Pastor’s Blog

I was recently going through some of my mother’s papers and photos and came across the notebook from ‘The Bethel Series’, a year-long Bible Study that my mother and father participated in at Tower Hill Presbyterian Church in Red Bank, New Jersey.  I don’t know how widely used this series has been, but they really enjoyed it.

As I was flipping through the book (and deciding to keep some of the color art for future sermon visuals) I came across the following list under the subject ‘Sanctification’.  I was struck by how biblical the steps are, and how well they fit the process as I have been seeing it at work in my own life for a number of years.

Sanctification:

I    Assumes justification by faith through grace
II   Produces a hunger to know more and more about God’s will
III  Prompts a deliberate effort to learn God’s will:
a. through regular worship
b. through study of His Word
c. through fellowship with other saints
d. through prayer
IV   Results in a broader understanding
V    Changes a person’s sense of values
VI    Increases an awareness of sinfulness and drives the believer closer and closer to Christ
VII   Increases the awareness of God’s loving kindness
VIII  Increases the believer’s sense of gratitude to God
IX    Creates a growing responsiveness to God’s will
X     Enlarges the believer’s sense of responsibility:
a. in the use of his time
b. in the use of his talents
c. in the use of his possessions
d. for moral and spiritual integrity
XI   Produces sacrificial involvement whereby life is lived in the role of a servant
XII  Ends in Christlikeness

Suggestions for using this list: (1) Do a Bible Study and find Scriptural support for each point and sub-point. (2) Rate yourself (say from one to ten) as to the reality of each point and sub-point in your life.

Several people asked me to put Jonathan and Sarah Kittle’s wedding meditation online, partially because the lack of a microphone made it hard to hear.  Jonathan and Sarah said that would be OK (thanks!).  Frank put it in the regular ‘recent sermon’ page on the Trinity web site. Here is the direct link:

I recently re-uploaded the Bridge Illustration in a slightly higher quality format.  Note that you have to push the HQ button once the video starts to see the higher quality version.