5.18.2011

Why did they believe?

"The early Christians did not believe in the resurrection because they could not find his dead body. They believed because they did find a living Christ."

FF Bruce, The Apostle of the Heart Set Free, p. 93

Some words about our church in Gdansk

Evangelical Reformed Church is a congregation of the Lord's people in Gdansk. We are the mission church of Evangelical Reformed Church in Wroclaw. We started our ministry from 3rd of April when all the elders from Wroclaw officially and publicly (during Sunday Service) sent me to the mission work in Gdansk. One week later we started our services (10th of April 2005).

Our congregation was a result of our studies on covenant theology. What greatly influenced our convictions were books, articles, discussions with reformed pastors and authors (Greg Bahnsen, Francis Schaeffer, Gregg Strawbridge, Douglas Wilson, Dennis Tuuri, Randy Booth, Ralph Smith, Larry Ball, Tim Gallant, Mark Horne, Gerry Wisz, Robert S. and G. Rayburns).

We are a Christian Church whose Head is the Lord Jesus Christ. According to the Scripture and Apostolic Church God gathers us on the Lord’s Day (Sunday) for worship and to celebrate the Lord’s Victory over sin and death. Our ministry goal is to bring glory to the Triune God – The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit
As a Covenant Community we are called to submit to the Lord every area of life - our worship, life of our families, education, art, economy etc. We believe that the Holy Scripture is the only one authority (Sola Scriptura). God says to us clearly by every word from 66 books of the Bible.

Our conviction is that the Bible teaches that we are saved by God’s “grace alone” (Sola Gratia), through “faith alone” (Sola Fide), because of the finished work of “Christ alone” (Solus Christus). From beginning to end, our salvation is the result of the work of God alone (Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5). Although our church is very young (and small) the doctrines and convictions of Evangelical Reformed Church in Gdansk are based on historic Protestant orthodoxy as best summarized in the historic Christian creeds (Apostolic, Nicene Creed, Chalcedon) and the reformed confessions (Westminster Standards, Three Forms of Unity).

By His grace and for His glory we are committed to loving one another and our neighbors at home and around the world by proclaiming the gospel to the ends of the earth, making Christian disciples of all families and nations. We pray to our God for possibilities to preach the gospel in Gdansk and growth of His church and spreading reformed faith here.

5.04.2011

When dragons are dying

Occurred to me one more thought on the death of Osama bin Laden. When dragons are dying - people in the city should be happy! Unless you read - as Eustace in "The Chronicles of Narnia" - another of those strange books on exports and imports. :)

5.02.2011

Osama bin Laden is dead. Hallelujah!

Yesterday's death of Osama bin Laden, of course, will not stop the followers of Islam the continuation of cultural /religious crusade. Despite this, our response to this fact should be ... joy!

The Book of Revelation says that the advent of the divine court of the great harlot is the reason for great joy among the numerous crowd in heaven:

1 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2 for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the blood of his servants." 3 And again they shouted: "Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever." 4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried: "Amen, Hallelujah!" 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying: "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!" - Revelation 19:1-5

We should want to be righteous before God. We should want justice, not only in terms of the eternal, but temporal. Bin Laden's death is the sentence for the crimes of which he has made - made ​​by his country attacked by September 11, 2001

Since the first book of the Bible, God demands the blood of a man who deliberately murdered his neighbor. Nothing in the Scriptures. is no indication that God had changed his mind and changed his mind on this point: “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind". - Genesis 9:6

Therefore, let us thank God for that justice was imposed, and the world was freed from the next criminal. Hallelujah!

Open or closed mind?

Erroneous assumption of postmodern ideology is that an open mind is better than closed. Many postmodernists have an open mind on everything but the Word of God and Christ. As we can see they have strong firewall in their system tightly blocking the adoption of certain information. The open mind is often either empty or cluttered various information that has never been selected, evaluated and interpreted.

Closed mind should do the selection. So before you plant anything to readmit first file with information to pass through anti-virus. The Bible is the best anti-virus program. Closed mind letting something to measure also protects certain information and does not erase their fear of the crash the system.

On the other hand, being open means a willingness to reformation, and not deformation. If the Bible convince us that we stray - we should be ready to abandon this ideology and practice. That is why Scripture says about endurance in terms of progress - 1 Timothy 4:15.