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The Aquila Report is an independent web magazine for news and information from, for and about the Presbyterian Church in America and other churches in the Reformed community. The editor, Dominic Aquila, is a PCA minister and president of New Geneva Theological Seminary in Colorado Springs, Colo. He was moderator of the 34th PCA General Assembly (2006), the founding editor of the former PCANews.com

, and past editor of the Byfaithonline Newsletter. You will find current news and information about churches, people and events in the PCA and other churches. There will also be articles addressing issues of interest to the church. Watch for other features that will be introduced over time that will enhance your visits to this web magazine. Articles and news items may be submitted to [email protected]

Facebook comment policy:
1. Any foul, rude, or name calling language will be deleted.
2. Off topic comments, including those which bash the author will be deleted.
3. If you have a questions about post or about why a particular article has been posted, please send a private message or email the editor at [email protected].
4. Repeated violations may result in users being banned from commenting.

Because Jesus the Messiah is our priest in the pattern of Melchizedek, he guarantees a covenant that is better than the ...
26/07/2024

Because Jesus the Messiah is our priest in the pattern of Melchizedek, he guarantees a covenant that is better than the Mosaic covenant (Heb. 7:18–22).
Written by Andy Naselli | Friday, July 26, 2024
Melchizedek brought out bread and wine, and bread and wine symbolize the broken body of the new and greater Melchizedek. I think this is another example of picture prophecy (i.e., typology) that God intended all along. When Jesus the Messiah died, he inaugurated the new covenant—the better covenant. And we remember that with bread and wine. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Melchizedek “brought out bread and wine.” I think that’s another example in which Jesus the Messiah is our priest in the pattern of Melchizedek

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

God has invested great weight and consequence into the small instrument of the tongue. Let’s use it wisely today, to the...
26/07/2024

God has invested great weight and consequence into the small instrument of the tongue. Let’s use it wisely today, to the praise of His glorious grace.
Written by Jacob Leeming | Friday, July 26, 2024
Failure to keep the tongue in check does not simply tarnish a Christian’s reputation; it renders his whole religion worthless. Renders it useless, impotent, and devoid of force and power. In other words, an unbridled tongue takes a person’s whole public profession and divests it of potency and usefulness. Like a small leak in the hull of a magnificent ship, the tongue has the capacity to sabotage the whole vessel.

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

Nothing can ever take us away from the all-powerful grip of the hand of God that holds us close to His heart.Written by ...
26/07/2024

Nothing can ever take us away from the all-powerful grip of the hand of God that holds us close to His heart.
Written by Justin Myko Agpangan | Friday, July 26, 2024
We possess the greatest thing in life, and the only thing that truly matters is a saving relationship with God through Christ. Despite the suffering, brokenness, pain, and problems that we experience, we still have God and His amazing love for us. This amazing love preserves us until the very end; until we experience it full in all eternity – where sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Rom. 8:18)

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

Read the Psalms with a focus on Christ.Written by Christopher Ash | Thursday, July 25, 2024When we read a psalm of prais...
25/07/2024

Read the Psalms with a focus on Christ.
Written by Christopher Ash | Thursday, July 25, 2024
When we read a psalm of praise such as Psalm 145, we are not being asked to carry the burden of praising God on our own; rather, we are invited to join the choir of Jesus as he leads us in praise. The initiative is with Jesus, the song is by Jesus, the tune is set by Jesus. All we do is join in. And that makes praise a joyful and glad calling.

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

Bro. Bohannon was loved and honored by all with whom he associated. He was a diligent and faithful student, a consecrate...
25/07/2024

Bro. Bohannon was loved and honored by all with whom he associated. He was a diligent and faithful student, a consecrated, conscientious Christian–in short, all that may be expected of a true Christian gentleman.
Written by Barry Waugh | Thursday, July 25, 2024
He had consecrated his life to the Master’s service; and often said if it were not for the great need in his own Territory, and his adaptability to that work, he would unhesitatingly go to the foreign field. His life was full of promise, and he looked forward with joy to winning many souls to the Savior. He had just completed a home, but the Lord called him to the place prepared for him in the Father’s house. Had he lived, no doubt but that he would have won many precious souls; but his death may be the means of leading many prodigals back to the Father’s house. “No man dieth unto himself.” “He rests from his labors and his works do follow him.”

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

Folly has the packaging, but its contents are meaningless at best and often deadly.You don’t have to know everything to ...
25/07/2024

Folly has the packaging, but its contents are meaningless at best and often deadly.
You don’t have to know everything to follow wisdom and avoid folly, but you have to know where to start. If you trust and follow Jesus, he promises, in fact he delights to lead the simplest person into profound wisdom. Jesus himself, as he reveals himself in Scripture, comes with spectacular packaging. And in our world, he isn’t hard to find. He doesn’t hide or make himself scarce, and he offers the real deal in a world of counterfeits.

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

But Here Are Eight Reasons You Might Think It IsThe method for establishing familiarity is frequent exposure, even immer...
24/07/2024

But Here Are Eight Reasons You Might Think It Is
The method for establishing familiarity is frequent exposure, even immersion. Ask yourself what book of the Bible you’re least familiar with. Now, why not do something about it?

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

This passage confuses us because it relates to how we process the relationship between the gospel’s promises and its adm...
24/07/2024

This passage confuses us because it relates to how we process the relationship between the gospel’s promises and its admonitions.
The preacher expects us to take to heart both the urgent warning against a final departure from Christ and the admonition to assured confidence in God’s promise without any whisper of contradiction. He doesn’t admonish us to doubt the inheritance that God assures us by his sworn oath and promise. God regularly uses warnings and consolations or threats and promises together to secure us in the way of salvation.

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

The heart conveys the totality of our inner self.There is nothing in the Christian’s heart—whether in the mind, desires,...
24/07/2024

The heart conveys the totality of our inner self.
There is nothing in the Christian’s heart—whether in the mind, desires, or will—that is untouched by God’s grace. Our hearts are enlightened, made pure, and established in the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We know God truly, love Him sincerely, and follow Him resolutely.

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

We can learn so much from the Puritans.“A study of Puritan sermons will show that the preachers’ constant concern, in al...
23/07/2024

We can learn so much from the Puritans.
“A study of Puritan sermons will show that the preachers’ constant concern, in all their detailed detecting of sins, was to lead their hearers into the life of faith and a good conscience; which, they said, is the most joyous life that man can know in this world. The Puritan concern for a good conscience lent great ethical strength to their teaching. Of all English evangelicals from the Reformation to the present day, the Puritans were undoubtedly the most conspicuous as preachers of righteousness. They were in truth the salt of society in their time, and on many points they created a national conscience which has only recently begun to be eroded.”

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

Learning to long for home.Secular propaganda leads us astray on this point and tries to make us more “spiritual” than Go...
23/07/2024

Learning to long for home.
Secular propaganda leads us astray on this point and tries to make us more “spiritual” than God. But he made our bodies. As a master artist, he judged them very good (Genesis 1:31). He took a body for himself — and by taking, forever hallowed. When God became man, he definitively declared the permanent goodness of the body. No approval could be more final than the incarnation. And so we will enjoy both souls and bodies for eternity — new bodies, better bodies, bodies like Jesus’s right now, bodies with glorified senses, bodies without disease or pain, bodies that can run with joy, work without exhaustion, see without glasses, live without aging — or better!

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

Christ will bring us to the resurrection shore of heaven, when we will enjoy our true life with Him and live for his glo...
23/07/2024

Christ will bring us to the resurrection shore of heaven, when we will enjoy our true life with Him and live for his glory forevermore.
Written by Beautiful Christian Life | Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Earthly kingdoms rise and fall with all the emotional swings of human pride. The dream house we finally finished can be burned to the ground in a moment. About the time you get used to one thing, it is time to move on to another. And the constant shiftiness of our lives injects us with insecurity, fear, anxiety, and instability as the good today may be gone tomorrow. Yet, around the throne of Christ, the solace and quiet of the permanent resides without any shadow of change. The weather of our lives here may be foul or fair, but our true home is found secure in the everlasting peace of Christ in heaven.

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

Both his exposition and his defense of the doctrine as well as his careful and thorough examination of the Scripture’s o...
15/07/2024

Both his exposition and his defense of the doctrine as well as his careful and thorough examination of the Scripture’s own teaching of it are unsurpassed.
Warfield was eager to go deeper and uncover the length and depth of the teaching of Christ and the biblical writers. It is here in particular that we are treated to a gold mine of exegetical grist for our theological mill. He scours the claims of the prophets and the teaching of Jesus and his apostles to demonstrate a robust confidence in Scripture as (as Warfield enjoyed stating it) “God’s word written.” He demonstrates at length that the famous cumulative assertions of 2 Timothy 3:16–17 and 2 Peter 1:19–21 (chapter 6) are but condensed summaries of a doctrine we would be forced to embrace even without them.

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

As the West loses touch with its Creator, by what authority do we agree on inalienable rights?For most of history, as Ho...
15/07/2024

As the West loses touch with its Creator, by what authority do we agree on inalienable rights?
For most of history, as Holland described in his book ‘Dominion’, the idea that humans have “self-evident” rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” would have been baffling: “A Roman would have laughed at it.” Yet today, “rights” language is central to our way of life. It was at the heart of the United Nations’ 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which asserted, following the Holocaust, that “inherent dignity” and “equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family” are “the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.” Obviously, the UN declaration was inspired by the Declaration of Independence, which also called rights self-evident, but went further to name their source: a Creator who endowed people with “certain inalienable Rights.”

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

I believe the witnesses of Scripture and common sense that we are first and foremost creatures, not creators.Puberty blo...
15/07/2024

I believe the witnesses of Scripture and common sense that we are first and foremost creatures, not creators.
Puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender reassignment surgery are all used to relieve suffering—not physical suffering, but the psychological and emotional suffering caused by gender dysphoria. Most feel alleviating that suffering is a moral imperative; therefore, so is allowing these interventions. Few realize, however, that the psychological and emotional burden often remains even after transition.

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

Holiness is not optional for the Christian; it is a requirement.Believers are to break the mold of their old conduct, se...
12/07/2024

Holiness is not optional for the Christian; it is a requirement.
Believers are to break the mold of their old conduct, separating themselves from their old desires and habits. What was formerly done in spiritual ignorance as a way of life becomes repulsive to the new way of thinking. Positively, believers are to fashion themselves according to the pattern of the One who called them to be holy. Turning away from sin involves turning to the Lord.

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

Christ’s death was like a smell that God breathed in deeply and which gave him joy.In his death, Christ endured God’s wr...
12/07/2024

Christ’s death was like a smell that God breathed in deeply and which gave him joy.
In his death, Christ endured God’s wrath against our sin. Jesus carried out the full sentence, with no reprieve. This was a costly sacrifice, one that cost Jesus everything. And God accepted it. On that day there was no smoke that curled into the sky, yet Christ’s gift rose to heaven as a most pleasing fragrance. Breathe it in: this is the glorious gospel.

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

There is a manner of worship that brings God glory alone, and it is worship in reverence and awe.We draw near to God, no...
12/07/2024

There is a manner of worship that brings God glory alone, and it is worship in reverence and awe.
We draw near to God, not presumptuously, not as if we are the ones initiating worship, not inviting God to come down and join us, not concerned with pleasing ourselves, not concerned with making worship “feel” exciting. No, we come with humility and meekness, recognizing that we do not deserve to be in God’s presence; we come only at his command and through the means that he has provided to give him the glory he deserves and to renew our gospel covenant with him.

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

What God was Teaching through these Laws and RitualsGod was teaching His people that holiness will be joined with prospe...
11/07/2024

What God was Teaching through these Laws and Rituals
God was teaching His people that holiness will be joined with prosperity and blessing in the ultimate consummated kingdom—that is, the world to come (see Heb. 3–4). Therefore, the measure of Israel’s obedience to God was both the purity with which its rituals were upheld and the morality of everyday conduct by the people. An infraction of either would “wound the land.”

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

The way the Presbyterian Church historically has seen fit to order its worship is to have a Directory for Worship.But wh...
11/07/2024

The way the Presbyterian Church historically has seen fit to order its worship is to have a Directory for Worship.
But what matters to me is that we can all agree that there are principled convictions we should all share. We can appreciate diversity while we also strive to remain faithful to what God’s Word says regarding how we should worship God. Four of the Ten Commandments directly relate to how we worship God, and yet we have no set of guidelines for how that should be done? This should not be. I speak in favor of a PCA Directory for Worship.

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

To borrow a phrase from C.S. Lewis, every worldly pleasure you are pursuing is “doomed to final frustration.”Looking aro...
11/07/2024

To borrow a phrase from C.S. Lewis, every worldly pleasure you are pursuing is “doomed to final frustration.”
Looking around, we see countless people pursuing what will not last. If we look within ourselves, we see some of the same, even as believers, but the things of earth are passing away. Most people are still trying to build their Kingdom on sinking sand.

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

God, in both His essence and character, is higher than all human thought or imagination.Through the atoning blood of Chr...
10/07/2024

God, in both His essence and character, is higher than all human thought or imagination.
Through the atoning blood of Christ our Savior, we can draw near to God by faith and worship Him “in the splendor of holiness” (Psalm 96:9). This is our highest privilege and deepest joy.

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

"A blessed society cannot be formed out of men who are still under the curse of sin."Machen witnessed with his own eyes ...
10/07/2024

"A blessed society cannot be formed out of men who are still under the curse of sin."
Machen witnessed with his own eyes the destructive effects of liberalism in the church of his day. Conservatives who side with Machen know too well the danger of liberal doctrines of Scripture and God and salvation. But conservatives need to be aware that liberalism can slip in the back door of the church in other ways.

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

Machines cannot become humans and humans cannot become God.Modern technology has always faced a certain Godlike aspirati...
10/07/2024

Machines cannot become humans and humans cannot become God.
Modern technology has always faced a certain Godlike aspiration from some of its more arrogant zealots, as even leading industrialists in the pre-digital era fancied themselves miniature deities on occasion. The AI moment is an odd twist on this Babel-like idolatrous tendency.

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

Sinners have every encouragement to trust in the Lord Jesus for the salvation of their souls.Sinful men and women are ut...
02/07/2024

Sinners have every encouragement to trust in the Lord Jesus for the salvation of their souls.
Sinful men and women are utterly powerless to turn to God except through the regenerative work of God’s Holy Spirit, yet this powerlessness is the result of their own sinful hearts. This led Fuller to address the role of the Spirit’s work in conversion. High Calvinists argued that if repentance and faith are ascribed by the Scriptures to the work of the Spirit, then “they cannot be duties required of sinners.” As Fuller points out, though, the force of this objection is dependent upon the supposition that “we do not stand in need of the Holy Spirit to enable us to comply with our duty.”

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

We must learn to be content in God and unsatisfied in the world as we define our identity in light of Scripture alone.If...
02/07/2024

We must learn to be content in God and unsatisfied in the world as we define our identity in light of Scripture alone.
If transgenderism is related to the sin of envy, then genuine repentance can produce the virtue of contentment. Jeremiah Burroughs’ The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment helps us understand how contentment is the opposite of envy. Burroughs defines “contentment” as “the inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, freely submitting to and taking pleasure in God’s disposal in every condition.” Burroughs explains that this takes “heart work within the soul,” “a quieting of the heart,” submission, which is “sending the soul under God” and “a gracious frame.”

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

In deciding whom to vote for, we should not look to any criterion other than the degree to which the candidate is likely...
02/07/2024

In deciding whom to vote for, we should not look to any criterion other than the degree to which the candidate is likely to support natural law in law and policy, the fundamental law for all mankind.
In his magisterial ‘The City of God Against the Pagans’, interestingly, written not long after Rome had established Christianity as the official religion of the Empire (AD 380), Augustine rejects the idea that church and state should or could be combined. He lays out a Christian vision of the meaning and purpose of human history, and locates in this history two “cities.” The City of God is the universal Church, composed of God’s elect from every nation, tribe, and culture. This City is eternal, and will be perfectly instituted only with the return of Christ. The other is the City of Man, the earthly City, composed of all forms of government outside the Church—cities, states, nations, empires, monarchies, aristocracies, democracies. This City is mortal, full of sinful pride. It frequently arrays itself against the City of God, and will be judged harshly when Christ returns (Rev. 20:7-8). However, both Cities are subject to natural law.

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

As we come to the Table of our King, let us give thanks that Christ has indeed put an end to all our sin.Though you and ...
01/07/2024

As we come to the Table of our King, let us give thanks that Christ has indeed put an end to all our sin.
Though you and I are no less sinful and idolatrous than the Israelites and no less prone to make light of or excuse our sin than Aaron, we have One who is greater than Moses who has made atonement for our sins. Being both eternal God and the only sinless man, Jesus alone was fit and able to give Himself as a perfect and lasting atonement for all of the sins of all His people. And that is precisely what He did, not upon Sinai, but upon the hill of Golgotha.

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

It is not about us and building our own little kingdoms.“A church ought to be friendly to genuine seekers, but the churc...
01/07/2024

It is not about us and building our own little kingdoms.
“A church ought to be friendly to genuine seekers, but the church ought to recognize that there is only one Seeker. His name is God! If you want to be friendly to someone, if you want to accommodate someone, accommodate Him and His glory, even if it is rejected by everyone else. We are not called to build empires. We are not called to be accepted by men. We are called to glorify God. And if you want the Church to be something other than a distinctive people, a people marked out by holiness as belonging to the God of heaven (Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 2:9), then you want something God does not want.”

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

Conditions are favorable for the growth of grassroots presbyterianism in the PCA. And, as always, there’s a chance of st...
01/07/2024

Conditions are favorable for the growth of grassroots presbyterianism in the PCA. And, as always, there’s a chance of storms.
The 2018 Revoice conference shook the PCA. It was hosted by a PCA church, whose ministries seemed to show just how far a contextual-missional emphasis could go. It did not help that the host church’s pastor became a sort of “mascot in an ascot” for the movement after publishing a controversial book on the subject. Though the pastor’s initial speech to the GA in 2019 was greeted with applause, Side B gay Christianity and its spokesman proved to be a bridge too far for the PCA middle. The pastor and church left in the middle7 of a discipline process that had moved in fits and starts—with traditional presbyterian slowness—and was never fully resolved. Things changed post-2019. The demographics of the assembly changed and so did the attitude.

Your independent source for news and commentary from and about conservative, orthodox evangelicals in the Reformed and Presbyterian family of churches

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The Aquila Report is an independent web magazine for news and information from, for and about the Presbyterian Church in America and other churches in the Reformed community. The editor, Dominic Aquila, is a PCA minister and president of New Geneva Theological Seminary in Colorado Springs, Colo. He was moderator of the 34th PCA General Assembly (2006), the founding editor of the former PCANews.com, and past editor of the Byfaithonline Newsletter. You will find current news and information about churches, people and events in the PCA and other churches. There will also be articles addressing issues of interest to the church. Watch for other features that will be introduced over time that will enhance your visits to this web magazine. Articles and news items may be submitted to [email protected] Facebook comment policy: 1. Any foul, rude, or name calling language will be deleted. 2. Please keep comments on the topic of the article. Off topic comments, including those which bash the author will be deleted. 3. If you have a questions about post or about why a particular article has been posted, please send a private message or email the editor at [email protected]. 4. Repeated violations may result in users being banned from commenting.