For the Church: Recent Episodes
Zion Presbyterian Church
This week, we continue our At The Movies series with a discussion of the 2019 film A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood.
Resources:
Video Essay on Intertextuality: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeAKX_0wZWY
For questions and feedback, email keaton.paul@pcazion.org
For more information about Zion Presbyterian Church visit zioncolumbia.org.
This week Keaton and Seth discuss Best Picture winner Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Resources:
The Gospel Coalition: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/everything-everywhere-all-at-once/
Learn more about Zion Presbyterian Church at zioncolumbia.org.
Keaton and Seth discuss the 2019 film Knives Out and what it shows us about the nature of greed and the human heart.
Learn more about Zion Presbyterian Church: zioncolumbia.org
For questions and feedback email keaton.paul@pcazion.org
Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: youtube.com/@zioncolumbia
Keaton and Seth are joined by Meagen Anderson to talk about the 2023 phenomenon Barbie. It leads to a discussion on what it means to be human and what we can learn from a plastic doll.
Learn more about Zion Presbyterian Church at zioncolumbia.org.
For questions and feedback: keaton.paul@pcazion.org.
Check out our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@zioncolumbia
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Barbie
Why Johnny Can't Preach by T. David Gordon
This week, Seth and Keaton go deep in the desert to discuss the films Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two. The films open up a conversation about power and what we should look for in leaders.
Learn more about Zion Presbyterian Church at zioncolumbia.org
For questions and feedback reach out to keaton.paul@pcazion.org
Resources:
Dune (Book): https://a.co/d/0aLK2gWm
Dune: Part One: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1160419/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
Dune: Part Two: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15239678/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_dune%253A%2520part%2520two
The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill:https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/podcasts/rise-and-fall-of-mars-hill/
This season on For The Church, we are discussing movies! Keaton Paul and Seth Scruggs introduce the new season with a wide ranging discussion about movies, why we are discussing them, what we will be looking for and more.
This season we will be discussing:
Dune (Parts One and Two)
Barbie
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Knives Out
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
A Hidden Life
To learn more about Zion Presbyterian Church go to www.zioncolumbia.com.
Resources:
The Stories We Tell by Mike Cosper
Common Sense Media
PluggedIn
The Social Network Opening (Caution: some harsh language)
Pastor Keaton Paul of Zion Presbyterian Church and Seth Scruggs discuss the events of the Presbyterian Church in America's 2024 General Assembly.
To read more about the events of the General Assembly go to https://byfaithonline.com/a-summary-of-the-actions-of-the-51st-general-assembly/
More from Ryan Burge on Church Statistics: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/podcasts/russell-moore-show/predictions-future-of-christian-church-evangelicalism.html
To learn more about Zion Presbyterian Church go to www.zioncolumbia.org.
This week, Keaton answers listener questions about worship and we give a little bit of a preview of our upcoming summer season.
To learn more about Zion Presbyterian Church go to: www.zioncolumbia.org.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Confessing the Faith by Chad van Dixhoorn
Keaton and Seth talk with Cam McAulay, Zion's Worship Director, about his background and philosophy around leading worship as well as his favorite hymns and what he hopes people take away from worshiping at Zion.
To submit feedback or ask a question, email keaton.paul@pcazion.org.
To learn more about Zion Presbyterian Church go to www.zioncolumbia.org.
Keaton and Seth have a conversation with songwriter (and Zion member and worship leader) Logan Peck. They unpack why the church needs new music, Logan's approach to writing songs for different contexts, and whether or not "Reckless Love" is that bad.
This episode ends with "Praise the King Upon the Throne," written by Logan Peck for Peck Music Publishing. Listen to the whole song here.
This week, Keaton and Seth talk about benedictions: what they are, why we use them, and what makes a good one.
For more about Zion Presbyterian Church go to www.zioncolumbia.org
To send in questions for our Q&A or for feedback, email keaton.paul@pcazion.org.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
The Lord Bless and Keep You by Mike Glodo
God's Big Picture by Vaughn Roberts
Christ Centered Worship by Bryan Chappell
Chapters:
(00:00) Introduction
(07:33) Benediction as the story of redemption
(09:34) What does it mean to receive God's blessing?
(19:26) Why we use benedictions in worship
(21:41) The pattern of redemptive history
(23:00) What happens theologically in a benediction
(38:32) Assurance for the already, and a hope for the not-yet
This week, Keaton and Seth discuss the importance of creeds, catechisms, and confessions as well as what they are and some of the historical development behind the confessions we hold to today.
To learn more about Zion Presbyterian Church go to www.zioncolumbia.org
For feedback and questions, email Keaton at keaton.paul@pcazion.org
(00:00) What are creeds, confessions and catechisms? And why do we need them?
(31:13) Creeds
(44:40) Confessions & Catechisms
(51:28) Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms and their Biblical basis
(57:58) Why do we use them in worship?
Resources mentioned in this episode:
The Creedal Imperative by Carl Trueman
Christ Centered Worship by Bryan Chappell
Landon Paul is the director of worship and men's ministry at Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee (he also happens to be the brother of our very own Keaton Paul). He sat down with Keaton and Seth to discuss his approach of organizing a worship service for a church of more than 3000 people. They also discuss some of the contrasts between Zion's worship and Cedar Springs' worship.
For feedback and questions, send an email to keaton.paul@pcazion.org. For more information about Zion go to zioncolumbia.org.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Christ Centered Worship by Bryan Chappell
Keaton and Seth discuss the role sacraments play in our public worship at Zion, why we only have two sacraments (Baptism and the Lord's Supper), and the historical development and theological significance of each sacrament.
If you have questions, you can email keaton.paul@pcazion.org
For more information, visit www.zioncolumbia.org
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Westminster Shorter Catechism
Didache
Apostolic Traditions by Hippolytus
Eastern Orthodox Baptism
Westminster Confession: Baptism
Keaton and Seth tackle the topic of preaching in public worship, what it has looked like throughout church history, how to know what a good sermon is, and how to listen to a sermon.
For more information about Zion Presbyterian Church visit www.zioncolumbia.org.
For feedback and questions, email keaton.paul@pcazion.org.
(00:00:00) Introduction
(00:10:30) Preaching in the Bible
(00:16:30) Expository Preaching
(00:21:00) Preaching Through Church History
(00:54:26) What is happening during preaching?
(00:59:37) What makes a good sermon?
(01:06:30) How to listen to sermons
(01:16:00) Why Sermons Will Never Be Outdated
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Preaching and Preachers by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Between Two Worlds by John Stott
Origen of Alexandria
Expositions of the Psalms by Augustine
Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin
The Art of Prophesying by William Perkins
2nd Helvetic Confession
WLC #155
Expository Exultation by John Piper
Christian Directory by Richard Baxter
Christ Centered Preaching by Bryan Chappell
WLC #160
This week Keaton and Seth discuss the role of prayer in public worship and seek to answer some questions surrounding it.
(00:00) Introduction
(02:20) Prayer in the Bible
(13:00) Why pray in public at all?
(17:38) Prayer in Public Worship Throughout Church History
(36:11) Why read written prayers?
(44:02) Different Kinds of Prayer in Our Worship
(59:32) Corporate Prayer
Resources Mentioned in this Episode
For The Glory of God by Daniel Block
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible
Book of Common Prayer
Westminster Directory of Public Worship
Method for Prayer by Matthew Henry
Prayer by Tim Keller
The Valley of Vision
Thoughts on Public Prayer by Samuel Miller
O Come Let Us Adore Him by Robert Rayburn
This week, Keaton and Seth discuss the importance of reading scripture in our weekly public worship.
(00:00) Introduction
(05:30) Biblical Precedent for Public Reading of Scripture
(20:55) History of Reading Scripture in Worship
(53:00) How the Bible Should Be Read
(01:06:43) What is happening when we read Scripture?
Resources referenced in this episode:
Christ-Centered Worship by Bryan Chappell
Our Episode on Liturgy
Bernard of Clairvaux
Westminster Directory of Public Worship
Ferris Bueller Scene
Ligon Duncan Reading Psalm 119
On Preparation and Delivery of Sermons by John Broadus
A Peculiar Glory by John Piper
Keaton and Seth take on music...why we sing, some of the history of singing and music in the church, and the criteria Zion Church has for the selection of our music.
Chapters:
(00:02:41) - Why sing?
(00:10:15) - What does singing do?
(00:30:13) - Singing in Church History
(01:03:09) - Why Zion Sings What We Sing
Resources:
Rhythms of Grace by Mike Cosper
For The Glory of God by Daniel Block
Come Let Us Adore Him by Robert Rayburn
Trinity Hymnal
Indelible Grace Music
Sam Elliott
This week, Keaton and Seth talk about liturgy, what it is, and why we do it. They also discuss the differences between high and low churches and dig into some church history to shed some light on why Zion Presbyterian Church does what it does each week.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Bryan Chappell: Christ-Centered Worship
Mike Cosper: Rhythms of Grace
Scene from The Office
Douglas McKelvey: Every Moment Holy
The Didache
Hughes Oliphant Old
Keaton and Seth discuss what worship is. They define the differences between broad and narrow worship, horizontal and vertical aspects of worship, the normative and regulative principles, and the elements and conditions of worship.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Geerhardus Vos: Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments
John Frame: Worship in Spirit and Truth
Contemporary Worship Music
David Peterson: Engaging With God
Brian Chappell: Christ-Centered Worship
To learn more about Zion Presbyterian Church go to www.zioncolumbia.org
Keaton and Seth begin a new season of For the Church. This season will focus on worship: How we worship, why we worship, how Christians have worshiped through the ages, what the Bible says about worship, and why Zion Presbyterian does the things we do. This episode focuses on why we worship.
(00:00) Introduction: Why do we worship?
(04:00) We Are All Worshiping Something
(08:45) We Are Created for Worship
(27:50) Christian Worship is a Subversive Counter Culture
Resources:
For The Glory of Godby Daniel Block
The Lord Bless You and Keep You: The Promise of the Gospel in the Aaronic Blessing by Michael Glodo
Engaging With Godby David Peterson
Rhythms of Graceby Mike Cosper
This week, Seth is in the host seat as he asks Keaton questions about where we are in the pastoral search process, more information in what we are looking for in a pastor, and a discussion on what sets Zion apart as church. We also look forward to what will be coming on the next season of the podcast when we return in the new year.
For more information, visit www.zioncolumbia.org.
Keaton and Seth take a look at some statistics of pastors facing burnout and discuss how a congregation might be able to help take care of our pastors.
Ask us a question by emailing keaton.paul@pcazion.org.
Visit www.zioncolumbia.org for more information about Zion Presbyterian Church.
(00:00) Introduction
(06:53) Statistics of Pastor Burnout
(34:45) Helpful Helps
In the conclusion of our mini-series on pastor profiles, Pastor Keaton Paul and Seth Scruggs discuss what it looks like for someone to be an ordinary pastor.
If you have questions, send an email to keaton.paul@pcazion.org.
(00:00) Intro
(04:21) Tom Carson's Story and What We Can Learn From It
(17:40) Eugene Peterson's Assessment
(32:57) What does the life of an ordinary pastor look like?
Learn more about Zion Church at www.zioncolumbia.org
Keaton and Seth discuss what it means for the pastor to be a theologian and the importance of lifelong study for pastors.
(00:00) Introduction
(03:00) What is theology? What is a theologian?
(09:40) Pastors as Theologians: Education, Augustine, B.B. Warfield
(40:42) What Being A Theologian Means
(50:04) Characteristics of a Faithful Theologian (and Pastor)
This week, Keaton and Seth take a look at what it means for a pastor to endure for the gospel by looking at the lives of church leaders
Athanasius and Charles Simeon.
(00:00) Introduction - Enduring for the Gospel
(11:30) The Life of Athanasius
(20:52) The Life of Charles Simeon
(45:03) What does it look like for pastors today to endure for the gospel?
This week, Keaton and Seth discuss the role of a pastor as a leader in a changing culture through the lens of some past leaders of the church who have done this well.
For further reading:
Augustine's City of God: https://www.amazon.com/City-Translated-Introduction-Marcus-Dods/dp/1420956892/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=37KLO1GEQDIWS&keywords=city+of+god&qid=1698007302&sprefix=city+of+god%2Caps%2C101&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1
Augustine's Confessions: https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Penguin-Classics-Saint-Augustine/dp/014044114X/ref=sr_1_4?crid=361BTCNSRBLL8&keywords=confessions&qid=1698007320&sprefix=confessions%2Caps%2C99&sr=8-4
Making Faith Magnetic by Daniel Strange: https://www.amazon.com/Making-Faith-Magnetic-Culture-Talking/dp/178498650X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1698007118&sr=8-1
Biblical Critical Theory by Christopher Watkin: https://www.amazon.com/Biblical-Critical-Theory-Unfolding-Culture/dp/0310128722/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1698007523&sr=8-1
Mark Sayers: https://marksayers.co/
The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/thekellercenter/
Zion Presbyterian Church — www.zioncolumbia.org
This week, Keaton and Seth take a look at what it means for the pastor to be a preacher, the role of preaching in the church, and how a congregation should receive preaching.
If you have questions, you can submit them to keaton.paul@pcazion.org for an upcoming Question and Answer episode.
Zion Presbyterian Church — www.zioncolumbia.org
This week, Keaton and Seth begin a look at profiles of different pastors throughout history. In this episode they look at what it means for pastors to be Physicians of the Soul.
For further reading, check out:
The Pastor and the Modern World by Edgar, Hughes, and Poirier: https://www.amazon.com/Pastor-Modern-World-Reformed-Ministry/dp/1955859043/ref=sr_1_1?crid=376U5X73UHJQQ&keywords=the+pastor+and+the+modern+world&qid=1696266900&sprefix=the+pastor+and+the+modern+worl%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-1
The Care of Souls by Harold Senkbeil: https://www.amazon.com/Care-Souls-Cultivating-Pastors-Heart/dp/1683593014/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1696267014&sr=8-1
If you have questions that would like answered in a future Q&A episode, email keaton.paul@pcazion.org.
Zion Presbyterian Church — www.zioncolumbia.org
This week Pastor Keaton Paul and Seth Scruggs talk about the denominational process for getting our next pastor. They dig into the Book of Church Order and how pastors are prepared for ministry.
We are going to be doing a Q&A episode in a few weeks. If you have questions about the process, what we are looking for in a pastor, or anything else regarding calling our next pastor send them to keaton.paul@pcazion.org.
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
3:04 What is the Book of Church Order?
9:48 The Calling of a Pastor
16:27 The Preparation of a Pastor
41:57 What is a Senior or Lead Pastor?
47:06 The Process of Getting A Pastor to Our Church
Zion Presbyterian Church — www.zioncolumbia.org
In our current moment of Zion’s history we are on a journey to find our new lead pastor. This is an exciting time, but also one that can raise questions and concerns. In this season we want to ask and hopefully answer some of those questions. What is a pastor? What makes a good one? How do we find a new lead pastor? How do we get them here? What is the process?'
In this week's episode, Pastor Keaton Paul and Seth Scruggs dig into the biblical qualifications of pastors, how our denomination defines and calls pastors, and what Zion is looking for as we begin our search for a new pastor.
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:28 What is a Pastor? - Eph. 4:7-16
4:20 Have Pastors Always Been a Thing?
9:28 Different Names for Pastors
16:53 Different Models of Church Leadership
29:29 What Do Pastors Do?
44:25 Qualifications for Pastors
Zion Presbyterian Church — www.zioncolumbia.org
This season we are focusing on theological topics that are important foundations for the church. These will be theological topics that need to be deeply installed as bedrock truths for the followers of Jesus.
For the next few episodes, we are going to talk about the Trinity — the one true God eternally exists in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Trinity has fallen on hard times for the average Christian. It just doesn’t seem that practical to everyday life, so we nod our heads as truth about God and then move on.
Fred Sanders writes, “Nothing we do as evangelicals make sense if it is divorced from a strong experiential and doctrinal grasp of the coordinated work of Jesus and his Spirit, worked out against the horizon of the Father’s love. Personal evangelism, conversational prayer, devotional Bible study, authoritative preaching, world missions, and assurance of salvation all presuppose that life in the gospel is life in communion with the Trinity. Forget the Trinity ,and you forget why we do what we do; you forget who we are as gospel Christians, you forget how we got to be like we are.” (Deeper Things of God, 9)
And yet — I would guess that for most Christians, what Sanders considers to be foundational “a strong experiential and doctrinal grasp of the coordinated work of Jesus Dan his Spirit, worked out against the horizon of the Father’s love.” — is something that we have given little thought to.
We have a tendency to bring all things of God down so that they revolve around us. Nowhere is this seen than in the intense tendency to make things “practical.”
But — our goal is not to bring God down to us, so that he can serve our daily lives, but to bring us up to God that we might behold his glory. To know God is the greatest reward. Of all the benefits that Jesus gives to us: the forgiveness of sins, the amazing power to experience change, the hope of the resurrection, adoption into the family of God, and the satisfying of God’s wrath — all of these are but servant benefits to the master benefit of beholding the glory of God. If we were to receive these things and not receive God himself, we would be deeply impoverished. Knowing God is the great benefit of Jesus.
For further study:
Credo Magazine’s Issue on the Trinity - https://credomag.com/magazine_issue/undivided-trinity/
Simply Trinity, by Matthew Barrett - https://amzn.to/3k0recz
Delighting in the Trinity, by Michael Reeves - https://amzn.to/3CvqTF8
Zion Presbyterian Church — www.zioncolumbia.org
In this episode we talk about navigating todays world theologically, with some help from Herman Bavinck and Dr. Cam Clausing.
Here's our premise -- everyone has a theology.
Being made in the image of God means that we were made to run off of revelation -- we simply can't operate without a theology. And the hard thing that we often find as we walk with Jesus is that we have our stated theological beliefs and our actual theological beliefs. That is, we may say that we believe God is sovereign over all of life, but then we worry and fret. Or, we may say that we believe in the doctrine of total depravity -- that every human being is corrupt in every part of our being, but then we get surprise when people actually act like sinners and wrong us.
And since we all have a theology, we are all theologians. The question for everyone is always two-fold -- does your theology match God's revelation? And do you live in light of it?
So today, we have a special guest. Cam Clausing. Cam is the Lecturer in Applied Theology at Christ College in Sydney, Australia. Cam earned his PhD from the University in Edinburgh on the Dutch Theologian Herman Bavinck.
Guidebook for the Instruction in the Christian Religion, Herman Bavinck
In this episode, we discuss the value of studying theology with three of our sisters in Christ who are in seminary: Lauren Holley, Terry Eaves (our Women's Ministry Director) and Destiny Paul.
Here's our premise -- everyone has a theology.
Being made in the image of God means that we were made to run off of revelation -- we simply can't operate without a theology. And the hard thing that we often find as we walk with Jesus is that we have our stated theological beliefs and our actual theological beliefs. We may say that we believe God is sovereign over all of life, but then we worry and fret. Or, we may say that we believe in the doctrine of total depravity -- that every human being is corrupt in every part of our being, but then we get surprised when people actually act like sinners and wrong us.
And since we all have a theology, we are all theologians. The question for everyone is always two-fold -- does your theology match God's revelation? And do you live in light of it.
So the question doesn’t center on whether predestination is biblical — but rather on what basis does God predestine. Does God predestine some to eternal life according to his free and sovereign choice, OR does he predestine based on the foreknowledge of who will choose Jesus?
Or -- maybe another way to frame the question: Who initiates faith and repentance, God or man?
For the church, a podcast for the flock of Zion Presbyterian Church in Columbia, TN. We want to help you think biblically about everyday matters.
Zion Church exists to join Jesus in his mission to reach people with his gospel, and then to equip his people to worship and serve.
I am Paul Joiner, the Senior Pastor back with my regular conversation partners and friends, Jon Kelly and Keaton Paul.
We are finishing our series on the Sovereignty of God — that God ordains whatsoever comes to pass. Today we are going to talk about the doctrine of predestination or God’s sovereignty applied to salvation.
Predestination is biblical. Everyone who takes the Bible seriously has to have a doctrine of predestination. Consider just two passages from Ephesians 1.
Ephesians 1:3-6
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:11-12
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.
For the church, a podcast for the flock of Zion Presbyterian Church in Columbia, TN. We want to help you think biblically about everyday matters.
Zion Church exists to join Jesus in his mission to reach people with his gospel, and then to equip his people to worship and serve.
I am Paul Joiner, the Senior Pastor back with my regular conversation partner and friend, Jon Kelly and today we have our Youth Director and Head of our Bible Department, Keaton Paul.
This season we are focusing on theological topics that are important foundations for the church. These will be theological topics that need to be deeply installed as bedrock truths for the followers of Jesus.
We are talking about God’s sovereignty — his rule over all of creation, his ordering of whatever comes to pass according to his eternal plan — his kingly decree. The WCF 3.1 states that "God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass."
That is - God is ruling over all things and nothing happens apart from his will. Het sets the boundaries and times of the nations, and not a bird falls from the sky apart from our Father's will.
That is a great comfort - God is solely in control, he is executing his good plans in the world, and nothing can thwart him. He is not contingent on the creation.
But - that is also a great confrontation. Because it means that we are not sovereigns. Which then makes us ask the next question -- what role do my actions play?
Or, often it is asked this way: What about free will? Today we are going to tackle the question generally -- that is the question of free will in relationship to God's sovereignty. Next week, we are going to talk about free will in relationship to sin. Or, to say it another way, this week we are going to talk about the creature's relationship to the Sovereign Creator, and in the next episode we are going to talk about the creature's will in relationship to sin.
For the church, a podcast for the flock of Zion Presbyterian Church in Columbia, TN. We want to help you think biblically about everyday matters.
Zion Church exists to join Jesus in his mission to reach people with his gospel, and then to equip his people to worship and serve.
I am Paul Joiner, the Senior Pastor back with my regular conversation partner and friend, Jon Kelly.
This season we are going to focus more on theological topics that are important foundations for the church. These will be theological topics that need to be deeply installed as bedrock truths for the followers of Jesus.
In our last episode, we talked about God’s sovereignty — his rule over all of creation, his ordering of whatever comes to pass according to his eternal plan — his kingly decree.
But — this quickly brings up the question, “What about evil?” If God ordains whatsoever comes to pass, how is he not the author of evil? Or — if God is sovereign, and evil exists — why doesn’t he do something about it…and the tension seems to be that either he isn’t sovereign or he isn’t good.
We often call this a "theodicy" (compound of the Greek words for God (theos) and justice (dikē) -- which carries the sense of putting God on trial and vindicating him).
This is the heart of the book of Job -- a theodicy, God on trial. Isn’t interesting that the first book of the Bible — that is the oldest book — is dedicated to this question. It is probably one of the deepest and most difficult questions that we ask. Eventually, in suffering, we ask “Why?”
We aren’t going to say everything — we just simply can’t — I have had the privilege over the years of sitting with people who have been deeply sexually abused or experienced evil at the hand of another. And when they ask, “Why did this happen to me? Why didn’t God do something about it?” The only answer I have to give is, “I don’t know.”
We are going to start this season with the Sovereignty of God. Reformed theology is uniquely God-centered. When people discover Reformed thought the God-centered nature of it is the thing that first strikes them — even our children’s catechism starts with the question, “Why did God create humanity?” “For his glory.”
The Bible is one story of God working all things toward his glory in the person and work of Jesus. All history moves toward this purpose.
But what do we mean when we say “Sovereign”? It is a term that comes from the realm of a “king”…a “king” is a “sovereign” — a king rules and executes his decrees. That is, he speaks his plans -- that is a decree - and then he makes sure his plan or "decree" is accomplished.
Or, as the WCF 3.1 - "God, from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass."
And that is what we mean by the Sovereignty of God -- God the Creator accomplishing his purposes in the world according to his plan.
In 2019, the General Assembly created a study committee to “study the topic of human sexuality with particular attention to the issues of homosexuality, same-sex attraction, and transgenderism and to prepare a report.”
In this episode, we talk through this report which was commended as a “biblically faithful declaration" at this year's General Assembly.
You can find the report here: https://pcaga.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/AIC-Report-to-48th-GA-5-28-20-1.pdf
Also, if you are interested in the two Overtures that dealt with qualifications for church officers, you can find a pretty good play-by-play here.
Part 1 of a two-part series on the PCA's national meeting. In this episode, we discuss how the PCA is set up, how presbyterianism works, and how the General Assembly operates.
Next week we will discuss the Report on Sexuality and a couple of Overtures we discussed on the floor of the General Assembly.
If you would like to watch the General Assembly deliberation, you can find it here: https://livestream.com/accounts/8521918/events/9731338
“Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. ” (Philippians 4:5, ESV)
Outrage is today's drug of choice. Studies have shown that it activates the same systems as an addict when he takes a hit. And like a drug — it's a quick hit — an easy fix — it bypasses patient, thoughtful work to get to a reward — and rather it seeks the immediate. Outrage feels so good on the front end. But like a drug, leaves destruction in its wake.
The root issue — at its deepest level outrage is about self-righteousness. Outrage is an attempt to assure ourselves that we are more righteous than we actually are.We love being outraged because it gives us a sense of being morally superior. At its root, outrage is an attempt to justify ourselves...to build a righteousness for ourselves. And whenever we do this, it is always at the expense of others. "Look at how awful that person or that tribe is." Outrage is the voice of the Pharisee in Luke 17, "I thank you God that I am not like this sinner."
1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. “
Encouragement is when we impart courage to each other. Just as discouragement is when we take courage away.
Maybe we can think of courage this way, “the willingness to take the next step in light of overwhelming obstacles.”
Compassion is wonderful for a moment but it always needs to be married to something else — an action. For instance, if a friend has compassion and that’s it...well, you will eventually need them to do something for you. Compassion is most stark when it is lacking and when it is alone. When someone acts and does not have compassion, the action feels harsh and unloving. But if it is alone, compassion feels useless and tepid.
Most of the time, we need encouragement — that is an action that compassion can produce.
But if we assume that courage will arise from within ourselves, we will find that well dry. As with everything in the Christian life — what we lack has to come from outside of ourselves.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” and promised that “the truth will set you free” — made in the image of God — we were made to live under the objective truth that comes from the Creators mouth — Jesus said, “humanity can’t live by bread alone, but every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
Nobody simply dismisses this dynamic — everyone lives by truth claims.
And, in my estimation, the swing from postmodernism’s insistence that truth is socially constructed has not led to lesser conflict, but greater conflict — greater conflict where tribes launch “truth grenades” across social media platforms and words are seen as the place of social activism (often because it costs us nothing).
So as the followers of Jesus try to navigate these waters — the question for today is: “What does it mean for the followers of Jesus to speak the truth in love?”
Ephesians 4:15–16: Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. “
The conscience is our moral sense. It accuses us and excuses us according to an external standard.
What is the freedom of the conscience? The freedom of the conscience is earned by the cross and thus must be shaped by the cross. One of the things the freedom of the conscience is meant to do is allow us to make compromises — compromises for community and compromises for the mission of Jesus.
The conscience seems to be a hot topic in this cultural moment. So we wanted to enter into the conversations around the conscience.
The conscience is a moral sense — it alerts us to guilt and innocence. The Puritans would call the conscience “God’s spy in the bosom.” Calvin called it an awareness of a thousand witnesses (3.19.16). And I like both of those because instead of being a wild-card to do what I want, it gives us the sense that it makes us aware of our guilt or innocence before God (this emphasis is important).
Recommended Resources:
10 Statements on the Conscience
Andy Naselli and JD Crowley, Conscience.
