November 2021 Ordained Servant

From the Editor. I recently heard an excellent sermon on Psalm 49 in which the pastor emphasized that death is the earthly end of us all. As believers this is not news, but we, like the culture around us, also tend to minimize and even cover up our mortality, thus failing to plan properly for this most inevitable reality. Gregory DeJong’s article, “Who Cares for Us When We Can No Longer Care for Ourselves?” is a significant help in planning for one very important part of everyone’s future. This article should be distributed to every officer and every church member.

The two resources provided by Danny Olinger in The Writings of Meredith G. Kline on the Book of Revelation: Chapter 5 – “Death, Leviathan, and the Martyrs: Isaiah 24:1–27:1” (1986); and Meredith G. Kline, A Study in the Structure of the Revelation of John, Part 3 provide an excellent place for preachers to begin preparing to preach this rich and important final book of the Bible. Fear of preaching on Revelation is unwarranted. It was given to encourage and direct the church militant through this present evil age. I have added the first two parts of Kline’s A Study in the Structure of the Revelation of John this month in order to clarify the footnotes.

Bryan Estelle’s review article, “Covenant Theology Today,” looks at an important new book, Covenant Theology: Biblical, Theological, and Historical Perspectives, an anthology of professors from Reformed Theological Seminary.

Darryl Hart’s review of Dual Citizens: Politics and American Evangelicals, an anthology of various writers from various periods on various aspects of politics and Christianity from Christianity Today, is a fascinating historical journey.

Charles Wingard reviews Small Preaching: 25 Little Things You Can Do Now to Become a Better Preacher. The author, Jonathan T. Pennington, a seasoned preacher, brings unique insight and suggestions to the important business of pastoral preaching.

Finally, do not miss the third poem in a row by Phillis Wheatley, the first published black poet in America: “On Imagination.” Her appreciation for this God-given gift is profound.

The cover photos, which are often different on various devices and the PDF, are almost always my own. The present photos come from a little campsite in Washington, New Hampshire, the first town to be named after our first president and has the highest town center in the state. The brook water and fall leaves make a lovely composition. What does this picture have to do with long term care?

Blessings in the Lamb,
Gregory Edward Reynolds

FROM THE ARCHIVES “COVENANT”

• “Clarity on the Covenants.” (Gregory Edward Reynolds) 15 (2006): 22–27.
• “Covenant and Salvation.” (Richard B. Gaffin, Jr.) 18 (2009): 145–49.

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.