Spiritual Disciplines for Holiness in the Life of a Minister

Pastors need to use the spiritual disciplines daily and diligently to cultivate sanctification toward God to know him increasingly better. With the Spirit’s blessing, such cultivation is essential for a truly God-owned ministry that results from the pastor’s large, varied, and original life with God. Pastors must read Scripture diligently, systematically, prayerfully, and meditatively; pray unceasingly, read sound literature, listen to God- glorifying sermons, and profit from the sacraments, fellowship with believers, and sanctifying the Lord’s Day. Even faithful stewardship of time and money, evangelizing and serving others, and the ministry of the Word through loving the Triune God and his people can be forms of a lifestyle of spiritual discipline that grows our relationship with God and promotes and sustains an effective ministry. KEYWORDS: Holiness, spiritual disciplines, prayer, fellowship, ministry, love

Thomas Torrance, Mark 16:19–20 and the ascended Christ's prophetic role

This article argues that, unlike some exegetes (e.g. Francis Moloney), Thomas Torrance correctly interpreted Mark 16:19–20 in support of a theology of the ascended Christ's continuing prophetic activity. In the ministry of the Word, Christ remains present and at work witnessing to himself. This prophetic office, associated with and not to be separated from his kingly and priestly functions, is not to be played down. He is the primary agent forever actively involved in Christian proclamation.

“Bringing many souls home to Jesus Christ”

As the pastor of the Charleston Baptist Church, Oliver Hart established a pattern of moderate revivalist ministry. His weekly routine of public and private ministry of the Word mirrored that of most ministers in the broadly Reformed tradition. Hart invested a significant portion of each week to preparing and delivering sermons, which he developed according to the classic Puritan method. Outside his own congregation, he partnered with evangelical leaders from a variety of other denominations, including the Anglican evangelist George Whitefield, to spread the revivalism of the Great Awakening. Hart gained a wide acceptance among the residents of Charleston in part because of the respectable social persona he developed, in contrast to the erratic behavior of the Separate Baptists and other radical revivalists. Most significant, Hart adopted the classic moderate evangelical approach to slavery while in Charleston, ministering earnestly to enslaved Africans even as he owned slaves himself. Hart’s respectable, moderate revivalism set the tone for the next century and a half for white Baptists in Charleston and the broader South.

Language as a barrier to ministry of the Word with special reference to sign language in ministry: Human dignity perspective

This article is born out of my participation in the General Synod Ministerial Formation for theological training of Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa (URCSA), when a decision was taken to license a student with a disability to be a minister of the Word in URCSA. Furthermore, my experience and observation of the licensing of the two candidates with hearing impairments to the ministry of the Word and Sacrament in URCSA and Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa (DRCSA) has encouraged me to conduct this research. This article is made up of four important parts: Firstly, the researcher will discuss Belhar Confession as the confession that emphasises unity (inclusivity), reconciliation and justice. Secondly, Belhar Confession and disability from the human dignity perspective will be discussed. Thirdly, the ecclesiological practices and shortcomings from the human dignity perspective will be highlighted. Fourthly, pastoral care as the affirmation of human dignity will be discussed.Interdisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The fields involved in this article are Systematic Theology, Sociology and Psychology. The author challenges classification of people with a disability under the category of limited competence by the Dutch Reformed Church when they license the ministerial candidates. The future results will reveal the inclusivity in terms of licensing and calling of ministers in the Dutch Reformed Church Family. This research calls for the change in the traditional discourse within ecclesiological, sociological and psychological fields, which exclude the people with a disability from the ministry of the Word and Sacraments.

Unity and catholicity in the Korean Presbyterian Church: An ecumenical Reformed assessment

I attempt to find the main causes of the serious disunity in the Presbyterian Church in Korea (PCK), which started as one church but is now divided into more than 100 denominations, as well as a solution to promote the unity of the PCK. This attempt starts with an exegesis of Ephesians, with special reference to Ephesians 4:1�16, to understand the biblical principle on this matter. This article draws on a mature ecclesiology and a mature sense of unity as key concepts. After that, the history of the PCK disunity is briefly described, dealing with four major schisms. Based on this historical investigation, the disunity in the PCK is assessed. In addition, the weak sense of unity and weak ecclesiology of the PCK, which played a role in its disunity, are discussed in view of the confessions of faith, the ministry of the word and the Lord�s Supper, and ecumenical efforts in relation to national and international ecumenical organisations. Lastly, contributory suggestions based on the mature sense of unity are offered to the PCK in particular and the Reformed family and all Christian churches in general.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: In my ecumenical Reformed intradisciplinary assessment of unity and catholicity in the PCK, which started as one church but is now divided into more than 100 denominations, I identify the main causes of serious disunity in the PCK, namely a weak sense of unity, immaturity and secularisation.

The duty-right to apostolate (remarks on canon 211)

The faithful have the native right o proclaiming the faith, right which concerns first of all the whole Church, as it was reminded by the II Vatican Council. As far as the faithful are concerned, this duty-right is connected with can. 210 about sanctity of life and can. 225 §1 on working to expand the divine message of salvation throughout the entire world. The Author deals also with the notion of proselytism, which is not always correctly understand.Part II of the present work present “the actors of apostolate”. To exercise their function in the Church and in the world, their right to associate must be recognized and protected so that they be able to do individual apostolate, which does not prevent them from participating in the apostolate organised by the hierarchy of the church. Canon 211 appears to be an essential norm in the Code, and is a direct consequence of secularity of lay people. Anyway, the faithful are subject to a certain control by the diocesan bishop as moderator of the entire ministry of the Word (can. 756 § 2).Concluding, the Author deplore that a true protection of the rights of the faithful is still largely missingin the church.

’n Etiek van liefde: Die etiese perspektiewe van die Heidelbergse Kategismus

Hierdie artikel behandel die etiese perspektiewe van die Heidelbergse Kategismus – een van die prominente belydenisskrifte in die gereformeerde tradisie. Die etiese relevansie is ingebed in die konfessie se verklaring van die tien gebooie. Die artikel verduidelik dat die etiek van die Heidelbergse Kategismus ten diepste ’n karakteretiek is en dat dit gelowiges oproep tot ’n etiek van liefde. Hierdie liefde sluit in liefde vir die verbondsgemeenskap, die bediening van die Woord, die heiligheid van God en die waardigheid van mense, die gemeenskap van die gelowiges, gesag, die lewe, die huwelik, privaatbesit en arbeid asook waarheid en geregtigheid. As gevolg van die sinekdogeekarakter van die wet is hierdie etiek van liefde vandag baie relevant.This article deals with the ethical relevance of one of the prominent confessions in the reformed tradition, namely the Heidelberg Cathechism. The ethical relevance lies in the confession’s elucidation of the ten commandments and its application to moral conduct. The article explains that the ethics of the Heidelberg Catechism is essentially a virtue ethics calling for an ethics of love. This love should include love for the covenantal communion, ministry of the Word, the holiness of God and the dignity of people, the communion of the saints, authority, life, marriage, private property and labour, and truth and justice. Due to the synecdochical character of the ten commandments this ethics of love is highy relevant in the present times.