May 2023 Ordained Servant

From the Editor. Variations in human perspective often surprise us. Marcus Mininger’s “The Epistle to the Romans: Profound Theology and Ethics for the Sake of Missions” looks at Romans from a different vantage point, as a missionary document, without diminishing its theological importance. It was originally preached at the installation of Rev. Bruce H. Hollister to be Regional Home Missionary of the Presbytery of the Midwest. It is especially intriguing because Mininger demonstrates the importance of mature life and theology as a prerequisite for healthy mission work.

I present chapter 4 of my book The Voice of the Good Shepherd. Chapters 3 and 4 deal with the primacy of preaching in the Bible and church history. Chapter 4 presents a church historical overview. Next month I will begin part 2 (chapters 5–8) of the series, “The Good Shepherd Speaks Today,” chapter 5, “God’s Medium: Tongues of Fire.” The hubris of post-Enlightenment modernity leads us to believe that electronic means are always superior; thus, Christians and their leaders need to be encouraged to highly value live pastoral preaching, i.e., the regular preaching in the local church.

David VanDrunen capably tackles the question of the place of public aid for Christians and churches in “Christians, Churches, and Public Aid, Part 2,” where he specifically looks at ecclesiastical responsibilities and pastors.

Alan D. Strange continues his “Commentary on the Book of Discipline of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church” with chapter 4C dealing with the rules of trial proceedings in judicial cases.

An Older Elder presents us with another letter to a younger ruling elder. “The Elder’s Wife” asserts the importance of maintaining a strong marriage relationship for married elders. These letters would be worth reading aloud at session meetings or shared in print with younger elders.

I rarely publish anonymous articles or reviews; Faith in the Wilderness: Words of Exhortation from the Chinese Church is an exception to protect the safety of the author. Anonymity is necessary for the protection of all missionaries serving in countries where the government is hostile to their endeavors. This review fits well with the theme of the May issue of New Horizons.

Cynthia Rowland reviews a wonderful children’s book, The Best Day of the Week, encouraging young people to delight in the Lord’s Day.

In important news the board of trustees of Great Commission Publications is seeking a new executive director as Mark Lowery intends to retire after his many years developing the Sunday School curriculum along with many other publications, and in recent years guiding this joint venture between the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church in America through the difficult years of the pandemic.

Our poem this month is “Virtue” by George Herbert (1593–1633). It is composed in one of my favorite forms, the heroic or interlaced quatrain. It may at first seem morbid, until the final stanza reminds us that the first three are building a contrast to accentuate the beauty and solidity of human virtue. It also reminded me of Psalm 15 in which we are shown the perfection required to dwell on the holy hill of Yahweh, a perfection found only in Christ, but toward which we are enjoined to aspire.

The cover photo is of several ruined columns of the Temple of Castor and Pollux in Rome, Italy. I took the photo in 2020. The twin gods figurehead on Paul’s Alexandrian ship mentioned in Acts 28 is of Castor and Pollux, “After three months we set sail in a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods as a figurehead” (Acts 28:11).

Blessings in the Lamb,
Gregory Edward Reynolds

Ordained Servant exists to help encourage, inform, and equip church officers for faithful, effective, and God-glorifying ministry in the visible church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Its primary audience is ministers, elders, and deacons of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, as well as interested officers from other Presbyterian and Reformed churches. Through high-quality editorials, articles, and book reviews, we will endeavor to stimulate clear thinking and the consistent practice of historic, confessional Presbyterianism.