Shrinking from the Doctrine of Reward

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Principal Rainy (Robert Rainy 1826-1906), commenting on Philippians 4:15-19, writes,

“We are not to shrink from the doctrine of reward because it has been perverted. It is true the good works of a Christian cannot be the foundation of his title to life eternal. They proceed from the grace of God; they are imperfect and mixed at their best. Yet they are precious fruits of Christ’s death, and of God’s grace, arising through the faith and love of soul’s renewed and liberated.

When a penitent and believing man is found devoting to God what he is and has, doing so freely and lovingly, that is a blessed thing. God sets value on it. It is accepted as fruit which the man brings, as the offering which he yields. The heart of Christ rejoices over it.

Now it is fit that the value set on this fruit should be shown, and the way God takes to show it is to reward the service. Such a man “shall in no wise lose his reward.”

A Brief Catch Up

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It has been a very busy and blessed month so far. Quite often I have not had internet access and so I have been unable to update my site as I would have liked. My intention was to write of each church and trip as it happened, but lack of time online and lack of … Read more

Words and the English

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Jeremy Paxman in his book, “The English”, writes about the line of thought that explains the spiritual reformation that took place in Britain and its impact upon art and literature, politics and education. He explains the historical emphasis Britain had upon words, rather than images, and even the painters often focused on what was observed … Read more

Meeting Some HELP Missionaries – NC to GA

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On February 26th I was up early and repacking in preparation to travel to Charlotte, NC. The missions group I am with here in the USA, HELP Ministries, bring in national pastors from all over the world and help get them support from US churches. They have done so much for my family and I. … Read more

Pennsylvania – Week 3

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On Sunday, 25th of January we enjoyed the Sunday School and worship service with Pennwood Bible Church. Pennwood have faithfully supported us for several years and we greatly appreciate their faithfulness and generosity. Following the morning service we had a wonderful meal, but then had to say our goodbyes. We had loaded up that morning … Read more

Pennsylvania – Week 2

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Last Saturday I left my family in Everett and headed to Jackson Baptist Church in north eastern Pennsylvania. The 186 mile drive was through awesome mountains and was generally uneventful. I first met Pastor Haskell in Ireland back in 2007. Since then we have tried to line up a meeting several times, but until this … Read more

Pennsylvania – Week 1

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The long trip to Pennsylvania is always worth it. We drove about 256 miles to get here. We love visiting our family here and we love this part of the country. We left Virginia Beach on Sunday afternoon and arrived here about 8pm. I have been busy making phone calls, sending emails and making arrangements … Read more

Tabernacle Baptist Church, Virginia Beach, Virginia

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After we spent a week with the Barnetts in Tarboro we headed 102 miles up to Tabernacle Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. On the way we stopped at the Great Dismal Swamp National Park. The children enjoyed the chance to stretch their legs and walk around the small museum there. Pastor Baker is the … Read more

New Grace Baptist Church – Tarboro, NC

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Our first big trip as a family this furlough took us to Tarboro, NC, 364 miles from our home base. Pastor Mike Barnett and his wife, Marianne, grew up in the same church as my wife. I have known Mike for about 15 years and they have been great friends to us. Mike is the … Read more

Achieving New Year’s Resolutions – One Day at a Time

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Over the last few days and weeks many people will have been preparing for new year’s resolutions. Some may have even had plans for months having decided to wait for the new year to start or stop something. New Year’s resolutions are great and many people have changed their lives by using them as a … Read more