Seven
Mission Goals for 2007
1.
An active youth ministry in place by the end of the year
2.
Hosting a quarterly Friends and Family Sunday (where we
invite non-believing family and friends to church)
3.
100% parish participation in the Franklin Graham festival
(i.e. everyone gets trained and brings a non-believing friend
to the festival itself)
4.
The vestry is seeking100% participation in Bible Study.
5
At least 30 new believers by this time next year.
6.
An active discipling program by the end of the year with
at least 4 leaders in discipling relationships.
7.
gathering at least 100 people for worship every Sunday.
Dear
Good Shepherd,
This
week's article is a continuation of the series of commentaries
on the 39 Articles of Religion. This morning we begin a
discussion of Article 6: Of the Sufficiency of the Scriptures
for Salvation:
VI.
Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation.
Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation:
so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved
thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should
be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite
or necessary to salvation. In the name of the Holy Scripture
we do understand those canonical Books of the Old and New
Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the
Church.
Of
the Names and Number of the Canonical Books.
Genesis, The First Book of
Samuel, The Book of Esther,
Exodus, The Second Book of Samuel, The Book of Job,
Leviticus, The First Book of Kings, The Psalms,
Numbers, The Second Book of Kings, The Proverbs,
Deuteronomy, The First Book of Chronicles, Ecclesiastes
or Preacher,
Joshua, The Second Book of Chronicles, Cantica, or Songs
of Solomon,
Judges, The First Book of Esdras, Four Prophets the greater,
Ruth, The Second Book of Esdras, Twelve Prophets the less.
And
the other Books (as Hierome saith) the Church doth read
for example of life and instruction of manners; but yet
doth it not apply them to establish any doctrine; such are
these following:
The
Third Book of Esdras, The rest of the Book of Esther,
The Fourth Book of Esdras, The Book of Wisdom,
The Book of Tobias, Jesus the Son of Sirach,
The Book of Judith, Baruch the Prophet,
The Song of the Three Children, The Prayer of Manasses,
The Story of Susanna, The First Book of Maccabees,
Of Bel and the Dragon, The Second Book of Maccabees.
All
the Books of the New Testament, as they are commonly received,
we do receive, and account them Canonical.
Note:
Several of the names of the Old Testament
books recorded in the first section of this article have
changed as has the way in which people refer to them. What
the writers of the 6 th Article refers to as “The First
Book of Esdras” and “The Second Book of Esdras” are presently
called “Ezra” and “Nehemiah.” The “Four Prophets the greater”
was a reference, of course, to the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Ezekiel, and Daniel and the “Twelve Prophets the less” are
today referred to in a similar manner as the “Twelve minor
prophets” which are the twelve prophetic books found at
the end of the Old Testament. The list of Old Testament
books includes all of the books included in Protestant bibles.
With
the sixth Article, the focus of the Articles shifts from
the nature of God and the Persons of the Godhead to the
nature of revelation. How does God reveal himself to humanity
and what authority is granted to the various sources of
divine revelation? There are, in fact, many sources or ways
in which God makes himself known.
These
ways have generally been grouped into two categories: Natural
Revelation and Special Revelation. “Natural Revelation”
refers to God's self revelation in and through the created
order. The universe is the theatre of God's handiwork. Through
it, as Paul says in Romans chapter one, the nature of God
and his character is made known. All human beings have access
to God's natural revelation and for that reason, whether
or not they have access to the written revelation of God
in scripture, all men are “without excuse.”
The
second category of revelation is generally called “Special
Revelation.” Special revelation is God's own direct personal
revelation through his Word. Special revelation has been
delivered to us through the prophets of the Old Testament
and the apostles of the New Testament who were inspired
by the Holy Spirit to proclaim God's Word and his truth
infallibly and without error.
It
is at this point in our discussion of the Articles of Religion
that some of the differences between evangelical and/or
Reformed Christianity and Catholic Christianity become manifest.
Catholics and evangelicals generally agree on the content
of the first five articles. We stand together and affirm
the anciently revealed and confessed truths regarding the
Trinity, the nature of God the Holy Spirit, and the dual
natures of Christ. But we disagree when it comes to the
relationship between the Bible and the Church. Those who
authored the Articles of Religion were by and large committed
to Reformation principles and that is especially true with
regard to the primary place of the scriptures in the life
of the Church. Before going on to explain the language of
Article 6, it is therefore necessary to flesh out some aspects
of the Reformed view of scripture.
Those
who hold to the classic Reformed viewpoint believe that
the Bible is the sole infallible source of revelation. This
doctrine is called “Sola Scriptura” or “Scripture Alone”.
Sola Scriptura does not imply that the bible is the “only”
source of special revelation. Sola Scriptura is not “solo”
Scriptura, Scripture “Alone” does not mean Scripture “Only”.
The Reformers certainly recognized that God reveals himself
through the teaching, tradition, and proclamation of the
Church and, moreover, that submission to sound teaching
and orthodox teachers is a necessary discipline for all
believers.
Nevertheless
to hold to the doctrine of Sola Scriptura is to believe
that while there are other sources of special revelation,
Bible itself is the only infallible source of special revelation.
While God certainly speaks infallibly every time he speaks
and while God certainly speaks to the Church, those who
hold to the Reformed position believe that the message is
not always received, proclaimed and/or recorded infallibly.
By contrast, God revealed his Word to the prophets and apostles
by the Holy Spirit and superintended, by his Holy Spirit,
the composition of their holy writings in such a way that
while their various historical settings and personalities
are clearly evident in what is written, what they produced
is, without error, a true revelation from God.
Since
the scriptures are the sole source of divine revelation,
all other sources of revelation; church teaching, tradition,
preaching, must be measured by it. The bible is the “norma
normans ” or the measure by which all other measures are
measured. This principle is exemplified in Acts 17 by the
people of the city of Berea
ACTS
17:11
Now
the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians,
for they received
the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures
every day to see
if what Paul said was true.”
The
implicit assumption of Acts 17:11 is that the scriptures
both found and govern the proclamation of the Church. They
are to be used as the final test and arbiter of doctrine.
The
Bereans did not blindly accept Paul's proclamation because
he was Paul or because he was an apostle but they tested
his gospel in light of what had already been revealed in
the Old Testament. It may be and should be inferred that
had Paul's gospel contradicted the scriptures of their day,
the Old Testament, the Bereans would have rejected it.
We
must be careful at this point. To profess that the scriptures
are the measure and the test of all teaching and tradition
is not to say that everything the church does and decides
must have a “precedent” in scripture. One distinctive of
Anglicanism is the rejection of the “regulative principle.”
Many Reformed Christians believe that even the smallest
matters of ecclesial polity and discipline must be determined
by scriptural precedent. Reformed Anglican Christians believe
that the church has the authority to make decisions about
polity and worship and other matters in so far as those
decisions do not contradict or go beyond the limits set
by scriptural revelation.
If,
for example, the church wants to establish a new canon affirming
the use of musical instruments during worship, she would
certainly want to be sure that such use did not violate
any biblical command or principle. She would not, however,
need to worry about limiting the scope of the canon to include
only those instruments specifically named in the bible.
The church is free to take actions and make decisions that
do not have biblical precedent so long as she does not affirm
or do or command anything that the bible forbids.
She
has the authority, moreover, to rule on matters about which
the bible is unclear or silent. There are those matters,
and Paul discusses them in Romans 14, for which there is
no clear rule in the scriptures, here also, in so far as
the church does not violate what is clearly taught, she
has the authority to act.
With
the doctrine of Sola Scriptura as background, let's turn,
now to the actual text of the article.
The
text begins by affirming that: “Holy Scripture containeth
all things necessary to salvation…”
To
get a firm grasp of the importance of this phrase we might
begin by turning to Jesus' account of Lazarus and the rich
man in Luke 16. The rich man cries out from the place of
torment and begs Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers
who are still alive:
“I
beg you,” says the rich man, “send Lazarus to my Father's
house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them so that
they will not also come to this place of torment.”(16:27-28)
The subtle implication here is that had he been warned beforehand,
the rich man would've made different decisions; had he known
that the place of torment exists and that those who reject
God end up there, he would have lived differently and he
would have believed differently and that the same is true
of his brothers. If only God had made and, presently, would
make things more clear; if only he would speak more forcefully;
if only someone would go back from Hades, the place of death
to warn the world, then no one would willingly go to the
place of torment. Notice how the rich man's request shifts
the burden and the blame to God. If only God were forthright
about hell. He is, in effect, saying, “If only God had been
clearer regarding salvation, then I wouldn't be here because
had I known what was right, I would have done it and had
I known of this place I would have done all in my power
to avoid it.”
But
Abraham answers: “They have Moses and the Prophets; let
them listen to them.”(29) The “they” refers specifically
to the rich man's brothers, but the brothers are representative
of all those yet to die. “They” or “we” have “Moses and
the Prophets”. The phrase “Moses and the Prophets”, of course,
refers to the Old Testament.
Abraham
says, and through the voice of Abraham Jesus says, no one
needs to be sent to those who have access to the scriptures
because the scriptures themselves are sufficient to reveal
the truth of God and the way to salvation for all who seek
it.
The
scriptures, then, are sufficient. They contain all that
is necessary for anyone with access to them to be saved.
If you have a bible at home, if you live in a country where
you can get a bible, if you live near a library that has
a bible in it, if you've heard of the bible and have a means
to get it, if you can read or have it read to you, then
you have all that you need to be saved.
The
bible does not save you. The bible contains all that is
necessary to be saved. That's not all it contains. It contains
much more. But, at the very least, whoever you are wherever
you live if you have access to a bible, then you have all
the information you need to be saved because in this book
it is made abundantly clear that God commands righteousness
and that you and I are unrighteous. It is made clear that
God will punish sin and we are sinners. It is made clear
that on our own and through our own efforts we are doomed.
But it is also made abundantly clear that whoever calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved; that whoever seeks
will find; that for all who knock the door will be opened;
that all who are willing to repent of their sin and rebellion,
fall down at the foot of the cross, and surrender to Jesus
Christ and trust in him alone as Savior and as Lord will
be saved from the place of torment and, ultimately, heaven
will be their home.
Moreover,
to say the scriptures are sufficient, that they contain
all that is necessary for salvation is also to say that
if you have access to this book but neglect it, then ignorance
is no excuse. You have Moses and the Prophets, says Abraham,
“listen” to them and if you do not listen to them, you cannot
claim that you needed a personal address from the grave
because God's answer will be, “I have given you that and
more but you did not listen to my words”
The
word of God contains all things necessary for salvation
and therefore if you have access to it, you have access
to salvation.
The
next phrase will require some parsing: “ so that
whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby,
is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed
as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary
to salvation.”
But
though I would love nothing more to delve into it now, we'll
have to get to it next week because my sermon is waiting
to be composed this morning and time is short. I hope, in
my next article to address both the phrase above and the
criteria by which the books that comprise the New Testament
Canon and Old Testament Canon were received and by which
the books of the Apocrypha were set aside.
end
UPDATE
CONTENTS
LITURGY AND WORSHIP
ACOLYTES
SERMON PREVIEW
DIGITAL RECORDING
A NEW BLOG
A WORD ON STEWARDSHIP FROM BOB SHALLER
THE THIRTY NINE ARTICLES
PRAYER GROUP
FLOWER FUND
BIBLE STUDY
YOUTH INFORMATION FROM MICAH
HERESIES AND CULTS (ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL SERIES)
CHILDREN'S CHAPEL
NEWS
LITURGY and WORSHIP: Why do Anglican clergy
wear collars and robes? What's with all of the prayers read
from a leaflet? Why do we have communion every Sunday? Why
do we use real wine? What do we think happens during communion?
Do any of these things have biblical warrant? I'll attempt
to answer any and all of these questions during a Rector's
Forum THIS SUNDAY November (the 4th) between services.
THANK YOU: A collection was taken up recently
to help Anne and I through some of the expenses that come
with having a baby. I cannot adequately express how thankful
and grateful we are to those of you who contributed and
to those who organized the collection. It ha s been such
a great help to have the extra financial resources during
this time and such an encouragement to be cared for by the
body of Christ. Thank you.
ACOLYTES:
There will be practice this Sunday after the 10:30am service.
The emphasis, again, will be on reverence, excellence, and
what it means to be a leader of worship. We are servants
of the Lord who hung and suffered on the cross to bring
us to salvation. The very least we can do, out of gratitude
for his love and grace, is offer him the most excellent
praise and worship we can possibly give on Sunday mornings.
I am confident, and I expect, every acolyte to live up to
the new standards of excellence we have set.
SERMON PREVIEW: This week's sermon text will be
Luke 19:1-10, the account of Jesus and Zacchaeus the
tax collector; the man who climbed the sycamore tree to
get a better view as Jesus passed through town. To prepare
for Sunday's sermon, I encourage you to read, think and
pray though the text and come ready to think about what
God is saying to you personally and to us as a body. Here
is a short reflection on the passage:
http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/?action=getCommentaryText&cid=50&source=2&seq=i.49.19.1
DIGITAL RECORDING: Hopefully by December
we should begin digitally recording sermons. This is not
so that you can skip out on Sunday morning!
A NEW BLOG:
The following link is to the blog of Dr. Hank Hanegraaff
who is president of the Christian Research Institute and
host of the Bible Answer Man radio broadcast. He is a fantastic
apologist for the Christian faith who seeks to answer questions
in such a way that even those unfamiliar with the bible
and the Christian faith can understand. I recommend reading
his blog daily and listening to his radio show. Here are
the links
Radio Show: http://www.oneplace.com/Ministries/bible_answer_man/Archives.asp
Blog: http://hankhanegraaffblog.blogspot.com/
A WORD ON STEWARDSHIP FROM BOB SHALLER
(vestryman and stewardship committee chair):
November is stewardship month at Good Shepherd when
we pause to consider the time talent and treasure we will
return to God next year. The bible teaches and we confess
during the offertory every Sunday: “All things come
of Thee and of Thine own have we given Thee”
As Thanksgiving Day is a day to give thanks for the bounty
God provides symbolized by the family feast, we are asking
that the following Sunday, November 25th, be the Sunday
set aside to return pledge cards for 2008. Pledge cards
will be distributed on Sunday November 11th at both services
and mailed out during the first part of that week.
Below is Fr. Matt’s sermon from last year on why tithing
is important to our lives.
http://www.binghamtongoodshepherd.com/sermon10.29.06_000.shtml
THE 39ARTICLES: If you are interested in
what Anglicans believe, be sure to read the Thirty Nine
Articles. You can find them here.
You can find the first six commentaries I have written on
the 39 Articles linked from the homepage under the “weekly
articles section”
PRAYER GROUP: For those of you who used
to take part in the prayer group that met on Sunday Morning
between services, I miss your prayers. We’ve experienced
a great deal of growth and life on Sunday Mornings through
your intercessions and I pray that some will find a way
to maintain the discipline if not in a group at least in
private.
CHRISTMAS PAGEANT: Anne is preparing for
the Christmas pageant this year. If you are a parent or
other adult and would like to help, please contact her.
This year’s pageant is open to actors
of all ages. We have plenty of kids, but we
want some speaking parts as well this year, so if you’re
interested, let Anne know by calling the Rectory 773-4810
or the office 723-8032
FLOWER FUND It is now time to remember
our loved ones who have passed away as well as happy events
such as Births, Baptisms, Weddings, Birthdays or Anniversaries.
You can express your feelings by putting flowers on the
altar to commemorate any event. In the pew, you will find
a form, which you can fill out and send to the Church. This
is an easy way to remember our loved ones with flowers for
the full year. You can specify the flowers for specific
weeks and also for the Christmas and Easter holidays at
one time. Of course, you can always put flowers on the altar
at any time during the year as the need arises.
If you have any questions about the Flower Fund, please
feel free to call me at any time. Cookie Finch 775-2250
BIBLE STUDY: All the bible studies are
meeting this week and I will be at every one of them (except
the women's bible Study) The Tuesday Evening,
“First Light” Bible Study is now moving to the
book of Romans
YOUTH INFORMATION FROM MICAH: The Jr. High
youth group will be having a bonfire Saturday November 3,
6-9ish. I will call on Friday with details. Sr. High will
meet regularly on Sunday, 6-8. As always, try to invite
friends. ALSO, don't forget that next weekend will be switched
up. Sr. High will meet on Saturday, November 10 at 6:30,
since we'll be going to a Senators hockey game. Jr. High
will meet like regular, only on Sunday, November 11, 6-8.
Start inviting friends now, so that they have time to plan.
Good Shepherd Youth Group Calendar
NOVEMBER
Saturday, November 3 – Jr. High Bonfire! 6-9 (Matt)
Sunday, November 4 – Sr. High Meeting, 6-8 (IFE)
Saturday, November 10 – Sr. High(!), BSens Hockey
Game, 6:30, meet at BC Veterans Memorial Arena (Christina)
Sunday, November 11 – Jr. High Meeting (notice the
switch with Sr. High) (Kellie)
Saturday, November 17 – Jr. High BSens Hockey Game,
6:30, meet at BC Veterans Memorial Arena (Jeremy)
Sunday, November 18 – Sr. High Meeting, 6-8 (Jason)
Saturday, November 24 – Jr. High Meeting, 6-8 (Matt)
Sunday, November 25 – Sr. High Meeting, 6-8 (IFE)
ADULT EDUCATION SERIES: HERESIES
AND CULTS: We’re taking a brief pause
in our discussion of Wicca for the rector’s forum
on Worship and liturgy (see the first item above). But in
some ways the liturgical seasons and symbols are a powerful
way to silently confront paganism and proclaim the sovereignty
of God over the created order. We’ll certainly speak
about that during the forum.
CHILDREN'S CHAPEL: Just a note to parents. As soon as the
music starts for the Gospel procession, all kids from the
ages of 3 to 8 may be excused for children's chapel downstairs.
We'll train the acolytes and create a new system for getting
to chapel in a more organized manner, but for now, this
seems to be the best way to do it.
HAVE YOU…. shared your
faith with a friend? The vestry has challenged all of us
to share our faith in Jesus Christ with at least one non-believer
each month.
Good News for the Week
19:1 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And
there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector
and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was,
but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was
small of stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into
a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that
way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and
said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for
I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried
and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they
saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the
guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood
and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my
goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone
of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said
to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since
he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came
to seek and to save the lost.”(Luke 19:1-10)
Don't
forget to....BRING A FRIEND TO CHURCH
Daily Schedule for the week of Sunday November 4th, 2007
Monday:
pastor's day off
Tuesday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
9:00 a.m. Tuesday Morning Bible Study
6:00 p.m. First Light Bible Study
Wednesday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
Thursday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
5:30 p.m. Shepherd's Bowl
6:30 p.m. New Beginners Bible Study
Friday
6:30 a.m. Men's Breakfast/Bible Study
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
Pastor's sermon prep day
Saturday:
10:00 a.m. Women's Bible Study
4:30
p.m. Hebrew Class
6:30pm
Sr High Youth BSens Hockey Game (meet at BC Veterans Arena)
Sunday
November 11th, 2007 SUNDAY
MORNING WORSHIP (SEASON OF PENTECOST)
8:00am
Worship, Holy Communion and Sermon
9:15-10:15
a.m. CHRISTIAN EDUCATION FOR ALL AGES
10:30am
Worship, Holy Communion, Music, Sermon
6:00pm
- 8:00pm Jr. High Meeting
God bless you all
In Christ,
Matt+
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