Mike Petillo
Also Seen At My Other "Site" at Rock of Offense Ministries at rpmin.blogspot.com
Work, for the night is coming;
Work through the morning hours;
Work while the dew is sparkling;
Work 'mid springing flowers;
Work while the day grows brighter,
Under the glowing sun;
Work for the night is coming,
When man's work is done.
Work for the night is coming,
Work through the sunny noon;
Fill brightest hours with labor,
Rest comes sure and soon;
Give ev'ry flying minute
Something to keep in store;
Work for the night is coming,
When man works no more.
Work for the night is coming,
Under the sunset skies,
While their bright tints are glowing,
Work, for daylight flies;
Work till the last beam fadeth,
Fadeth to shine no more;
Work while the night is dark'ning,
When man's work is o'er. (TH, 728).
1.
An equal plurality
among the eldership in the Reformed local church is better than a single elder
and bishop.
2.
The Reformed
elders should be married with one God-fearing woman, those entering the Reformed
eldership should be pursuing a God-fearing wife and it is possible to be a
godly, upright, moral and set apart man of God in a single lifestyle if God
does not allow outward foredetermined means but marriage is normative,
encouraged and furthered for the Reformed eldership with children.
3.
The Reformed
eldership should be opposed to homosexual leadership whether elder or deacon.
4.
The terms
“bishop” or “elder’ or “pastor” are interchangeable, but refer to the single
and same office of a preaching, teaching, counseling and praying Reformed
elder.
5.
The Reformed
leadership should be opposed to a female eldership or pastoralship or
bishopship, because Adam was formed first.
6.
A Reformed elder
should use the method of self-accusation in the preaching ministry through
public repentance in pursuit of his verse-by-verse sermon, because it is better
than being removed from preaching ministry by two or three witnesses.
7.
There is a higher
standard among Reformed elders: namely, in what context because we are all
sinners and conceived in original sin? I
am not saying we are not sinners, but we have a higher calling in the preaching
office with a deeper sense than anyone that we ought to be more like Jesus
Christ in light of a public ministry.
8.
The Reformed
eldership will never allow high titles, because of the doctrine of Christian
humility.
9.
The Reformed
eldership should never deny the historic Confessions, because it is a
subordinated standard to the Christian faith.
10. The Reformed eldership in a Baptist church should
allow a Presbyterian elder to preach, but in a Presbyterian church it should
allow a Baptist to preach.
11. The Reformed eldership should allow communion every
Sunday with unleavened bread with wine for adults or grape juice for children,
but anyone with health problems touching the older widows (grape juice is
preferable).
12. The Reformed eldership should allow a fellowship meal
at least once every four weeks that is prepared by the members of the local
church in the friendship of peace, because Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior
taught lessons during meals and there can be real fellowship, friendship and
good talks over food and drink for the things of God.
13. The Reformed elder and deacon should teach and preach
everyday. How? They should preach everyday online through a
free blog account, but also post the audio and video online of the same sermon.
14.
The Reformed
eldership in teaching and preaching is 99% perseverance, but 1% ability. What do I mean? “Take
up the concordance and write a sermon!”
15. Presbyterian preachers should preach like CH Spurgeon
and John Bunyan. How? “Take
up and read.” Than “take up and write.”
16. Baptist preachers should preach like George Whitefield
and Jonathan Edwards. How? “Take
up and read.” Than “take up and write.”
17.
Instead of
the “Southern Baptist Convention” we should have “The Reformed Fellowship, Friendship and Convention among Presbyterians
and Baptists.”
18.
The Reformed
eldership should have a spiritually sensible approach to hymns during the
fellowship service, but also instead of different instruments there should be
the preference of the piano to cut down on the problem of entertainment over
worship.
19.
The Reformed
eldership could advocate a time of the use of musical instruments like angels
on harps in heaven, but this could be during the week and also on a special
occasion outside of Sunday worship.
20.
The leaders
of the Reformed church should have morning and evening worship. Why?
Is it not good to proclaim a holy Triune God twice instead of once? How?
Persistent determinations in light of the written Word, but
accommodations are also possible. In
what way? It is possible through a
shorter duration of time due to health or a longer duration of time due to
better health.
21.
Reformed
elders should set aside time to pray every day on their knees for all kinds of
good things, but most importantly the edification of the people of God through
the conviction of sin by the mortification and crucifixion of the flesh in
repentance unto remission.
22.
A holy Triune
God uses the Word preached with the Spirit better than any secondary cause can
muster, because God’s Spirit-based Word never comes back empty, void or
useless. Shall we not use the best we
have (the Word) and most often (everyday)?
23.
Calvin
preached everyday. Shouldn’t we take his
example and imitate him as best as we can?
How? Read his sermons and write your own.
24.
Calvin had
communion every Lord’s Day. Shouldn’t we
take his example and imitate him as best as we can? How? By remembering the Lord’s death in
communion.
25.
Why should we
have communion every Sunday? The Word preached goes best with spiritual
presence of Christ in communion.
26.
Do we become
like Rome if we have communion weekly? How do
we become like Rome unless we
have an idolatrous material understanding of the Eucharist?
27.
The historic
confessions on the Eucharist only share in the Reformed unity of the Eucharist
in a non-idol approach in a spiritual teaching of the partaking of the
incorporeal presence of Christ.
28.
What could be
better than to remember the Lord’s death every Sunday when it is because of a
celebration of Jesus’ resurrection? We should remember the death and
resurrection of the Lord Jesus as much as we can. That is, Jesus’ death made death die but
His resurrection turned death backwards.
It turned death backwards because spiritual and eternal life is gained
through death that is not the end but the beginning.
29.
The Reformed
leadership should allow deacons to preach and teach in Reformed Bible Studies,
but the deaconess should teach women in a women’s fellowship.
30.
The deaconess
is a godly woman always up to good things but should not teach as an elder in
the church, but it is like a crown before the time to cast at Jesus’ feet for
He is worthy to also sing hymns before the people of God in Christ.
31.
There is
nothing wrong with setting aside Lord’s day or during the week the Scottish
Psalter for the worship of God through hymns among the fellowship of God’s
people in Christ.
32.
Why shouldn’t we remember the Lord in communion and
preach the Word as often as the Lord would to honor Himself, seek excellence
and glorify His name’ sake?
33.
Warning: use
caution when preaching everyday means a greater chance at error, but if you keep
the game plan simple it will avail you. Remember: God
draws a straight line with a crooked stick.
What does it mean? He uses sinners to handle His unchanging
written Word.
34. What’s the
basic game plan? Take it coast to coast by Luther’s disputations, or Spurgeon's
paragraph-based sermons. Whatever
the case, mix it up or choose one according to a variation-driven preference
that best persuades you at the time.
35. All should
never ever be involved in sexual immorality, the appearance of it or unwilling willing
abuse, but remember the saints especially the eldership engage in the lifestyle
of 2 Timothy 2:10.
36. Those who are
separated among the Reformed eldership in terms of a wife, because of the group
of the end times should not be provoked to leave the eldership but work with
twice the perseverance.
37. If work for
the Reformed eldership increases, it does not mean you do not have time for
leisure in light of it as being our right.
38. Caution: do not
seek to be novel because there is nothing new under the sun, but seek to
present the old gospel truths of the written Word.
39. The Reformed
eldership should not allowing speaking in tongues, because it ceased in the
time of the Book of Acts. Rather allow the Word preached.
40. There is
nothing wrong with the people of God under the ruling eldership to proclaim the
gospel-centeredness of Scripture in a non-star approach to Revelation 12:11:
namely, by the Lamb’s blood and a Christian testimony. That is, this is a way to encourage God’s
people and glorify Jesus. Main goal: stay
true.
Revive thy work, O Lord,
Thy mighty arm make bare;
Speak with the voice that wakes the dead,
And make thy people hear.
Revive thy work, O Lord,
Disturb this sleep of death;
Quicken the smould'ring embers now
By thine almighty breath.
Revive thy work, O Lord,
Create soul-thirst for thee;
And hung'ring for the Bread of Life
O may our spirits be.
Revive thy work, O Lord,
Exalt thy precious Name;
And, by the Holy Ghost, our love
For thee and thine inflame.
Revive thy work, O Lord,
Give pentecostal show'rs:
The glory shall be all thine own,
The blessing, Lord, be ours. (TH, 297).
