Small Town Theologian

PLEASE LEAVE A SINCERE 5-STAR RATING IF YOU CAN. Are you thankful for your local church? Have you thanked God recently for your church? Your church is God's gracious gift to you and through it, He cares for you, body and soul. May the Lord increase your gratitude for His provision through your church.

Article 28: Belgic Confession of Faith: I apologize. Anchor.fm is not allowing me to paste Article 29. I think it's too long. Please read it HERE.

Support: I don't ask for your money. I do ask that you TELL SOMEONE about the podcast and/or READ and pass on my books. This is a great help, and I hope an encouragement to you.

Podcast: Apple Podcasts, Podcast Addict, Overcast, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and more.

Books: Predestined for Joy; The Heidelberg Catechism

Blog: smalltowntheologian.org.

Associations: Confessional Podcast Network, Society of Reformed Podcasters, & Christian Podcast Community.

The following message is for my fellow brother pastors/preachers. It was delivered to about 20 pastors (and some visitors) at an Ephrata Ministerium meeting held at Ephrata Bible Chapel in Ephrata, PA. It is an encouragement to pastors to do faithful law and gospel preaching for the well-being and comfort of their congregations. Perhaps you know a pastor who would profit from this message. Please pass it on along with some loving encouragement.  

Dr. Dennis Prutow's Book: So Pastor, What's Your Point

Dr. Dennis Prutow's Preaching: On SermonAudio.com

Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (RPTS): rpts.edu

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PLEASE LEAVE A SINCERE 5-STAR RATING IF YOU CAN. Are you thankful for your local church? Have you thanked God recently for your church? Your church is God's gracious gift to you and through it, He cares for you, body and soul. May the Lord increase your gratitude for His provision through your church.

Article 28: Belgic Confession of Faith:

We believe that since this holy assembly and congregation is the gathering of those who are saved and there is no salvation apart from it, no one ought to withdraw from it, content to be by himself, regardless of his status or condition. But all people are obliged to join and unite with it, keeping the unity of the church by submitting to its instruction and discipline, by bending their necks under the yoke of Jesus Christ, and by serving to build up one another, according to the gifts God has given them as members of each other in the same body. And to preserve this unity more effectively, it is the duty of all believers, according to God’s Word, to separate themselves from those who do not belong to the church, in order to join this assembly wherever God has established it, even if civil authorities and royal decrees forbid and death and physical punishment result. And so, all who withdraw from the church or do not join it act contrary to God’s ordinance. (https://threeforms.org/the-belgic-confession/#28)

Support: I don't ask for your money. I do ask that you TELL SOMEONE about the podcast and/or READ and pass on my books. This is a great help, and I hope an encouragement to you.

Podcast: Apple Podcasts, Podcast Addict, Overcast, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and more.

Books: Predestined for Joy; The Heidelberg Catechism

Blog: smalltowntheologian.org.

Associations: Society of Reformed Podcasters & Christian Podcast Community.

PLEASE LEAVE A SINCERE 5-STAR RATING IF YOU CAN. Are you thankful for your local church? Have you thanked God recently for your church? Your church is God's gracious gift to you and through it, He cares for you, body and soul. May the Lord increase your gratitude for His provision through your church.  

Article 28: Belgic Confession of Faith:

We believe that since this holy assembly and congregation is the gathering of those who are saved and there is no salvation apart from it, no one ought to withdraw from it, content to be by himself, regardless of his status or condition. But all people are obliged to join and unite with it, keeping the unity of the church by submitting to its instruction and discipline, by bending their necks under the yoke of Jesus Christ, and by serving to build up one another, according to the gifts God has given them as members of each other in the same body. And to preserve this unity more effectively, it is the duty of all believers, according to God’s Word, to separate themselves from those who do not belong to the church, in order to join this assembly wherever God has established it, even if civil authorities and royal decrees forbid and death and physical punishment result. And so, all who withdraw from the church or do not join it act contrary to God’s ordinance. (https://threeforms.org/the-belgic-confession/#28)

Support: I don't ask for your money. I do ask that you TELL SOMEONE about the podcast and/or READ and pass on my books. This is a great help, and I hope an encouragement to you.

Podcast: Apple Podcasts, Podcast Addict, Overcast, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and more.

Books: Predestined for Joy; The Heidelberg Catechism

Blog: smalltowntheologian.org.

Associations: Society of Reformed Podcasters & Christian Podcast Community.

Dr. Barry York offers some really helpful comments on preaching for the person in the pew and the pastor. Tune in to better understand what the Holy Spirit is doing in preaching and how you can draw comfort, hope, and strength from the preaching God provides you every Lord's Day.

Where Dr. York Serves: RPTS & River Valley Reformed Church (church plant)

Where Dr. York Blogs: gentlereformation.com 

Dr. York's Webpage: barryjyork.com

Dr. York's Book: Hitting the Mark: Restoring the Essential Identity of the Church

Dr. York's Tabletalk Articles: https://tabletalkmagazine.com/contributor/barry-york/

PLEASE SHARE THIS EPISODE WITH FRIENDS. TELL THEM ABOUT THE PODCAST AND SHARE IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THE SHOW.

PLEASE LEAVE A SINCERE 5-STAR RATING IF YOU CAN. What would you say to a professing Christian who doesn't want to be part of a local church? Sure, they confess their allegiance to Christ, but they don't seem to make the connection between love for Christ and the local church. Tune in to learn more about the necessity and blessing of belonging to a local church.

Article 28: Belgic Confession of Faith:

We believe that since this holy assembly and congregation is the gathering of those who are saved and there is no salvation apart from it, no one ought to withdraw from it, content to be by himself, regardless of his status or condition. But all people are obliged to join and unite with it, keeping the unity of the church by submitting to its instruction and discipline, by bending their necks under the yoke of Jesus Christ, and by serving to build up one another, according to the gifts God has given them as members of each other in the same body. And to preserve this unity more effectively, it is the duty of all believers, according to God’s Word, to separate themselves from those who do not belong to the church, in order to join this assembly wherever God has established it, even if civil authorities and royal decrees forbid and death and physical punishment result. And so, all who withdraw from the church or do not join it act contrary to God’s ordinance. (https://threeforms.org/the-belgic-confession/#28) 

Support: I don't ask for your money. I do ask that you TELL SOMEONE about the podcast and/or READ and pass on my books. This is a great help, and I hope an encouragement to you.

Podcast: Apple Podcasts, Podcast Addict, Overcast, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and more.

Books: Predestined for Joy; The Heidelberg Catechism

Blog: smalltowntheologian.org.

Associations: Society of Reformed Podcasters & Christian Podcast Community.

PLEASE LEAVE A SINCERE 5-STAR RATING IF YOU CAN. Is there comfort in Christ found outside of local churches? I think there is a trend of Christians devaluing God's means of grace or the means God uses to give grace to His beloved people. Belonging to a local church gives us the expectation that God will use His means to save and sanctify us. 

Support: I don't ask for your money. I do ask that you TELL SOMEONE about the podcast and/or READ and pass on my books. This is a great help, and I hope an encouragement to you.

Podcast: Apple Podcasts, Podcast Addict, Overcast, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and more.

Books: Predestined for Joy; The Heidelberg Catechism

Blog: smalltowntheologian.org.

Associations: Society of Reformed Podcasters & Christian Podcast Community.

Rev. Keith Evans has helpful and comforting words for you today on the topic of anxiety. Tune in to better understand your anxiety and how to address it in your life.

Check out more of Rev. Keith Evans' work at rpts.edu and gentlereformation.com. Also, check out Keith's article titled "Fear of a Changing World" in the March 2020 issue of Tabletalk Magazine (Ligonier Ministries) and his June 14, 2022, Gospel Coalition article titled "5 Ways to Evaluate a Response to Abuse."

PLEASE SHARE THIS EPISODE WITH FRIENDS WHO MAY STRUGGLE WITH ANXIETY. TELL THEM ABOUT THE PODCAST AND SHARE IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THE SHOW.   

PLEASE LEAVE A SINCERE 5-STAR RATING IF YOU CAN. If all food tasted the same, it would be pretty boring and bland. What if all people and cultures were the same? We should rejoice in the ethnic diversity of the catholic (or universal) church through the ages. Ethnic and cultural diversity is a marvelous thing and evidence of God's creativity.

Harvey Cedars Bible Conference: hcbible.org  

Support: I don't ask for your money. I do ask that you TELL SOMEONE about the podcast and/or READ and pass on my books. This is a great help, and I hope an encouragement to you.

Podcast: Apple Podcasts, Podcast Addict, Overcast, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and more.

Books: Predestined for Joy; The Heidelberg Catechism

Blog: smalltowntheologian.org.

Associations: Society of Reformed Podcasters & Christian Podcast Community.

PLEASE LEAVE A SINCERE 5-STAR RATING IF YOU CAN. To belong to Christ is to belong to those who also belong to Christ. Salvation is not an individualistic thing, it is ultimately a corporate thing. We are saved into union with Christ and his precious church, his body. We belong to one another. We are united to one another in Christ. Rejoice in this beautiful truth!

Support: I don't ask for your money. I do ask that you TELL SOMEONE about the podcast and/or READ and pass on my books. This is a great help, and I hope an encouragement to you.

Podcast: Apple Podcasts, Podcast Addict, Overcast, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and more.

Books: Predestined for Joy; The Heidelberg Catechism

Blog: smalltowntheologian.org.

Associations: Society of Reformed Podcasters & Christian Podcast Community.