Faithful church membership

Posted on October 15, 2011 by PS

The importance of church membership seems to vary by denomination and church.  Some churches like Capital Hill Baptist restrict access to events like Bible studies to members.  Others only distinguish members and non-members by voting rights for major decisions and rarely press the issue.   Joel Beeke of Puritan Reformed Seminary has a good article about how to be a faithful church member.  9Marks addresses how to approach the topic of membership with those who aren’t willing to commit to membership.  The best three reasons cited for joining are:

  • Obedience to Jesus: The church affirms your profession of faith and has the authority of baptism and the Lord’s Supper
  • The good of other Christians: You become responsible for other Christians’ discipleship and they become responsible for yours
  • Your own spiritual safety: The church will come after you if you wander from the faith
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What is the Chief End of Man?

Posted on October 12, 2011 by PS

Question: What is the chief end (purpose) of man?

Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. -Westminster Shorter Catechism (Question 1)

Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. – Psalm 119:2

“If you look at Psalm 119, the Psalmist’s supreme desire was to know and enjoy God himself, and he valued knowledge about God simply as a means to this end. He wanted to understand God’s truth in order that his heart might respond to it and his life be confirmed to it. We must seek, in studying God, to be lead to God.

How are we to do this? It is that we turn each truth that we learn about God into matter for meditation before God, leading to prayer and praise to God.” – Knowing God (Packer with some edits)

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The Priority of Training Children – JC Ryle

Posted on October 11, 2011 by PS

Train (your children) with this thought continually before your eyes—that the soul of your child is the first thing to be considered. Precious, no doubt, are these little ones in your eyes; but if you love them, think often of their souls. No interest should weigh with you so much as their eternal interests. No part of them should be so dear to you as that part that will never die. The world with …all its glory shall pass away; the hills shall melt; the heavens shall be wrapped together as a scroll; the sun shall cease to shine. But the spirit that dwells in those little creatures, whom you love so well, shall outlive them all, and whether in happiness or misery (to speak as a man) will depend on you.

This is the thought that should be uppermost on your mind in all you do for your children. In every step you take about them, in every plan and scheme and arrangement that concerns them, do not leave out that mighty question, ‘’How will this affect their souls?’’

– JC Ryle

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