Had occasion on Saturday to attend a 'Truth of the Gospel' Conference at St John's Park Baptist Church. Keynote speakers were Iain Murray, Editorial Director, Banner of Truth Trust, and Mike Trollope, Sovereign Grace Baptist Church. Much to encourage the soul, not the least being the hymn singing in resounding voice.
I thought I would share headline points and a few anecdotes of Iain Murray's talk on Apostasy:
Signs of Apostasy
Self Confidence of a Wrong Kind
Widespread Worldiness in the Church
* Satan seeks to blur the distinction between the world and the church
* Luther said the Flood came not so much because of world corruption but because of compromise of Seth's righteous line with ungodly line of Cain
Poor Church Attendance
* If morning service is excellent people will desire to return for evening or other service
* Horatius Bonar said "Old Rome died mad with music"
The Church Forgets the God of its Fathers
Causes of Apostasy
In Every Body of Christians there are those Unrenewed
The appeal for Success
Unbelief is Present in Every Christian
* The distinction is that a Christian is aware of the danger of unbelief and opposes it.
Conscience
* Conscience is God's watchman
* Apostasy arises when conscience is abused
When Satan Seduces
* Try the Spirits
Judgement of God
* Without the Holy Spirit Orthodoxy Dies
Our Duty in Times of Apostasy
Be Aware of Erroneous Teaching
Need to Emphasize Progress in a Christian's Holiness and Godliness
Uphold Brotherly Love Toward Those With Whom We Disagree
I hope I have done justice to the recording of Iain Murray's discourse.
The last point is one requiring more attention on this blogspot and I seek to bring myself under that injunction. Readers will see signs of Apostasy in faux Evangelicals of the present age. Certainly, one or two of the signs mentioned have been observed by this writer in the Episcopalian Diocese of Sydney.
Sam Drucker
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8 comments:
"Apostacy arises when conscience is abused".
Sam, can you expand more on what Iain Murray said on this topic?
(Hoping you took notes)
Sorry, make that 'apostasy'.
The older I get the worse my spelling gets :0]
(Prof) Mark, I apologise for not noticing you had asked a question. Seven days late, that is pretty poor attention.
Iain Murray was moving quickly through the points so there wasn't a lot of elaboration.
Additionally, I was rushing to get the points down and may have missed some short accompanying comments.
As I recall, the heading "Apostasy arises when conscience is abused" is actually an accompanying heading (even sub-heading) to "Conscience is God's watchman".
I believe the intended message here was that Christian's have the benefit of the Holy Spirit of God prompting caution or even alarm to the conscience when we are thinking, saying or doing something contrary to the Word of Will of God. Failure to respond is to abuse the function of conscience.
I trust I have understood Iain and heard the intent of his message.
The message was recorded and ought to be obtainable from St John's Park Baptist Church. I would commend obtaining a copy. I have checked the church website and the Pastor can be contacted via email at: r.toddstanton@gmail.com
If you can get it (even download it) I suggest you also download Iain Murray's second message on Archibold G. Brown who succeeded Charles Spurgeon upon the latter's death. It was an absorbing and heart enriching message and as I understand it, an encapsulation of the biography of Archibald G. Brown written by Iain Murray.
Once again, I apologise for the delay in answering your question.
Sam Drucker
Thanks Sam.
Oh, Pr = pastor, not professor :0)
Pr? another Christian thinking he's got tickets that his bretheren don't have. Mark, your 'Mark'; not Pr anyone.
Secondly; I wonder about attendance being a sign of anything. Last time I went to Garden Grove Community Church (the Crystal Cathedral) it was full, but empty. I much prefered the small Baptist church in country NSW with only 10 members.
Thanks Mark. Blessings.
Sam Drucker
No tickets on me, Critias (your real name?).
"Pr" is simply a title that refers to the office that I hold in the church by the mercy of God - "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers" (Eph 4:11; NASB).
Mark, I am not sure why Critias said what he/she said because it was out of character for those of us with a similar mind.
I hope you can forgive as I trust Critias can regret.
Sam Drucker
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