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VOL. 4/No. 1 WINTER 2015 GOD’S CALLING THE HOPE OF THE LORD’S CHURCH WHAT MAKES CHRISTIANITY REWARD FOR UNIQUE? GOOD WORKS BILLIONS BLINDED OR THOUSANDS? 8 6 9 10 14 18 CONTENTS Subscriptions 3 God’s Calling: The Hope of the Lord’s Church Current is published quarterly by the Free Presbyterian Church of North America (www. 4 In Their Own Words: Rev. Anthony D’Addurno fpcna.org). The annual subscription price is $15.00 (US/CAN). To subscribe, please go to 6 Seminary Report www.fpcna.org/subscriptions. You may also subscribe by writing to Rev. Derrick Bowman, 8 Reward for Good Works 4540 Oakwood Circle, Winston-Salem, NC 27106. Checks should be made payable to Current. Billions or Thousands? 9 General Editor, Rev. Ian Goligher. Assistant Editor, Rev. Andy Foster. Copy Editor, Judy Brown. 10 Presbytery News Graphic Design, Moorehead Creative Designs. Printer, GotPrint.com. ©2015 Free Presbyterian 12 Mission Report Church of North America. All rights reserved. 14 What Makes Christianity Unique? The editor may be reached at [email protected], Church News phone: 604-897-2040, or 16 Cloverdale FPC, 18790 58 Ave., Surrey, BC V3S 9A2. 18 Blinded YOU MAY NOW READ Please consider CURRENT forwarding a link to ONLINE promote the magazine at www.fpcna.org. When at among your contacts the church website click the and friends. Current icon and choose You can still subscribe for a the format for your device. hard copy of each issue and churches may still order copies in bulk to introduce people to the magazine. The Free Presbyterian Church of North America is a conservative, Protestant, and Reformed denomination with churches in Canada and the United States. We maintain a biblical position of separation from false ecumenism while seeking to stand with all who stand for Christ and the historic Protestant faith. While we are unashamedly Reformed in our theology, our Calvinism is never a hindrance to our preaching the free offer of the gospel since we always seek to keep our Calvinism Christ-centered and evangelistic. Our great desire is to preach “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:18) in our churches and throughout the world. For a complete listing of our congregations, contact information, and instructions on how to listen online to sermons from our ministers, please go to www.fpcna.org. 2 CURRENT WINTER 2015 Letter from the Editor God’s people and that church can become the GOD’S CALLING Lord’s vessel to change the world. THE HOPE OF THE It is my prayer that your heart will be filled with this gospel hope and that as you read the reports and stories of God at work in our denomination LORD’S CHURCH by Rev. Ian Goligher your sense of hope for the Lord’s church will be increased. The God of hope is with us today. He is still sending forth laborers into the fields Notwithstanding his strict Jewish upbringing From Paul’s prayer we know that he did not that are white unto harvest. He is still leading and the rigors required to reach the status of consider the believer’s hope to be a mere sinners to repentance and bringing them into Pharisee, it was his dramatic conversion to wish. He prayed that God would cause His His church to enjoy more and more of the hope Christ on the road to Damascus and God’s call people to grow in their understanding of the of His calling. to minister to the Gentiles that set Paul apart glorious hope of God’s calling unto salvation. as an apostle, an evangelist, and a senior pastor That hope is based on a sure inheritance over many New Testament churches. with Christ and the “exceeding greatness” THIS ISSUE OF CURRENT IS of God’s power toward His people. When GOING ONLINE On his first missionary trip, when Paul travelled Paul declared that the church is united to to Cyprus with Barnabas and John Mark and Christ just as a body is united to the head, he The Publications Committee has received then on to Asia Minor, he preached where the penned these doxology-like words: “And hath presbytery approval to take our Current name of Jesus had never been known. Souls put all things under his feet, and gave him magazine online. While only time will tell were converted to Christ and churches were to be the head over all things to the church, the impact this will have on our readership born. On his second missionary trip he went which is his body, the fullness of him that in its paper format, it is our desire to back into Asia Minor, confirming the churches filleth all in all” (Ephesians 1:22–23). Paul use the Internet to take the news of our in the faith of the gospel before receiving the declared that the Lord is on the throne, that denomination to readers around the world. Macedonian call, which took him into Europe. the church reigns with Him, and that she Without increasing costs for printing and Paul believed that each local church was a divine gains each victory through His power. Truly mailing, the opportunities to share the truths institution ordained by the Lord. He lived day the Lord is ruling the world to build His of Christ and His gospel online are beyond and night to forward the work of each church. church. anything we could accomplish by print alone. Time and time again he laid his life on the line We want to make the magazine readable for their advance in the world. He suffered Paul wanted this high view of the church to on all devices including mobile phones. In cruel hostilities, especially from Jews, who on a thrill the hearts of God’s people. He knew various parts of the world millions of people number of occasions stoned him and at other that when this hope got a hold of their hearts can access online gospel content only by times plotted to kill him. Paul endured these it would move them to serve the Lord with a their mobile phones. To further assist these things for the advance of the Lord’s church, and deeper consecration. Later in the letter to the people, online issues of Current will be he never lost hope in her special ministry in the Ephesians Paul calls these saints to battle for available free of charge. world as God’s way to declare the gospel and the truth of the gospel against all the powers give pastoral support to Christians. of hell (6:10–17). With this hope Paul called You can help promote the magazine by believers to prayer (6:18–20). Prayer takes on sending a link to your friends and contacts. Through his letters to the churches Paul a whole new meaning when the Lord is on From your browser you can cut and paste a instructed converts in the doctrines of the the throne invested with might and power link into the body of an email. Our churches gospel. He prayed for each church and for many to personally rule over all things to build His can also provide a link on their websites and church people by name. By hand-delivered church. With this hope Paul called believers Sermonaudio pages. letters and by firsthand reports he rejoiced in to a humble walk and faithful discipleship the triumphs of the gospel in each church and (chapter 4). As we enter the cyberworld of communi- in many individual believers. He took every cation to promote the gospel we do so by opportunity to comfort and sustain them No one has more hope than a born-again faith. May God in His grace lead sinners to through the highs and lows of their newfound Christian for biblical hope is always a sure learn the way of salvation and may believers faith in the death and resurrection of Christ. thing. It is never the mere roll of the dice. be built up in the faith of our Lord Jesus It is the perfect and personal fulfillment of Christ. We also look to the Lord to use the In Ephesians chapter one we read Paul’s prayer God’s eternal purposes in the life of each online magazine to stem the tide of false that the Lord would enlighten believers to grasp professing Christian. Hope, then, is also our gospels and the spirit of compromise that is more and more of the hope of God’s calling. watchword in the Christian life. Waiting widespread in Christianity today. Please pray Paul knew that their knowledge of this sure and with expectation to see what the Lord will with us for the Lord’s blessing on this venture. certain hope was not only the anchor of their do through our service in the gospel stirs our Anyone interested in making donations salvation, but also the driving force of their souls to do all the more for Him. Let this towards the magazine ministry can do so future service. hope be multiplied in any congregation of online at www.fpcna.org under “magazine.” WINTER 2015 WINTER 2015 CURRENT 3 In Their Own Words Questions & Answers with Rev. Anthony D’Addurno Rev. Anthony D’Addurno is minister in our Barrie church in CURRENT: Please introduce yourself and your family to Ontario. He and his wife, Pina, attended our Toronto church before our readers. being called into fulltime gospel ministry. Mrs. D’Addurno is well AD: For the last six years I have been minister of Barrie Free Presbyterian known for her specialty pizzas, as we found out when our presbytery Church, situated seventy miles north of Toronto.