Daily Devotions: Calvinistic creature

Romans 8:31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

John Calvin is 500 years old this month. In fact his birthday took place last week. All over the world, Presbyterian churches were celebrating the Frenchman's birth and how his theology brought Presbyterianism into being.

Calvin was a great teacher and at the end of his classes he used to quote today's verse. I guess that during the uncertain times of the reformation, he needed to encourage his students to persevere. If God was on their side, then the Reformed movement would prevail. 500 years later, we are still here.

But there is a darker and more ruthless side to Calvinism which has marred Presbyterianism throughout our history. I came across an example of this several years ago in the shopping mall. I met a Calvinist preacher who thought that I shared his severe views. He stopped me and asked me to watch and listen to his four year old son.

“Son,” he said, “tell Rev. Stuart the five fundamentals of Calvinism.” The wee boy looked up at me and perfectly recited them. There was no pleasure in his face or brightness in his eyes. He looked absolutely lost and soulless, but his father was beaming with pride. I honestly wanted to punch the other preacher in his face. Those five fundamentals of Calvinism were meant to free us from church tyranny and lead us towards our freedom in Christ. That Calvinist preacher was using the same controlling power and religious fear over his son that the medieval Catholic Church used to abuse and spiritually enslave the whole of Europe prior to the Reformation.

Thankfully, we live in an enlightened age where Presbyterians are taught to love God, mercy, and justice. I hope and pray that one day that wee lad will reject the rigid religiosity of his misguided father, and find the freedom in Christ that his soul truly deserves.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, protect from being over zealous with our faith and keep us free from the snares of religiosity. Help us to seek and experience Your perfect freedom. Grant us opportunities to share the same precious qualities with our families and friends. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today's message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Daily Devotions: The Young Ones

Ephesians 1:18a I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you...

I'm back at Montreat, North Carolina to spend the first part of the week with our Youth Group. Every year our church sends our young people to experience a whole week with their peers praising God. As usual, the worship is energetic and our teenagers are enthusiastically enjoying being here. It's a wonderful opportunity to focus on Christ and I pray that it is something special that they will keep with them throughout the years to come.

I'm glad that they are joyfully sharing this together. Our Youth leader Becca has been here sixteen times. Her faith grew through her own Montreat experiences and led her into church leadership. I know that she wants each of the participants to embrace the fellowship and grow in faith. Her dedication to these young people is helping them to develop their own spirituality and faith in the Lord.

I'm glad that they are joyfully sharing this together. Our Youth leader Becca has been here sixteen times. Her faith grew through her own Montreat experiences and led her into church leadership. I know that she wants each of the participants to embrace the fellowship and grow in faith. Her dedication to these young people is helping them to develop their own spirituality and faith in the Lord.

But what happens when they come back amongst us? Having had a wonderfully enlightening and enthusiastic experience at Montreat, aren't they in for a spiritual culture shock when they get back home? It's something that often bothers me and I personally wonder what we can do to blend more of their way of worshiping back at Erin.

At the end of the week, our young people lead the morning worship service at church. It gives them an opportunity of relating their experience to the rest of the church. But is it enough? Shouldn't we be doing more now to embrace their ideas so that both the light in the eyes of their heart and the hope they carry in their souls are not extinguished nor diminished? Instead of seeing them as the future church of tomorrow, how can we embrace them as the living church today?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, open the eyes of our heart and help us to truly see what Your Spirit is doing amongst our young people today. Give us the courage to boldly hand over important aspects of leadership in our churches today, allowing them to help us grow through their faith. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today's devotion, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Christian art: Psalm 85

Continuing the Psalms project...Psalm 85



A psalm of reawakening and revival

Daily Devotions: Love the Word

1 Thessalonians 2:13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.

I love the word of God as contained in the Holy Scriptures. Ever since I can remember, I have believed in its truthful teaching and eternal message. I don’t think there has ever been a time when the scriptures weren’t real to me, not even in my drunken alcoholic days. The Bible has always been God’s Holy Word and I take great joy in reading it, hearing it, and drawing strength from it.

Now please don’t get me wrong. This doesn’t mean that I’m a Bible Thumping, Scripture Bashing, Gospel Guru who sits on a self-righteous pedestal and guffaws at the rest of the world. I do have my arrogant and pride inflicted moments like everyone else, but basically I love God and His wisdom, as revealed to us through the Bible.

When my life was at its most self-indulgent and self-destructive, I kept going back to my Gideon’s pocketbook version of the New Testament and Psalms. Somehow the seeds of faith that my Sunday school teachers had planted in my mind and heart were never completely barren. More than thirty years later, I am in awe of what God chose to do and how He accomplished that through His words that were written thousands of years before I was born. And it’s that constant relevance of the Bible that I see enacted in people’s lives everyday that make me love God’s word even more.

So today, let us rejoice in this beautiful revelation that we call the word of God. May it always be an anchor, foundation, and basic cornerstone of our lives.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You have been revealed to humankind for thousands of years through the Holy Scriptures. Your message and ministry are still expressed, embraced, and enacted by millions of people in the world today. Thank You for such a divine, beautiful, and everlasting gift. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Independence Day Screensaver: Van Gogh Visits Manhattan

Religious News: From Tractor Pulls to Petrol Bombs

A schoolboy argument over a tractor has led to a Christian village in Pakistan being looted and burned.

Lahore, July 2 : Over six hundred Muslims attacked Christians in Bahmniwala village in Kasur District of Pakistan after local mosques urged them to unite and "teach a lesson" to the Christians.

Angry Muslim mob, after accusing of blasphemy, destroyed Christians' houses, looted valuables and tortured Christian men and women ruthlessly.

At least 110 Christian families, almost 700 people, were forced on Tuesday night to flee the village. The families sought safety in the fields surrounding their village.

However, locals said the problem started when a Christian boy, Arif Mashi, was travelling on a tractor and asked a Muslim boy, Muhammad Riaz, to allow him to pass. When Riaz refused, the two quarrelled.

Following this incident, on Tuesday night, a mob attacked houses of the area's Christian community with petrol-bombs, destroying their electricity meters and thrashing any Christians they found., the Daily Times reported.

Read the rest of the story here…