Monthly Archives: March 2018

The Central Act Of Worship In The Church

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Transcript of The Dividing Line. March 6, 2018 at the 9:00 minute mark, Dr. James White.

“I believe very, very strongly that the central act of worship of the Church is the full and careful and balanced ministry of the word of God to the people of God, gathered together to hear what God has to say. So meaningful, sound, solid exegesis – everything we do before and after – if there is anything after – is simply meant to heighten and to prepare us, to put us in the proper frame of mind to be obedient and to have hearing ears. Anything that we put into that worship service that closes our ears, distracts us, in any way shuts down our ability to hear the word is wrong – it is going the wrong direction. And the most important thing that a shepherd of the sheep can do is to faithfully communicate not just the part of the message you think is all fire important but if you really believe that all scripture (not just some) but all scripture is theopneustos (God breathed) then you need to deliver all of it… all of it. And that means covering some stuff that ain’t going to make people see gold-dust coming out of the ceiling. I mean there is some tough stuff to handle – there is some difficult stuff in there. And that means there are going to be services that are highly instructional, there are going to be services that are incredibly uplifting, there are going to be services that do bring you into the very presence of God in heaven and there are others that absolutely smack you down into the dirt, when you realize how much of God’s grace you take for granted, and how few of the duties are ours we actually pursue with the proper zeal of redeemed people. In other words, it is going to be balanced. And the balance is determined not by us but by what is found in the Scriptures given to us by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit – that canon of Scripture God has given to us – that… that is where our balance is to be found.”

My Fellow Elder – Doug Bruner

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Doug Bruner is a man who exemplifies the character qualities of an Elder listed in 1 Timothy chapter 3. I am proud to call him a friend and it is a joy to serve with him as my fellow elder at King’s Church in Peoria, AZ. Here is his brief bio found on the King’s Church website:

Doug grew up in Southeastern New Mexico in a non Christian home. After finishing high school he went to college but had no real direction in life. After four years of aimless wandering, he enlisted in the Army and served four years as a helicopter mechanic. Choosing not to make a career of the military he went back to New Mexico State University and finished his Bachelors Degree in Agriculture. While working at the job he thought would be his career, he had an existential crisis.

Deeply unhappy and plagued with questions about the meaning of life and why we are here, he attended a church service and prayed to receive Christ, hoping this would make him happy. Life did not change and shortly afterwards, he moved to Phoenix.

Four years later, he was born again and asked God to forgive him through the work of His Son. The Holy Spirit revealed to him that the Bible is God’s word and he began attending church services regularly (and was a member of another local church for several years). Though he had grown in his faith he lacked the assurance of salvation, not being truly established in the gospel.

Doug learned of Pastor John through a radio broadcast and began attending King’s Church in 2011 (when it met in a local home). Through hearing the faithful preaching of the gospel and the doctrines of grace, he now has that grounding and assurance. Doug’s parents have also become believers through the ministry of King’s Church and are faithful members. Doug’s passion is for people to come to faith in Christ and become grounded in the doctrines of grace.

Understanding the Roman Catholic Mass

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J.C. Ryle (in Light from Old Times) explains the theological and spiritual implications of the Roman Catholic mass:

Whatever men please to think or say, the Romish doctrine of the real presence, if pursued to its legitimate consequences, obscures every leading doctrine of the gospel, and damages and interferes with the whole system of Christ’s truth. Grant for a moment that the Lord’s Supper is a sacrifice, and not a sacrament—grant that every time the words of the consecration are used the natural body and blood of Christ are present on the communion table under the forms of bread and wine—grant that every one who eats that consecrated bread and drinks that consecrated wine does really eat and drink the natural body and blood of Christ—grant for a moment these things, and then see what momentous consequences result from these premises. You spoil the blessed doctrine of Christ’s finished work when He died on the cross. A sacrifice that needs to be repeated is not a perfect and complete thing. You spoil the priestly office of Christ. If there are priests that can offer an acceptable sacrifice to God besides Him, the great High Priest is robbed of His glory. You spoil the scriptural doctrine of the Christian ministry. You exalt sinful men into the position of mediators between God and man. You give to the sacramental elements of bread and wine an honour and veneration they were never meant to receive, and produce an idolatry to be abhorred of faithful Christians. Last, but not least, you overthrow the true doctrine of Christ’s human nature. If the body born of the Virgin Mary can be in more places than one at the same time, it is not a body like our own, and Jesus was not “the last Adam” in the truth of our nature.