Report on Trip to New Zealand

In this part of the sermon: Martin explains that while preaching is central, exceptions are made for reports like this, citing biblical precedent from Acts 14:25-27, the biblical end of edification (1…

Martin references Paul and Barnabas reporting to the church in Antioch (Acts 14:25-27) as a biblical precedent for giving a missions report, showing it's a duly constituted church gathering focused on rehearsing God's works.

Also, Mr. Stribling read in your hearing a portion from the book of Acts in which it is recorded that two servants of God made reports to the churches of that which God was pleased to do through their ministries, and a similar portion is found in the book of the Acts, chapter 14, verses 25 through 27. And when they had spoken the word of God in Perga and went down to Atilia, from thence they sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been committed to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled.

1:29 - 2:08 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I was having dealings with the living God. And the word of God came home with power to my heart. I'm quoting now from this dear man of God, Winfred Davies. And he said, I found that I too was born of the Spirit of God.

Winfred Davies, a Welsh Presbyterian minister, shared how as a boy, he would analyze his preacher father's sermons, but one night, while his father preached on irresistible grace, he stopped analyzing and had dealings with the living God, leading to his conversion.

For whom did Christ die? Having found him, can we lose him? This was the way the various subjects were couched. And it was my joy to share these ministries with a dear Presbyterian minister from the South Island, all the way down from Invercargill, a man who is a Welshman by birth, but who has ministered in New Zealand for the past 18 years, and a very able preacher, very much in the style of Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones,

20:37 - 21:10 Read in full sermon

The point: Grieve together at the tremendous confusion created by the Charismatic Movement.

After preaching on Luke 5, two men challenged Martin for not ending his sermon like Peter on Pentecost. Martin rebuked their ignorance of Scripture, illustrating the arrogance and confusion prevalent in the Charismatic Movement in New Zealand.

However, having said that, it is a fact that in the land of New Zealand, the confusion created by the Charismatic Movement is absolutely grievous. Let me give you a case in point. I have spent about an hour expounding the Word of God from the Gospel according to Luke chapter 5. Where Jesus said, I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

37:07 - 37:34 Read in full sermon

Driving home: And the charismatic movement is now the most powerful ecumenical force in the church today, causing people utterly to blur all doctrinal distinctions.

Martin cites a recent event at Giant Stadium, where President Carter's sister, Pat Robertson, and two Catholic fathers spoke, all under the banner 'that they all may be one,' demonstrating how the Charismatic Movement blurs doctrinal distinctions for ecumenical unity.

And it seems to be the only alternative to the rather bland, wishy-washy, nondescript evangelicalism that has prevailed for so long. So as we rejoice on the one hand that God has created hunger for the pure word of God, we should be grieved and should be broken in heart at the confusion created by the charismatic movement. And some of you know how that confusion was manifested right in this area just a weekend ago. I don't know how many people they got into Giant Stadium.

41:08 - 41:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Don't ever rob me of the ability to go on these kinds of ministries and to minister with a good conscience by allowing dissension or disobedience in the congregation.

Martin shares a lighthearted anecdote about playfully giving Stephen Turner a 'little black eye' while jesting, illustrating the deepening personal fellowship they experienced.

And I'll even tell you a little secret I even gave him a little black eye as we were jesting around in the room one night and we're just sort of doing like this and I said watch out. I says you're fooling around with an old man that has to keep up with his 17 year old son and he kind of pooped on it. I said not today. I said I'll sneak in a left so quick you won't see it and we were doing it just with open hands and I sneaked one in and caught him right here and he went home with a little bit of a black eye.

55:05 - 55:39 Read in full sermon

The point: Don't ever rob me of the ability to go on these kinds of ministries and to minister with a good conscience by allowing dissension or disobedience in the congregation.

Martin recounts his wife's assurance before his trip, despite her recent hospital stay, that the Lord would be her husband and care for her, illustrating her submission to Christ and simple confidence in God's providence.

So I'm sure if he visits you in the future he'll tell you how I mistreated him in that area. And then a sixth area of thanks to God is God's mercy in preserving my own family in my absence and I must say to the praise of God how gracious God was. As many of you know it was my wife had only come out of the hospital on the Saturday prior to my having to leave on the Thursday and as a father and a husband I was very apprehensive about this because she still was in some degree of discomfort and I was just concerned to leave her at that time.

55:39 - 56:22 Read in full sermon