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In my article, ‘What to do when a crisis overtakes the people of God’ I used the actions of Moses in Exodus 32, as “a prime example of obedience to God” in a day when great sin had broken out amongst God’s people.

Moses sought the Lord that He might not destroy Israel but grant repentance and forgiveness.

God answered His prayer though the ‘ringleaders’ were punished, Exodus 32:26-28. ‘Three thousand men’ were slain and the rest of Israel spared. This amounted to a small percentage of the nation that were deemed guilty of great wickedness. It was for this reason the nation was spared and thus provides us with a basis for believing that sin amongst God’s people does not ALWAYS require us to separate from them.

All sin and wrong-doing amongst professing Christians does not qualify as ‘Apostasy’ and therefore require separation from the guilty by the faithful believer!

There are occasions when we cease shopping in a store because we do not like some of the products on sale, some of the prices charged or the behaviour of the proprietor. We cannot avoid contact with much that is sinful in this world for “then must ye needs go out of the world” (1 Corinthians 5:9-10).

Such withdrawing of contact is not the same, however, as the separation that the Lord commands us to exercise with regards apostasy. That separation is to be complete and public and is usually accompanied by a denouncing of those we have separated from and an explanation of the reasons for our actions. We are not to even ‘touch’ the uncleanness of apostasy, (2 Corinthians 6:17).

But then sensible people readily understand that distinction! (more…)

I am posting these comments in response to some ‘Facebook’  criticisms, mounted in reply to my recent Burning Bush article: “What to do when a crisis overtakes the people of God”.

The basis of the criticism was that if what I said in my article was correct then our forefathers were wrong in leaving the Presbyterian Church in Ireland back in 1951, for that church was, it is claimed; ‘still a majority evangelical denomination at that time.’

I have never read a more untrue and stupid statement than that!

For some reason, neither myself nor my article was named in the Facebook criticisms, so I will observe the same measure of anonymity when dealing with this matter, and not name the author.

This morning, as part of my daily reading of God’s Word, I read these words in Job 27:3-4.

“All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils; my lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit”.

I believe I can humbly say that such has been my desire throughout my 61 years of preaching and writing. There have been times when something I have said or written has been challenged and, as the Lord is my witness, I can say that my heart trembled lest I had indeed set forth in the Lord’s name that which was wrong. It was only when I carefully checked my statements and found them in keeping with God’s truth, that the fear was lifted.

I have likewise reacted to the reported comments on FaceBook, which criticise my article. However, I do not find in them any reason for my changing what I said, however it may appear.

The teaching on apostasy is that which was followed by the founders of the Free Presbyterian Church back in 1951.

The denomination from which our founding fathers separated had embraced heresy back in 1927 when the General Assembly voted by 89% to back the man who had denied, among other cardinal truths, the atoning blood of Christ and His deity, as well as mocking the idea of the inerrant inspiration of God’s Word. (more…)

“‭Now when these things were done‭‭, the princes‭ came‭‭ to me, saying‭‭, The people‭ of Israel‭, and the priests‭, and the Levites‭, have not separated‭‭ themselves from the people‭ of the lands‭, ‭doing‭ according to their abominations‭, ‭even‭ of the Canaanites‭, the Hittites‭, the Perizzites‭, the Jebusites‭, the Ammonites‭, the Moabites‭, the Egyptians‭, and the Amorites‭.‭ ‭For they have taken‭‭ of their daughters‭ for themselves, and for their sons‭: so that the holy‭ seed‭ have mingled‭‭ themselves with the people‭ of ‭those‭ lands‭: yea, the hand‭ of the princes‭ and rulers‭ hath been chief‭ ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬in this trespass‭.‭ ‬‬

‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭And when I heard‭‭ this thing‭, I rent‭‭ my garment‭ and my mantle‭, and plucked off‭‭ the hair‭ of my head‭ and of my beard‭, and sat down‭‭ astonied‭‭.‭ ‭Then were assembled‭‭ unto me every one that trembled‭ at the words‭ of the God‭ of Israel‭, because of the transgression‭ of those that had been carried away‭; and I sat‭‭ astonied‭‭ until ‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬the evening‭ sacrifice‭.‭ ‬‬‬

‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭‭And at the evening‭ sacrifice‭ I arose up‭‭ from my heaviness‭; and having rent‭‭ my garment‭ and my mantle‭, I fell‭‭ upon my knees‭, and spread out‭‭ my hands‭ unto the LORD‭ my God‭,‭”‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ Ezra 9:1-5.

In the morning services in Kilskeery Free Presbyterian Church of late, there has been a setting forth, by the minister, Rev Samuel Fitton, of the vital and very relevant teaching of the book of Ezra.

On two recent Lord’s Days, the above verses have been expounded. As is the case with most preachers, even when sitting under good preaching, thoughts arise in one’s mind from the passage under consideration that may be a little diverse from what the minister is setting forth. It is impossible in one message to comment on all that is contained in any given passage of God’s Word.

As the minister spoke, in his introductory summary of what has been noted so far in these opening verses of Ezra chapter 9, there occurred to me a thought very applicable to the situation in which the Free Presbyterian Church finds itself today.

I jotted down that thought for further consideration later. I want to share with you what presented itself to me from this passage.

1. EVEN IN THE MIDST OF REVIVAL, SIN MAY BE HARBOURED IN THE HEARTS OF GOD’S PEOPLE.

1. Note what Ezra said in his distressed praying in response to the revealing of the wickedness found amongst the Israelites. (more…)