for he was such a wrestler with God, and had more than ordinary familiarity with Him.
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About this time Robert Bruce related a strange dream, how he had seen a long broad book, with black boards, flying in the air, with many black fowls like crows flying about it; and as it touched any of them, they fell down dead. Upon this he heard an audible voice speak to him, saying Hoec est ira Dei contra pastores ecclesiae Scoticanae, (this is the anger of God against the pastors of the Scottish Church); upon which he fell a-weeping, and prayed that he might be kept faithful; and not be one of those who were thus struck down by a torch of His wrath, through deserting the truth. he said, when he awakened, he found his pillow all wet and drenched with tears. The accomplishment of this dream I need not describe. All acquainted with our Church history know, that soon after that, Prelacy was introduced into Scotland, Bishops set up, and Popish and Arminian tenents ushered in, with all manner of corruptions and profanity, which continued in Scotland a number of years.
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When the time of his death drew near, which was in the month of August 1631, he was mostly confined to his chamber, through age and infirmity, where he was frequently visited by his friends and acquaintances. being asked by one of them, how matters stood between God and his soul? he answered; “When I was young, I was diligent, and lived by faith on the Son of God; but not I am old, and am not able to do so much, yet He condescends to feed me with lumps of sense.” On the morning before he was removed, his sickness being mostly a weakness through age, he came to breakfast; and having, as usual, eaten an egg, he said to his daughter, ” I think I am yet hungry, ye may bring me another egg.” But instantly thereafter, falling into deep meditation, and after having mused a little, he said, “Hold daughter; my Master calls me.” With these words, his sight failed him, and calling for his family Bible, but finding he could not see, he said,”cast up to me the eight chapter of the Romans, and set my finger on these words, ‘I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor height, nor depth, nor any creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ “Now,” he said, “is my finger upon them?’ and being told it was, he said, “Now God be with you , my children; I have breakfasted with you, and shall sup with my Lord Jesus Christ this night.” And so, like Abraham of old, he gave up the ghost in a good old age, and was gathered to his people.
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13.12.09 / Uncategorized / Author: Ruth Munro / Comments: (0)
Excerpt from the book written by John Howie in the late 1700’s.
Regarding Alexander Peden who died in the 1680’s
One time, travelling alone in Ireland, it being a dark mist, and night approaching, he was obliged to go to a house belonging to a Quaker, where he begged the shelter of his roof all night. The Quaker said, “Thou art a stranger; thou art very welcome, and shalt be kindly entertained; but I cannot wait upon thee, for I am going to the meeting.” Peden said, “I will go along with you.” The Quaker said “Thou mayest if thou pleasest, but thou must not trouble us.” He said, “I shall be civil.” When they came to the meeting, as their custom was, they sat for some time silent, some with their faces to the wall, and some covered; and, there being a void in the loft above, there came down the appearance of a raven, and sat on one man’s head, who rose and spoke with such vehemence, that the foam flew from his mouth. It went to a second, and he did so likewise. Peden, sitting next to the landlord, said,”Do you not see? You will not deny yon afterwards.” He answered, “Thou promised to be silent.” From a second, it went to a third man’s head, who did as the former two. When they dismissed, on the way home, Peden said to his landlord, “I always thought that there was devilry amongst you, but I never thought that he had appeared visibly, till now I have seen it. Oh! for the Lord’s sake, quit this way, and flee to the Lord Jesus, in whome there is redemption through His blood, even forgiveness of all your iniquities.” The poor man fell a-weeping, and said, “I percieve that God hath sent thee to my house, and put it in thy heart to go along with me, and permitted the devil to appear visibly amongst us this night. I never saw the like before; let me have the help of thy prayers, for i resolve, through the Lord’s grace, to follow this way no longer.” After this, he became a singular Christian; and when dying blessed the Lord that in mercy He sent the man of God to his house.
More to come.
12.12.09 / Uncategorized / Author: Ruth Munro / Comments: (0)
Last night I dreamed that my husband woke me up and urged me to come and see what was happening on TV. I watched as stock markets in the UK and USA tumbled. It was like watching the changing numbers on a meter when you fill the car with gas (or petrol in the UK).
The news presenters were aghast and kept wondering when it would stop, but it didn’t. It just kept falling. I said to my husband ‘This is the beginning’.
I also said to him ‘This is because of Dubai’. At the end of the day, there was a small rally, only about 20 points. It kept the markets from reaching a flatline. However, money was now suddenly worthless. Whatever money we had in the bank, and I think in the dream it was about £100, was now only worth £3. We had to move in with my mother-in-law. I took my son’s PS3 and as we left, I said that we could stay with his gran for the weekend and if things were better on monday, we’d come back, but I was just saying this to calm him. I knew we were leaving for good.
Two noticeable things about the timing, it was probably spring, it was a nice day. I saw a lady out walking with a thin cardigan on and no coat, an insect or bee landed on her shoulder and she brushed it off. And it was Friday.
14.11.09 / Uncategorized / Author: Ruth Munro / Comments: (0)
In a snapshot dream, I saw a row of wooden beads strung together, but there were gaps where some were missing. In the dream I heard the Lord say, ‘Don’t try to fill in the gaps yourself, the pieces that will fit are already on the way.’
We are in a place of waiting, and I’m not exceptionally good at patience, so the temptation to rush ahead and do things by myself is very real. I am getting better at it though!
I have taken a real interest in Martin Luther and the reformation. Perhaps its time for a new reformation to begin, to put aside all the froth and bubble on the fringes of Christianity and get back to something real.
It’s so sad to see deception take a hold of the church this near to the return of Jesus, although there are plenty warnings in the NT, I just never thought I’d live to see it.
21.10.09 / Uncategorized / Author: Ruth Munro / Comments: (0)
Will be updated as and when..
http://www.fightingforthefaith.com/ – Radio show with Chris Rosebrough.
http://tentsofissachar.wordpress.com/ - blog by Swarna Jha
http://trunews.com/ Christian radio/world headlines with Rick Wiles
03.10.09 / Uncategorized / Author: Ruth Munro / Comments: (2)
I dreamed I had made fish soup. I think the fish had been left out of the fridge before I had cooked it but I thought it should still be OK.
A friend was visiting and I asked her if she would like some soup, but she wasn’t hungry. It was just as well, because when I dished it out, there was only enough for 2 portions.
I noticed a worm slithering about in one bowl of soup, then another. They were like thread worms, not garden worms. I got a spoon and started to scoop them out, but suddenly there were hundreds and I got a sieve to gather them up.
Then a crab crawled out of the soup mixture (!) I wanted to put it in the fish tank as it had survived being boiled, but I’m not sure what we actually did with it.
I put a spoon-full of the soup in my mouth, feeling sure I had got all the worms out, but I remembered the crab and realised that I did not know what else could be in the bowl and ate no more.
After falling asleep a second time, I dreamed that I was grilling pork chops. I had cooked them a bit too well because I was distracted, telling my son and his friends to take my washing off the line as a storm was brewing, but they were wearing the clothes. Again, I was looking for worms in the pork chops.