August 2001 New Horizons

An Assembly Seeking the Lord

by Various Ministers

The Sixty-eighth General Assembly of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church convened on Wednesday, May 30, at 8:00 p.m., at Reformed Bible College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with a two-hour worship and communion service in the college chapel. It was led by Thomas E. Tyson (regional home missionary of the Presbytery of Philadelphia), Hailu Mekonnen (associate pastor of Grace OPC in Vienna, Virginia, and missionary to Ethiopia), William Shishko (pastor of Franklin Square OPC in Franklin Square, New York), and Larry Wilson (general secretary of the Committee on Christian Education and editor of New Horizons ). Piano accompaniment was provided by Calvin R. Malcor (associate pastor of Covenant OPC in San Jose, California). Approximately 135 commissioners (ministers and ruling elders), plus various family members and visitors, were in attendance as the moderator of last year's General Assembly, James S. Gidley, exhorted the Assembly from Romans 11:33-12:1 with a message entitled " A Living Sacrifice ." Dr. Gidley ... Read more

The Leading of the Spirit (Part 3)

by B. B. Warfield

[In Part 1, published in June, Dr. Warfield demonstrated that every genuine child of God is led by the Holy Spirit, that this leading is another way of speaking of the Spirit's work of sanctification, and that it is a continuous, ongoing work in the life of the redeemed child of God. In Part 2, published last month, Dr. Warfield demonstrated that the leading of the Spirit is a supernatural influence from outside the believer, and that it is the complete control of an active agent to an end determined by the Spirit and along a course marked out by the Spirit, but over which the redeemed child of God is led through his own strenuous efforts. Part 3 picks up at that point. —Editor] The method of the Spirit's leading, of which Paul speaks in our text, is not a drawing or dragging of a passive weight toward a goal which is attained, if attained at all, only by virtue of the power residing in the moving Spirit, but a leading of an active agent to an end determined indeed by the Spirit, and along a course ... Read more

A Story of Reconciliation

by Matthew W. Kingsbury

And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18 KJV). Through Jesus Christ, God has reconciled himself to us, washing away our sin and clothing us in his righteousness. This reconciliation with God works itself out in our relationships with one another. Because each Christian has been united to Christ, we have been united to each other in the one body of the church (1 Cor. 12). While this is our doctrine, most of the time we doubt it. Were this true, it would mean I can be reconciled to people who have hurt me. It would mean we could live with our former enemies without any kind of resentment, with only love for one another. Impossible, we think—but it's not. Park Hill Presbyterian Church in Denver has existed, as a congregation, for well over a century. She became part of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church shortly after our denomination's founding. But in the late 1980s, Park Hill was wracked by two ... Read more

Pastor, We Miss You So

by Carl W. Mores

In December 1999, the Rev. Walter D. Copeland, Jr., began his ministry at the Presbyterian Church of Cape Cod (PCCC) in West Barnstable, Massachusetts. Although short, his ministry had a powerful impact on our church, and it changed lives. Walt appeared to be remarkably healthy (he worked out regularly at the YMCA) and poised for a long-term, fruitful ministry. But he soon fell ill with liver and stomach cancer. During chemotherapy, he initially experienced a remarkable improvement, but then the tumors returned with a vengeance. On May 18, 2001, he went to be with the Lord at age 51. We were deeply blessed by Walt's ministry. Coping with his illness and death has been trying and at times overpowering. Walt was born in Philadelphia, and earned a B.S. from the University of Delaware in 1972. His life was redirected by God, and he entered Westminster Seminary, graduating in 1997 with an M.Div. He was called to serve the South Chatham Community Church on Cape Cod, and was ordained to the ministry during ... Read more