The 1689 London Confession is a classic work on the historic belief system of Biblical Christianity. It was written, actually, in 1677. It was adopted in 1689, hence the name. Charles Spurgeon reissued the Confession at his church in 1855 to strengthen the doctrinal foundations of his church. In the coming weeks, I’ll be walking through this confession and looking at each of the sections it contains. I’ll be taking each of the sections, condensing it a bit, and making a few comments.
I believe that in walking through this classic document, we can better understand some of the core doctrines of Christianity, how we approach Scripture, and be drawn into a deeper love for God and all that He has done for us.

My hope is that this will bless and encourage you in your walk with our Lord and Savior. “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11)

Check back every few days for the next chapter in the Confession. The first section on "The Holy Scriptures" will be up tomorrow.

1689

Not sure what that number means?
Check back in a few days and you'll find out!

22 Volumes

So I just got a killer deal on a full set of John Calvin's commentaries.
Since I'm preaching through James at SIX33 now, when they arrived yesterday, I pulled the commentary on James out and started reading where I am in Chapter 1.
Already it's so rich and helpful.

Here's just a little tidbit that I came across and the thoughts it sparked:

James 1:21-22
"Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

John Calvin says of this passage:
The "doer" of v.22 is "he who from the heart embraces God's word and testifies by his life that he really believes... for he shews by the fruits what that implanting is... we ought to labor that the word of the Lord should strike roots in us, so that it may afterwards fructify."

Reading these two verses reminds me of Hosea 10:12 where it says to "sow for yourselves righetousness... break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord"

We must daily meditate on and embrace the Gospel. Our lives are a testimony to what we truly believe. A genuine believer's life will be a beautiful testimony to the Gospel. We must make every effort to plant and cultivate God's word in the soil of our hearts so that we bear much fruit and so prove to be disciples of Jesus (John 15:8).

Rob
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David Crowder Band

It's always good to see Crowder live. I haven't seen them live in some
time. You hear a lot of bands covering Crowder songs to varying
degrees of success, but it's always nice to hear the original!

The Finish Line

Devotional thought for the day:

1 Peter 1:13
"...set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

So we get excited and look forward to all sorts of events. A day at Disneyland, camping trips, sports events, movie priemers, a trip to the beach, retirement, vacation, etc.

How often do we really actively look forward to Christ's return. Sure, we talk about it from time to time. Just the other day I was talking with one of my Ministry Team members and we were saying, "yes, Jesus can come back today and I'll be more than fine with it..."

But do we look forward to it with anxious anticipation? Remember that Christ's return and heaven is part of the Gospel. It's the finish line. The victorious end to the game. We're guaranteed that we'll be there crossing the finish line because of the power of God.

How often do we actively meditate on that truth and reality? I know that I don't do it enough. It should get us super-stoked. Think about it. Meditate on it. Jesus IS coming back for His children. What a glorious day that will be! When I really think about it, I can't not get excited about it and it makes me want to truly "set my hope FULLY on the grace that will be brought to [ME] at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

My encouragement to you is to really dive in to Scripture. Find a nice "chunk" of Scripture and read it daily for a month. The book of James and 1 John are great places to start. Read the entire book every day for a month. I promise you that every day you'll find something you didn't see before. As you begin to really see the ebb and flow of the passage, you'll really learn from it and grow as a result.

Grace and peace to you!
Rob Signs
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Downtown L.A.

So I'm in Downtown L.A. for a bit today. Just wandering. It's
certainly interesting. Definitely not the "Wow! LA!" vibe that you
imagine. We're about to check out the LA Cathedral. More to come...

Michael

So I just had the most amazig enchiladas at the Mascaro home. Michael,
who gets them regularly, doesn't appreciate them as much as I did. :-)