CDM Archive

Discipleship Ministries of the PCA

Church Leadership

How to Deal with Those Who Differ from Us – Part 1

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By Roger R. Nicole. We are called upon by the Lord to contend earnestly for the faith. (Jude 3) That does not necessarily involve being contentious; but it involves avoiding compromise, standing forth for what we believe, standing forth for the truth of God – without welching at any particular moment. Thus, we are bound to meet, at various points and at various levels, people with whom we disagree. We disagree in some areas of Christian doctrine. We disagree as to some of the details of church administration. We disagree as to the way in which certain tasks of the church should be pursued. And, in fact, if we are careful to observe the principles that I would like to expound for you, I would suggest that they may be valuable also in disagreements that are not in the religious field. They also would apply to disagreements in politics or difficulties with people in your job or friction within the family or contentions between husband and wife or between parents and children. Who does not encounter from time to time people who are not in complete agreement; therefore, it is good to seek to discover certain basic principles whereby we may relate to those who differ from us.

It seems strange that one should desire to speak at all about Polemic Theology since we are now in an age when folks are more interested in ecumenism and irenics than in polemics. Further

The PCA: Past, Present, and Future

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The PCA is an amazing organization. It is nothing short of the work of the triune God! It came along at a time when Presbyterian was almost synonymous with liberal. Two hundred forty churches and 40,000 people wanted a denomination that was “true to the Scriptures, the Reformed Faith, and the Great Commission.”

From the earliest, there were those who pre

Unity and Diversity

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Vines, vineyards, and grapes are prominent motifs in the Bible. Apart from stones, they are perhaps the most common natural features of ancient and modem Israel. Christ and the prophets used them to illustrate spiritual truths.

Our Lord gave the best known illustration of the vine motifs in John 15: “I am the true vine, and My Earner is the vinedresser.” He goes on to say, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing” (verses 1, 5).

The various ways in which the vine motif is used in Scriptures suggest there are other lessons that could be drawn. One of these illustrates the theme of this issue – unity and diversity in the church – or, for that matter, in the home or school, at work or play.

Have you observed the development of a grapevine? There is the old gnarled trunk with a great root system that goes far and deep into the soil to get its nourish

Permanent vs. Rotation System for Ruling Elders

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By John M. Montgomery.

“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” (Lord Acton)

The sessions of our churches are entrusted with a great deal of power which can be rightly used or which can be improperly abused as implied in 1 Peter 5:2-3. It is this writer’s opinion that what is popu

God’s Grace in an Evil Empire

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By Qaton Ebed Mashiah. SAMARIA, Israel – A popular prophet of Samaria returned from an unusual trip to Nineveh which revolutionized his life. Jonah ben Amittai returned from his three-day campaign in the capital city of Assyria, the empire which has become a serious threat to Israel’snational existence.

What revolutionized his life was that while pouting over the turn of events, God spoke softly to him about his sense of pity and priorities. God was far more interested in people and infant children than the prophet. For that matter, God was even concerned for livestock and, by inference, in all of His creation. The prophet closed his Sabbath homily by saying, “People of God, we have for too long been too narrow and provincial. God has a far greater plan for this world than we have ever imagined.”

He told his parishioners of preaching many times at shopping malls and municipal halls. He had only one message: “In Forty Days, Nineveh, Will Be Overthrown.” He personally wanted Yahweh’s judgment to fall on them for expanding their empire into Israelite territory and exacting heavy taxes from the people. With fear andtrembling, he expected to be banished to the torture chambers at the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.Instead the people of Nineveh – led by their mayor and city council – repented with genuine humility. They called on Yahweh to forgive their sins. God pardoned them and “that made me angry,” he said.

The prophet admitted he had not wanted to go on this crusade. Many times he had preached on Exodus 34:6-7 and knew that Yahweh was a “gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in covenant love, One Who relents from doing harm.” He cited many instances from personal and national life which supported this thesis.

Jonah ben Amittai rose to prominence in the NorthernKingdom when he predicted that the fortunes of the nation would turn – under the leadership of King Jeroboam ben Joash. Born in Gath Hepher in Zebulon, the prophet was called to the great Samaritan Synagogue around thirty years ago when his predictions were fulfilled.