The Church Did Not Burn Down

Yesterday I had the great joy of fellowshipping with some of my infant baptizing brothers. Every Thanksgiving I step out of the pulpit and take a vacation. Usually we celebrate it in California with my side of the family but this year circumstances wouldn't permit that. Instead we remained in Idaho and traveled two hours to Boise and spent it with my wife's side of the family.

Down the street from her parents house is Cloverdale United Reformed Church (part of the URCNA). Having never attended a 'Truly Reformed' church, this Reformed Baptist decided to fellowship with the saints there. Two amazing things happened (or in one case something didn't happen).

One is that the church did not burn down. It was not struck down with lighting because credobaptists worshiped the same Lord along with their paedobaptist brethren in the same local church. We did not burn the church down. Who would have thought that saints purchased by the blood of the Lamb from all tribes tongues and nations and people could congregate together in His name to testify that all praise, honor, glory and worship be unto Christ the King? What a novel idea. I mean what kind of sick display of 'ecumenism' could possibly bring such glory to the Lamb of God of whom it is written, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth”(Re 5:9–10)? Tongue planted firmly in cheek.

What made it even more astounding is that an infant baptism was actually performed during the service. I was thinking to myself  "don't do it", "don't do it." Just kidding. I was actually paying careful attention to the brief discourse given on baptism before the baptism and the words being spoken during the ceremony. Of course I would strongly disagree with the notion that infants are members of the covenant of grace by virtue of federal headship. But I would not be so foolish as to say that their case for paedobaptism is without any merit. I must admit that the brief ceremony was moving and I understand how they try to get from point A to point Z. Of course that is if point is correct in the first place. Again, I disagree (strongly) but I truly enjoyed the service.

Here I must echo the words of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones:

One thing I have looked for and longed for and desired. I can forgive a man for a bad sermon, I can forgive the preacher almost anything if he gives me a sense of God, if he gives me something for my soul, if he gives me the sense that, though he is inadequate himself, he is handling something which is very great and very glorious, if he gives me some dim glimpse of the majesty and the glory of God, the love of Christ my Saviour, and the magnificence of the gospel. If he does that I am his debtor, and I am profoundly grateful to him. Preaching is the most amazing, and the most thrilling activity that one can ever be engaged in, because of all that it holds out for all of us in the present, and because of the glorious endless possibilities in an eternal future.*

This leads me to the second amazing thing that happened. The pastor, as Lloyd Jones put it, gave me a sense of God he gave me "some dim glimpse of the majesty and the glory of God, the love of Christ my Saviour, and the magnificence of the gospel." I could have been upset like many Christians today that I was not personally greeted outside of the greeters at the front entrance. That I went largely ignored by the church body. Or that nobody personally went out of their way to make me 'feel welcome.' No, I wasn't there for that. I was there to worship the Lord Most High with my brethren. It wasn't about me. And that day I was in submission to that pastor. Let me say that again- I was in submission to the pastor. He was handling the Word of God faithfully and accurately. He was cutting it straight.

He was giving me a taste of the glory of Christ from 1 Corinthians 16:19-24 with an emphasis on v. 22- "If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!" He was passionate about proclaiming Gospel of Christ and equally passionate about warning people of the curse pronounced upon the heads of those that do not love Christ. He didn't paddy-cake the deliberate curse, given by the Apostle Paul who was inspired by the Holy Spirit, upon the heads of non believers- haters of Christ. At the same time he was moved by the proclaiming Christ as the wrath bearer of the Father in place of hell bound sinners. He was getting emotional and having to fight back those emotions when speaking of the saving work of Christ. He was pleading with people to long for the return of Christ or to repent and believe on His name. I, too was having to fight back tears. Not just because the preacher (he is a true preacher) was getting emotional but for the same reason that was stirring the emotions of the pastor- the Gospel of Christ.

The fact that he was rightly handling the Word and doing so with passion and that because he grasps the tremendous power of the Word of God. I was reminded of what Lloyd-Jones said:

What is preaching? Logic on fire! Eloquent reason! Are these contradictions? Of course not. Reason concerning this Truth  ought to be mightily eloquent , as you see it in the case of the Apostle Paul and others. It is theology on fire. And a theology which does not take fire, I maintain, is a defective theology; or at least the man's understanding of it is defective. Preaching is theology coming through a man who is on fire. A true understanding and experience of the Truth must lead to this. I say again that a man who can speak about these things dispassionately has no right whatsoever to be in a pulpit; and should never be allowed to enter one.*

I had a great time in my first experience at a 'Truly Reformed' church. My only regret is that I did not stay after the service for coffee and further fellowship. I was like a ninja- in and out. Unnoticed. I had to be. I feared that they were going to sniff out this "Anabaptist" and forcefully remove me from the premises. Just kidding. I had to leave quickly as my son was sick while mom was taking care of him and I needed to give mom a little relief.


And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth” (Re 5:7–10).


Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Glory,
Fernando

*Preaching and Preachers (Zondervan, 1971), p.98.
*Ibid, p. 97