Word of Salvation - February 2019   B.C.30 – Authority In The Church Sermon by Rev. John Westendorp Scripture Reading: Hebrews 13:7-17 Belgic Confession: Article 30 Text: 1Thessalonians 5:12,13   Introd:  The earliest known Christian confession is simply: Jesus is Lord! It’s a confession that the church long used for admission of members: Jesus is my Saviour and Lord. This Lordship of Christ is a key aspect of N.T. teaching... it features in many hymns and songs. The problem is that ‘Jesus is Lord’ has become part of our regular Christian conversation. So we rarely stop to think thru what that...

You can tell a plant is healthy because it grows. You plant a seed in the ground, and it sends forth a shoot, and the shoot produces leaves, it gets bigger and stronger, and in time it produces fruit and reproduces itself. Jesus talks about this sort of growth in terms of people’s spiritual journey. He says, ‘As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty. (Mt 13:23 ESV)’ Healthy Christians produce fruit....