My future church home, the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids, is making a transition into the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America. This week the commission to oversee the transition is meeting with all of the families in the congregation to get to know them better. I wish I could be there for this historic event.
Rev. Lanning has been preaching a series of sermons on RP Distinctives to help inform the congregation and prepare them for the move. I am posting these sermons for your listening pleasure.
We had to write out our testimonies, which will then be published in a booklet for all members. I may post mine up here soon.
Have a blessed Lord’s Day, and don’t forget to check out the latest Sabbath a’ Brakel over at Presbyterian Thoughts
Sunday: September 09, 2007 at 8:57 pm
I wish you could’ve been here, the RP guys were great. They gave their testimonies after the morning service – it was really something. I can’t wait until the testimony book is published, I think that’s going to be really neat.
Rev. Lanning’s sermons are really good, too. Excellent stuff.
Monday: September 10, 2007 at 6:13 pm
I thought that it was a good weekend as well… of course I am biased.
45 days until we are the RPCNA of Grand Rapids!
Tuesday: September 11, 2007 at 10:44 pm
Thanks for posting these links. I’ve listened to a little over half of these sermons, and so far have found them to be very informative, clear and persuasive.
Thursday: September 13, 2007 at 2:14 pm
I frankly thought it was a sad weekend, the whole testimony thing has an air of evangelical charismania to it coupled with a dose of arrogance and showing off. Very sad, very sad indeed.
Friday: September 14, 2007 at 6:46 pm
^Says the chap who was gone on Saturday and didn’t sit in on the testimony session Sunday. In other words, the guy who’s just guessing what it was like. :) Seriously, though, you’re violating the Ninth Commandment by libeling pretty much the entire church, so knock it off.
I personally saw no showing off or arrogance, but plenty of humility and gratitude to God for His goodness. Very Psalm 40-like.
Friday: September 14, 2007 at 8:34 pm
Actually, the showing off comment was aimed at the RPCNA guys not at our church. The charismania comment was aimed at the entire practice. I would have refused to sit with the RPCNA whether I had been in East Lansing or not. I found the entire thing offensive to Presbyterian government. Our session has heard our testimony had accepted us as communicate members. That ought to be good enough for the RPCNA Presbytery. Instead, they treat the local session as though it’s either irrelevant or incompetent, of which our session is neither. Presbyterian government actually means something to me and that includes the autonomy of the local session to decide who will be accepted as a member. Apparently this isn’t important to the RPCNA, especially when they’re taking over a church. Sad indeed.
Saturday: September 15, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Three notes on that:
1 – Charismania? Seriously? I’m not sure what exactly is charismatic about giving testimonies, seems to me that’s done plenty of times in Scripture. Besides, what better way to get to know each other than to talk of our walks in Christ?
2 – Per the session and the RPS, they weren’t looking to see if we qualified for membership, as I explained to you the other week. Instead, they simply wanted to get to know the congregation. If you can prove otherwise, please do so. Otherwise, I believe that, Biblically, you should withdraw the charge.
3 – We petitioned the RPs for membership, they’re not “taking over”. From all I’ve seen and heard, they’re very respectful of the authority of the local church.
Saturday: September 15, 2007 at 6:07 pm
My experience with the RP’s is that they are not respectful of the decisions made by local congregations. The RP Constitution says that they examine members of churches they are taking over, as B told you in that conversation which you reference. My interpretation of examine is such that the Presbytery has taken over that function from our session and in that I find it offensive and insulting. As for Charismania, this written testimony thing done by a church is the exact kind of nonsense that Charismatic and evangelical churches pull. As far as I’m concerned it leads to showing off and fabrication. Not that it did in our church, though I won’t be reading the testimonies.
Saturday: September 15, 2007 at 10:35 pm
Not really. They’re not examining to see if we’re Christians, the context shows they’re making sure we’re switching out of a pure motive and striving for unity. I don’t consider it any different in principle than my being examined when I joined the ARP – they knew I was a Christian, but they wanted to make sure I knew what they were all about.
Again, don’t critique the testimony thing if you aren’t even willing to research it. Meanwhile, I’m guessing Shawn would prefer these arguments take place off his blog. Sorry, old chum.
Monday: September 17, 2007 at 9:44 pm
As far as I’m concerned, if you have a problem writing out an explanation of your Christian experience under any circumstance, you need to rethink your position on what the Bible means when it says to be “always ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within you.”
I feel that I have benefited immensely in my spiritual life by getting to know the members of the RP commission, and by sitting down to write my testimony. I am grateful that the members of the commission have taken days if not weeks out of their personal lives to make a legitimate effort to get to know our congregation as fellow Christians. It’s been extremely encouraging. Anybody that took the time to talk to these gentlemen will say the same thing.