‘Keep Your Armour Bright’
AS an 81 year old slave of Christ who strives to be non emeritum sed retractum (‘not retired but re-treaded’) I’m an inveterate attender of Ministers’ Conferences, whether that involves travelling to the opposite end of the Earth or more locally to those conducted by the Expository Preaching Trust, to sit at the feet of greatly gifted godly teachers and enjoy warm fellowship with others ‘of like precious faith’.
Charles Wesley wrote: ‘To keep your armour bright, attend with constant care; still walking in your Captain’s sight and watching unto prayer,’ and attendance at such conferences is a great way of doing this, taking in spiritual refreshment ourselves so that we will go back to our posts better equipped to ‘refresh the hearts of the saints’ there.
To this end, I recently attended two conferences in England: the Westminster Presbyterian Theological Seminary Conference in Newcastle Upon Tyne and the Banner of Truth Borders Conference in Carlisle. Both conferences were of similar format with gifted speakers who spoke with passion and authority on Major Clauses of the Nicene Creed (Westminster) and The Beauty of Christ’s Humanity (Banner).
In times when many Christians and Christian workers live and teach as though there were no yesterday, ignoring the costly and strenuous efforts of our forefathers in the faith and pursuing the false idea that size matters, the Church is at risk of being built with ‘wood, hay, straw’ rather than with ‘gold, silver, precious stones’ (1 Cor 3.12), and is bound ultimately to falter and fail unless there is divine intervention.
The antidote is to ‘build on that foundation other than which no man can lay, which is Jesus Christ’. So, here were two conferences meshing together on the foundational questions: Who is Jesus Christ? God? Man? or the God-Man? and: What did he do? Set an example for us to follow? Sacrifice himself on Calvary’s Cross to atone for our sins? Or both, the latter made possible because of the former?
Robert M. McCollum drew this all together at the Banner Conference as he reminded us of J.G. Machen’s final words to John Murray: ‘So thankful for the active obedience of Christ; no hope without it.’
Speakers at the Westminster Conference were Andy Young (Worshipped and Glorified and One Baptism for the Forgiveness of Sins); Nick Needham (Why the Council of Nicaea? and The Church’s Journey of Faith); Conrad Mbewe (Begotten, Not Made and Nicaea and Salvation); Donald John Maclean (One Catholic and Apostolic Church and Nicaea and Pastoral Comfort); and Peter Sanlon (Nicaea and Christian Discipleship).
Speakers at the Banner Conference were Robert M. McCollum (Learning from the Childhood of Jesus, Luke 2.41-52); Andrew Randall (How Proverbs Shaped the Ministry of Jesus); and Lewis Randall (The Ministry of Rev Henry Venn of Huddersfield and Yelling).
A special bonus at the Westminster Conference was an information and prayer session, From Nicaea to the Ends of the World: Praying for the Spread of the Gospel in Turkey and Beyond. With input from a worker among Moslems, the conference divided into small groups for earnest prayer for the spread of the Gospel throughout Turkey, then for particular outreach throughout London, and then rippling out into all the world.
At the Banner Conference the well-stocked bookstall gave ample opportunity for participants to stock up on food for thought in the year ahead. Browsing around the hundreds of books on display gave an opportunity to reflect on how far the Lord has taken this amazing ministry, from the irregular production of a small magazine in London to the multifaceted ministry reaching around the world today.
More than 900 titles have been brought to high quality print, many of them available electronically as well. The Banner of Truth monthly magazine in hard copy and electronically is distributed around the world. The website www.banneroftruth.org carries a wider selection of helpful articles in both print and podcast formats. Ministers’ conferences in the UK, USA and Australia draw hundreds of like-minded ministers together regularly for learning, fellowship and mutual encouragement. It might seem paradoxical to say this, but the establishment of the Banner of Truth Trust has inspired others to set up similar ministries. Not to worry though – all of them together have yet to plumb ‘the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God’ (Romans 11.33).
So we return to our posts with Charles Wesley’s hymn ringing in our ears: ‘From strength to strength go on; wrestle, and fight, and pray; tread all the powers of darkness down, and win the well-fought day’.
– Bob Thomas