MARKDALE BAPTIST CHURCH
  • Home
  • Jesus?
    • Tell Me More >
      • Who is Jesus?
      • Becoming a Christian
      • What is Christianity All About?
      • The Big Bible Story
      • FAQ
  • Announcements
  • About
    • Baptism and Membership
    • Beliefs
    • Donate
    • History
    • Missions
    • Photos
    • Programs >
      • Barnabas
      • Fabulous Fridays
      • King's Kids
      • Ladies Coffee Hour
      • Life Group Questions
      • Titus Tea Time
    • Virtual Tour
  • Services
    • What to Expect
    • LIVE Stream
    • Phone In
    • Sermons >
      • Coming Sermons
      • Past Sermons
      • Past 5MMs
  • Who's Who
    • Leaders
    • Our Pastor
    • Drippings from the Honeycomb >
      • Memory Verse Songs
  • Contact Us

DRIPPINGS

​Stewart McLean had two rules for his Vinyl Cafe "Story Exchange": 1) the stories had to be true, and 2) they had to be short; after that it's up to you. My blog seeks to offer Biblical reflections ("drippings from the honeycomb," Ps 19:10) in a similar fashion. Here you'll find answers to people's questions, reflections on the Bible, my studies and current events, etc; all creatively Chris. My prayer is that they will prove edifying for all who read them.
S
Picture

Members' Meeting Devotional

9/30/2022

 
Sept 28- A devotional on discipleship presented at our recent Members' Meeting.
discipleship_survey.docx
File Size: 15 kb
File Type: docx
Download File

The Glory of glories: The Queen's Funeral and the Kings Coming

9/19/2022

 
I just finished watching the Queen’s funeral at some three and a quarter hours in length. It had been heralded as one of the grandest events of our time, with thousands to be in attendance (including hundreds of heads of state and government), thousands more military personnel, millions of onlookers and billions watching around the world. The unprecedented actual event did not disappoint. It came off as the Queen had wished.

From her death at Balmoral Castle to lying in state at Westminster Hall, her coffin was then carried to Westminster Abbey, a centre-point in English civilization. The service, despite the historic and contemporary Anglican peculiarities, was one that was God focused and Scripture laden. The Arch-bishop of Canterbury’s rather short homily, apart from comments about certain royals’ salvation, was in fact faithful and Gospel centred. He reminded people of the who and not what of Christianity and encouraged others to follow the faith in Jesus that enabled the Queen’s humble service. Nearer the close of the service a rousing version of Love Divine by Charles Wesley, complete with trumpets, stirred people’s souls. Though majoring on liturgy and minoring on explanation, the service, by and large, provided enough to point people to Christ. Following this, and led by our own RCMP “Mounties,” was the mile and a quarter procession to the Arch of Wellington where the Queen’s coffin was transferred to the Royal Hearse, in which she will travel to Windsor Castle.

As far as dignified earthly events can come, this was the epitome of decorum and ceremony.

As I watched, with a few tears in my own eye, I could not help but think, not of departure, but the glorious coming of our Lord. Titus chapter two and verse thirteen says:

waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ,
The Bible describes this event in even more glorious terms than the pageantry seen at the Queen’s funeral. With suddenness (1 Thes 5:2), brightness (Mt 24:27), and trumpet sound (1 Thes 4:16), Jesus will come again in triumphant glory (Heb 9:28), on the clouds of majesty (Rev 1:7), accompanied by His angels (1 Thes 1:7) and His saints (1 Thes 3:13).

What tears of joy this will cause His saints. What tears of terror will this cause amongst doomed sinners.

Her Majesty’s funeral was but a glimpse of the glory that we will see that Day. May we be ready through faith in Jesus to welcome Him on it:
​
Come Almighty to deliver
Let us all Thy grace receive
Suddenly return and never
Never more Thy temples leave
Thee we would be always blessing
Serve Thee as Thy hosts above
Pray and praise Thee without ceasing
Glory in Thy perfect love

My rough outline of the future

9/16/2022

 
Recently in our Why We Believe What We Believe evening service series we've been working through our statement of faith. It is based off of the Fellowship's and includes all of the fundamentals that all Christians have always believed about the Future. 

In our series we learned of the 4 main views Christians have held on the specifics of the End. Below is a brief summary of these. Given the complex nature and variety of passages related to this subject and that good and godly Christians have disagreed a great measure of humility is produced in approaching this subject.
aug_28_4_views_on_the_millennium.pdf
File Size: 381 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

On September 4th I shared my End-times Timeline as an Optimistic Post-Tribulational A-millennialist. You can listen to that here.

Some were desirous to obtain a copy of the outline I presented. Below is a rough timeline as I see the end unfolding
Picture
a_timeline_sketch_of_optimistic_amillennialism.pdf
File Size: 488 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

To read more from this perspective check out the short book below; originally published in 1945.
Picture

The Centrality of Scripture Amongst the People of God

9/14/2022

 
A sermon preached at the re-dedication of Greenway Chapel, Jarvis St. Baptist Church/Toronto Baptist Seminary.

Samson and Honey

9/14/2022

 
A sermon preached at Kingswood Congregational Church, Kingswood, Glos, UK on the theme of honey found in the story of Judges.

Where there is pride, there is strife.

9/8/2022

 
Where there is strife, there is pride. (Pr 13:10a)

Few like strife, but it is with us.

An argument, a child throwing a tantrum, someone maligning another, a fight; strife comes in many different forms, in many different settings, by many different people.

We may even be the cause of strife ourselves: an impatient heart, not getting our own way, anger, speaking out of turn, etc (c.f. Ja 4:1–3).

Proverbs 13:10 is very revealing. When there is strife know that it is because of pride. Pride is the desire to be as God, to be worshipped, the centre, to have our own way, to determine right and wrong. It may be someone elses pride, it may be your pride or it may be two or more people’s pride, but what it cannot be is no-one’s pride!

Wherever there is pride there is the need for repentance and the Lord’s forgiveness in the Gospel. Repentance—a humbling—is always the solution to strife and always produces peace.
​
When there is strife, we must diligently examine our own hearts. Are we at peace with the Lord? What is the cause of any strife in my life? Next, so far as it depends on us (Ro 12:18), are we living at peace with all people (even seeking to be peacemakers)? These two steps won’t necessarily remove strife from us if its presence is beyond our control but may it not be said of us that we were the stirrers of strife for that is pride and pride is sin. 

Pentecostalism: The Fourth Branch of Christianity?

9/1/2022

 
Traditionally Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestantism have been recognized as the main visible branches of Christianity. However, since the rise of Pentecostalism, with all of its distinctives, it is worth asking if Pentecostalism is part of Protestantism or unique enough to be its own branch of the visible family tree?

A Brief History
Coming onto the scene through an indebtedness to dry and dead nominal liberal Protestantism, the holiness tradition and Baptist leaders, Pentecostalism had its origin at a ‘Bible study’ in Topeka Kansas in 1901 on gifts of the Spirit. More famously it gained attention through a ‘revival’ in Azuza Street, California in 1906. Not without an early moral rocky road Pentecostalism soon burst onto the world stage, largely indebted to the subjectivity and experientialism of Romanticism and Post-Modernism. It progressed through 3 phases: Pentecostalism (think denomination), the Charismatic Movement (think Pentecostal doctrines entering traditional denominations) and the New Apostolic Reformation (a belief God is reforming His Church through a return to a revival like in Acts with apostolic figures). Though not universal it has deeply imbibed the Word of Faith movement and Health and Wealth message. Today Pentecostalism is a broad movement with some 600 million adherents (though about ¼ of all Pentecostals are not Trinitarian).

Three Caveats:
  1. The question the following chart seeks to answer is not whether Pentecostals are Christian in the widest use of that term but whether they are Protestants (i.e. are their views distinct enough from classic Protestantism to be considered a fourth branch of Christianity).
  2. The chart does not aim to support or elaborate on the matters presented.
  3. On both sides there may be generalizations.
  4. The aim is to be charitable and fair.

​A Chart of Contrasts:

Picture
Picture
From a cursory survey of key areas of faith and practice, much like the differences between Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy, it is apparent that Pentecostalism, while related to Protestantism historically and in many ways similar, is in fact a fourth branch of visible Christianity. This is especially so where the “Health and Wealth” and “Word of Faith” movements are felt strongest and may be less apparent in more settled Pentecostal denominations or where the charismatic stage is less strongly exerted upon a individual/church/denomination.

    Author:
    ​
    Chris Crocker

    Pastor, historian and beekeeper.

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019

    Categories

    All
    Acedia
    Age
    Apologetics
    Apostacy
    Apostasy
    Armour Of God
    Atonement
    Baptist
    Bible
    Bible Study
    Book Recommendation
    Books
    Canada
    Challenges
    Charismatic
    Children
    Christian Basics
    Christian Living
    Christ In The Old Testament
    Christmas
    Christ's Return
    Church
    Church Health
    Church Life
    Communication
    Communion
    Community
    Conformity
    Contemporary
    Contentment
    Context
    Contrasts
    Conversation Starter
    Conversion
    Counselling
    Covid
    Creation
    Cross
    Culture
    Darkness
    Death
    Definitions
    Delight
    Devotional
    Dilemmas
    Discernment
    Discipleship
    Doctrine
    Doubt
    Enjoyment
    Error
    Eschatology
    Evangelism
    Faith
    False Christianity
    False Religion
    False Teachers
    FAQ
    Fasting
    Fear
    Fellowship
    Forgiveness
    Freedom
    Gathering
    Gender
    Giving
    God's Word
    Good Friday
    Gospel
    Government
    Grace
    Grey Gables
    Grief
    Hard Passages
    Heresy
    Hermeneutics
    History
    Holidays
    Holiness
    Holy Spirit
    Hospitality
    Humility
    Idolatry
    Jesus
    Job
    Knowing God
    Leadership
    Liberalism
    Licentiousness
    Local Church
    Love
    Love Of God
    Marriage
    Men's Breakfast
    Ministry
    Mission
    Missions
    Moral
    Moral Failure
    Moses
    New Age
    New Covenant
    News
    Nominalism
    Objectivity
    Observation
    Old Testament
    Open Letter
    Orthodoxy
    Other Sermons
    Outreach
    Passover
    Past Sermons
    Paul
    Pentecostalism
    Personal
    Politics
    Post-Covid
    Prayer
    Preaching
    Pride
    Public Holidays
    Questions
    Reading The Bible
    Real Christianity
    Recommended
    Reflection
    Reflections
    Regeneration
    Relationships
    Relevance
    Religion
    Resurrection
    Righteousness
    Saint
    Salvation
    Sanctification
    Sexuality
    Sin
    Sinner
    Smallness
    Sovereignty
    Speech
    Spiritual
    Spiritual Disciplines
    Spirituality
    Spiritual Warfare
    Standing Firm
    Statistics
    Stewardship
    Subjectivity
    Submission
    Substances
    Suffering
    Talks
    The Christian Life
    The Cross
    The Lord's Day
    Theology
    Theology 101
    Tithing
    Truth
    Vanity
    World Affairs
    Worldliness
    Worship

Location

PO Box 73,
144 Lorne Street,
​Markdale N0C 1H0
For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
Picture

Sunday Service Times
Morning @ 10:00 a.m.
Evening @ 6:00 p.m.
​
Contact Us

P- 519-986-4372
E- contact@markdalebaptist.org


dONATE
  • Home
  • Jesus?
    • Tell Me More >
      • Who is Jesus?
      • Becoming a Christian
      • What is Christianity All About?
      • The Big Bible Story
      • FAQ
  • Announcements
  • About
    • Baptism and Membership
    • Beliefs
    • Donate
    • History
    • Missions
    • Photos
    • Programs >
      • Barnabas
      • Fabulous Fridays
      • King's Kids
      • Ladies Coffee Hour
      • Life Group Questions
      • Titus Tea Time
    • Virtual Tour
  • Services
    • What to Expect
    • LIVE Stream
    • Phone In
    • Sermons >
      • Coming Sermons
      • Past Sermons
      • Past 5MMs
  • Who's Who
    • Leaders
    • Our Pastor
    • Drippings from the Honeycomb >
      • Memory Verse Songs
  • Contact Us