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Good News Autumn 2013

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Good News Autumn 2013 Autumn 2013 Good News Working to see what Christ is going to do in Scotland tomorrow! THE GLORIES OF CHRIST - HIS GLORY AS MEDIATOR ORDINATION AND INDUCTION OF MR DONNIE MACKINNON A DIFFERENT TAKE - THE MYSTERY OF PROVIDENCE NEWS - CAMPS, WEEKENDS, MEN UNDER CARE OF PRESBYTERY SEMESTER IN SCOTLAND - BLOG POST RPCS YOUNG PEOPLE ON GO TEAMS RP MISSION TEAM TO UGANDA RPCS 2013 REFORMATION TOUR QUOTES MAN TO MAN & WOMAN TO WOMAN Good News editorial ‘Good News’ is the official church magazine of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland and is published four times a year. The goal of the publication is simple, to inform and encourage those who are either participating or interested in the life of the RPCS. www.rpcscotland.org You can download it free from the rpcscotland.org And what you have heard from website. If you wish to get a copy posted, the cost is £10.00 per annum. me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able contents to teach others also. 2 Timothy 2:2 page 2 Stirling Reformed Fellowship One of the signs of a healthy church is the character, con- page 3 Editorial viction, and courage of its membership and leaders. One page 4 The Glories of Christ of the signs of a healthy denomination is whether it is, by the grace of God, entrusting the gospel to faithful men, page 5 Mr Donnie Mackinnon who are then called by Christ to teach others those same truths. page 6 Craig Scott in America For the past 150 years the RPCS has not undertaken this page 7 Reformation Tours task of teaching such faithful men. The reasons for this: A page 8 A Different Take - Providence lack of such faithful men? A lack of vision and expectation on the part of the leadership that Christ will build His pages 9-12 News Church? A fear of the impact such men might have on the church? Whatever the reasons, and without a serious his- page 13 Semester In Scotland - Blog Post torical consideration one can do little more than specu- page 14 Go Teams late, the fact remains that the Scottish RP Church has relied heavily on both the Irish and North American RP page 15 RP Mission Team Uganda Churches for ministers throughout the past 130 years. Without this ministerial investment and the often accom- page 16 Reformation History panying financial support, the RPCS would have struggled to have survived. The Lord provided for her though page 17 Man To Man through these churches, and for that we are genuinely page 18 Stephen McCollum in Airdrie thankful. page 19 Woman to Woman Now He has moved us forward, a small step, to the point where we are able to begin training Scotsmen for the min- page 20 Scottish RP Theological Seminary istry once again. This does not mean that our need of manpower and financial support from the RPCI and RPCNA are at an end, far from it, but it does mean that Editor & Design - Rev. Andrew Quigley God is now beginning to provide potential ministerial fruit Distribution - Beth Bogue in addition to the conversion and sanctification fruit of Good News recent years. A cause for thanksgiving! c/o 48 North Bridge Street, Airdrie, Scotland ML6 6NE [email protected] Yours In Christ, Andrew (01236) 620107 Rev. Andrew Quigley page 3 Ordination and Induction of Mr Donnie Mackinnon On Friday the 30th August, Mr Donnie Mackinnon and the congregation. Mackinnon, a licentiate of the Preaching from 2 Timothy 4, he pow- Reformed Presbyterian Church of erfully set out the work of the minis- Scotland, was ordained and inducted ter in preaching the Word, reproving, as organising minister of the new rebuking, and exhorting with Stirling RP church plant. patience and teaching. Rev. Andrew Quigley, the Presbytery Clerk, put the The service of ordination and induc- ordination vows to Mr Mackinnon. tion was held at Glasgow Reformed Mr Mackinnon was then ordained to were then made to Rev. Donnie Presbyterian Church. Beside the the Biblical office of the Ministry and Mackinnon, his wife, Karen, and his members of Presbytery, there were inducted as the organising Minister of son, Samuel. Mr Mackinnon then many there from the Airdrie, Glasgow, the new RP church plant in Stirling thanked his family, those who had North Edinburgh, and Stornoway con- through prayer by Rev. Donald been a great help to him in his prepa- gregations as well as visitors from the Macdonald and the laying on of ration for the ministry, and the Reformed Presbyterian Church of hands by the members of the RPCS Glasgow Session for their oversight North America, the Free Church of Presbytery. and care of him as a licentiate. Scotland, the Free Church of Scotland, Continuing, and other churches. After the service a light supper was Please pray for Mr Mackinnon and his served and people had time to enjoy family as he commences his work as Rev. Kenneth Stewart, the moderator each other’s company and rejoice in the organising minister of the new RP of Presbytery, gave the charge to Mr what God is doing. Presentations church plant in Stirling. Members of the RPCS Presbytery who participated in the ordination and induction of Mr Donnie Mackinnon page 4 The Glories of Christ: His Glory as Mediator In past studies we have considered evil and insanity’ (Ecclesiastes 9:3), Christ being made like his brothers so the Lord Jesus as divine, human, and and is ‘deceitful above all things’ ‘that he might make atonement for sinless, but it is essential to recognise (Jeremiah 17:9). Because of the condi- the sins of the people’ (Heb. 2:17). The that these two natures were united in tion of his heart, man is at war with mediator was to be the ‘second the one person of the Lord Jesus God. Paul makes this clear when he Adam’. Just as man ‘fell’ through the Christ. It was this sinless God/man told the church in Rome that sinful sin of the first Adam, so men would be who was appointed by God to be the man cannot please God because ‘the ‘made righteous’ through the obedi- mediator between God and men. sinful mind is hostile to God’ (Romans ence and sacrifice of the second It is a sad fact that many peo- 8:7-8). It is no surprise, therefore to Adam (Rom. 5:12-20). The mediator ple in our world believe that if there is read that ‘God is angry with the who was to represent sinful men had a God he is some kind of benevolent wicked every day’ (Psalm 7:11). to be like those he came to represent grandfather figure that they can There needs to be a very spe- - truly human and fully obedient to the ignore for most of their life and then cial kind of mediator to be able to same divine law that every other call on him to help when they have a bridge such an enormous gulf. God human being had broken (Gal. 4:4-5). particular need. There is no concept requires that all men keep his holy Though not breaking the law himself, of the eternal, sovereign God whose law, and that to break the smallest he had to suffer the penalty of the power is infinite, whose wisdom is part is to break the whole law (James broken law for those he represented. unsearchable, whose majesty is 2:10), so the mediator must be able to This truly human mediator was to incomparable and whose judgements keep the law of God perfectly. God is enter fully into the experiences, frus- inevitable. They have no idea that righteous and cannot simply overlook trations, sufferings, and temptations there is a vast gulf of enmity that sep- breaches of his law; sin must be pun- that are common to all men, with the arates man from God, a gulf that man ished, ‘the wages of sin is death’ sole exception of sin. is totally incapable of bridging. There (Rom. 6:23). Not only so, but because These conditions could not is no way that man can reach up to the offense is against an eternal God, be met by angels on the one hand or God even if he should wish to do so. If the punishment will also be endless. by a mere human on the other. There sinful man is to know anything of God The mediator therefore must have no was only one way in which sinful men except his wrath, condemnation and sin of his own to be able to pay the could have any hope of being recon- displeasure, he needs somebody who penalty for others, and to be an eter- ciled to God; the gulf could only be is able to bridge the gap that exists – nal being whose sacrifice will have bridged by one who was both truly he needs a mediator. A mediator is eternal efficacy. It is impossible that God and truly man. When God sent His one who intervenes between two par- any mortal man would be able to beloved son into the world He sent ties to make or restore peace and serve as mediator between God and Him as the God/man, the divine and friendship. This is absolutely neces- his fellow men – there is an absolute human natures existing in the one per- sary in the case of God and sinful men. need for the mediator to be divine. son of Jesus, the Messiah.
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