Mission and Beliefs

We are a Grassroots Mission.

Come and see for yourself what it means to be a grassroots mission! We are a small group of families seeking to be faithful, privileged to have God work through our weaknesses to be a brand new congregation with Vangaurd Presbytery. This is both exciting and daunting. We are striving to proclaim Christ here in Clarksville and Hopkinsville, because He is the only means to change lives with the Good News about Christ and His resurrection. We are utterly dependent on Him in all we do to be able to grow just like the first New Testament churches. The Gospel that changed the ancient world can do the same today and answers every need we have.

We are Presbyterian.

A Presbyterian church is led by elders and is connected with other Presbyterian churches with accountability. That means there is oversight by elders to protect the name of Christ`s church, to carefully pastor those who attend and to seek to follow the leadership examples found in the New Testament. As a Presbyterian, you have recourse when you have concerns and have the right to appeal to the elders, session, and presbytery.

We are Reformed.

We are a church plant that is part of a 500-year-old reformed heritage. Reformed theology is simply biblical Christianity. It is the belief that God is Triune – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe we are saved by faith alone, in Christ alone, through grace alone. We believe “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17) We do not add or subtract from the word of God.

We are a Covenant People.

God is a God of promises. From Genesis to Revelation, God reveals His promise of a Redeemer, Jesus Christ, Who will save His people from their sins through a covenant of grace. God instituted the family. He loves His children and has chosen to covenant with families to fulfill His promises to those whose faith is in Him. Peter said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins….The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.” Acts 2:38-39

Our Position Paper

Pastor Mark Speaks to the Culture of Christianity

We can have conversations about family, kids, work, school, sports, and politics. We can gossip about what she said, or he did. We can go to sporting events, vacations, golf, fishing hunting, shopping, and to the grocery. If we are sick, we immediately test ourselves or run to doctors. If we find out we have a bad illness we will spend every resource and use up all our time to preserve ourselves for the sole purpose of our own sake. We can go to church when we have the time from our sporting, fishing, hunting, sleeping in, family time, friend time, or we may go to church because we need to feel good about ourselves. We can justify everything we do from “I work hard, I should play hard; I deserve this. I earned this time; my family comes first; and my health is important.” We can justify all this because we are our own best defense attorney when it comes to self-preservation of our independence to live for our own interests and likes.

Today we can even go church-hunting. What do we look for? Do they have a good children’s program? Do they have contemporary music? How is the band at that church? Is the preacher dynamic? How are the facilities?

There is a church out there for every flavor you are looking for but do you notice what’s lacking? Have they drunk deeply of the cultural Kool-Aid of the day? The seeker wants a church that fits their needs. Like I said before, they are their own best defense attorneys as they seek to convince themselves and those they are talking to. What ends up happening is you follow that person to the place they discipled you to fill all your needs.

They have crept into your churches. They even tell you we are more Christian because we are non-denominational. But the hymn they speak is the mantra of a culture that God warns us of in 1 John 4:5. This is what you are seeking because you are of this culture. There is a course in this world, that has been set by the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience[1]. This voice is what you have been following unknowingly. This the mantra of the modern culture’s church. This church is seducing a mass amount of people. The secular song writer sums it up for he speaks the same language[2] the modern church has seduced you with. For even the Holy Scripture teaches us there is a difference[3].

Let Me Entertain You

Song by Robbie Williams

Hell is gone and heaven’s here
There’s nothing left for you to fear
Shake your arse come over here
Now scream
I’m a burning effigy
Of everything I used to be
You’re my rock of empathy, my dear

So come on let me entertain you
Let me entertain you

Life’s too short for you to die
So grab yourself an alibi
Heaven knows your mother lied
Mon cher
Separate your right from wrongs
Come and sing a different song
The kettle’s on so don’t be long
Mon cher

So come on let me entertain you
Let me entertain you

Look me up in the yellow pages
I will be your rock of ages
Your see through fads and your crazy phases yeah
Little Bo Peep has lost his sheep
He popped a pill and fell asleep
The dew is wet but the grass is sweet, my dear

Your mind gets burned with the habits you’ve learned
But we’re the generation that’s got to be heard
You’re tired of your teachers and your school’s a drag
You’re not going to end up like your mum and dad

So come on let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
Let me entertain you

He may be good he may be outta sight
But he can’t be here so come around tonight
Here is the place where the feeling grows
You gotta get high before you taste the lows
So come on

Let me entertain you
Let me entertain you
So come on let me entertain me
Let me entertain you

Come on come on come on come on
Come on come on come on come on
Come on come on come on come on
Come on come on come on come on
Come on come on come on come on
Come on come on come on come on

Let me entertain you…

Even the video in mocking God warns you of himself https://youtu.be/4cqUvLvVYFE

Wake up people. You are being seduced. But there is good news. God has preserved a people to himself that will not bow the knee to Baal. He has sustained His people through every century. God again is at work today. A Reformation is taking place. A Reformation that God graced the world within the 17^th century is taking place again in the 21^st century. God in his mercy is raising up men again committed to His written, inspired, infallible, inerrant word alone.

To begin with let me give you a little historical lesson. In 1643-1653, the English Parliament called upon “learned, godly and judicious Theologians” to meet at Westminster Abbey to provide advice on issues of worship, doctrine, government and discipline of the Church of England[4]. The men got together to reform the church of England. The Church of England did not finish the reformation. They went partial, for they sought a middle ground between Rome and themselves. The head of Rome was the Pope. The head of the Church of England is the reigning monarch. The reformers over several years answered back that there is One Head of the Church and it’s not man – it’s the God Man, Jesus Christ in whom all authority resides in heaven and on earth[5].

The men appointed by Parliament consisted of 121 ministers of the Church of England to the Assembly, as well as provided for participation on the part of 30 lay assessors (10 nobles and 20 commoners), as well as six Commissioners representing the Church of Scotland. Of the original 121 theologians formerly called divines, approximately 25 never took their seats in the Assembly. Parliament subsequently added 21 additional ministers to the Assembly (the additions being known to history as the Superadded Theologians) to replace those ministers who could not attend, or who had died or become ill since the calling of the Assembly[6].

These men Labored through the entire Scripture, consulting the original languages, to preserve what the Bible teaches on various subjects the scriptures teach. These men knew the wicked propensity in men to use scripture for their own advantages and purposes. These Theologians also wanted to protect the people who they knew would depend on and trust them for the right teachings in order to safeguard those who attend the church and to preserve the right worship of God. The Assembly put together a confession of the faith based on Scripture alone. They started at the beginning and downloaded every subject the scriptures taught and summed them up into what has been called The Westminster Confession of Faith, The Larger Catechism and the Shorter Catechism. These men wanted the Bible to be the standard[7]. They did this by downloading what God teaches on the purity of worship, polity, and doctrine[8]. These are set as the standards of doctrine, subordinate to the Bible alone. These men sought to download the teachings from the scriptures alone – to rely on the prophets, the apostles, and Jesus Christ, the chief cornerstone, and placed them into 33 chapters.

The labor of these men shows the faithfulness committed to God and His word alone. Take note that The assembly met extensively over a decade of turmoil (The English Civil War) —1,330 times from 1643 to 1652—and then appeared to meet for another year, likely on a weekly basis. The divines gathered Monday through Friday, beginning their days at 6 a.m. with a lecture and prayer, followed by a sermon from a probationary minister, and then held committee meetings. The plenary sessions began at nine a.m. and consisted of debating the day’s proposition until lunch (usually breaking between noon and two p.m.). After lunch were further committee meetings until around five p.m. or later. In all, Van Dixhoorn notes that at least 2,400 people were present on 11,300 separate occurrences during the assembly. While the divines’ initial aim was to reform the Thirty-Nine Articles, eventually they pursued a full-scale reformation of English worship, doctrine, and church government[9]. For a full scope of this assemble see Chad van Dixhoorn magnum opus work[10].

Let’s get back to the need for reformation today. The importance of which cannot be underestimated. We are considering matters of life and death. First, are you really a Christian? Well, it would help if I defined what “Christian” means. The term Christian replaced the term disciple in Antioch[11]. Christian means follower of Jesus Christ alone. The disciples were being faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Himself tell us in Matthew 28:19-20: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.[12]” Notice what Jesus says: Go and make disciples of all nations. We do this by spreading the knowledge of and salvation in Christ alone[13]. That His Life, Death, and Resurrection, are the only grounds of our salvation. As well as His Perfect obedience under the Law, His sacrificial Death as the appeasement of God`s wrath justly due to sinners, and His blood to cleanse us from all our sins[14]. He teaches us to baptize repentant sinners in the pagan culture we find ourselves in. Then Jesus states a very important fact. This fact has been eliminated in may churches for the sake of gaining members or filling the pockets of these teachers who seek numbers instead of obedience to Jesus Christ. Jesus said in Matt 20:20,” Teaching them to follow all that I commanded you.” The word commanded entellō means to command, give commandment, give charge[15] . This means that we as the Church under the leadership of Christ must teach our people what Christ said to make followers, disciples, Christians of Jesus Christ alone.

Up to this point in your life, I am sure you would call yourself a Christian. Well let’s dig deeper. Let’s look at what Jesus Christ tells you and then let’s ask ourselves, “Am I obeying Christ? listening to what He said? Am I a follower, or just another body in a church that fits my needs? A church that I love. The contemporary worship where I can be moved and inspired and sing. A church in which I love the children’s program. A church in which I love that the preacher captivates me with his humor and stories. If this is you, you may want to stop reading from this point on. Or at least have 911 pinned on your cell phone so that just before you pass out you can have medics save you. Since we are Reformers here in the 21st century we see the need to make disciples followers of Jesus Christ, who as followers make followers. This lack of teaching congregations’ parishioners and church members to follow Jesus has not only destroyed countless souls but has had a devasting effect on our society. The Church today has lost the nations. The Church today will be held accountable to this failure. The head of the Church, the Lord Jesus, said in Matt 5:13-17: “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Today the Church and the world are on the same page. The world has invaded the church and caused the Church (those who profess faith in Christ) to be “no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “ The works that would make people know to praise our Father in heaven is not walking the little old lady across the street. That is good but even an atheist, Buddhist, Hindu, etc. could do that. But God`s Word teaches us to make His works known. Isaiah 12:4-6: And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name, make known His deeds among the peoples, proclaim that His name is exalted. 5 Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth.” Jesus said, Go! Psalm 145:4: One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. Jesus said in John 17:18: As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. So, we do not miss this as Jesus said in Luke 4:43: “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” Jesus sends us in John 17:20: “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.” Jesus prays for us here in the 21^st century but only those who believe in the word of the apostles found in Scripture alone. The Apostle John in his letter 1 John 4:6 says: Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error”. The us is not me or a preacher or a book: It’s the word of God. A faithful preacher IS ONE WHO POINTS US TO CONSISNTLY LOOK TO THE WORDS OF Scripture alone. So, we see that a disciple makes Christ and his works Known.

Let’s take a close look as I teach you what Christ has commanded you so that you can follow him. Be who you claim to say you are.

Jesus tells us in Luke 9:23-26, 57-62 [ESV] 23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

Christ tells us to deny self which means we don’t put our needs, desires, and preoccupations first. It’s a call to lose our lives for Him! To spend our time of sojourning to follow Him. If you choose to spare your life you have to spend it on yourself and you will lose your life of inheritance and prove you never followed Jesus Christ because you never offered your body as a living sacrifice holy acceptable to God which is your spiritual service [16]. If you want to save your life Jesus said you will lose your life. Well, how would we save our lives? Saving our lives means we do not deny self we prioritize our needs first. Let’s see what more Jesus says about this. Jesus tells those who have been attending his words in Matt 19:29 [ESV] 29 And everyone who has left[17] houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.” If we are able to prioritize following Christ’s promises that for what we left, He would give us back a hundredfold. Mark gives us more of what Christ said to help make sure we understand this in Mar 10:29-31 [ESV] 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. So we see That Christ wants us to follow him no matter the cost. But he will give those who deny self and all their own a hundredfold now and, in the life, to come.”

Well at this point I am sure some of you are coming up with excuses. There were already others who tried that, as there will be others who will do the same thing. I come to you reader! What excuses will you give? My Job, my House, my kids, my wife, my family, my pension, my retirement, I am over worked now! Let’s look at some of the excuses others have made directly to Jesus and let’s see what he says to them and to us. Luke 9: 57: As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Wow! Did you catch that last word Jesus said? Let’s read it again “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” If you were introduced to Christ and chose not to go forward with all he said Jesus tells you, you’re not fit for the kingdom in which he came and preached. This is the message of Christ in Mat 4:23 [ESV] 23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. This is what the Apostle Paul preached. Act 28:31 says [ESV] 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. This is the same message we preach because it’s God`s word. He does not change nor does His word.

How many times have you listened to sermons, podcasts, read different books and basically sipped coffee and talked with other church attendees about end times, 5 points, the next car meet or college football game? I bet up to this point you come, hear praise music, a dynamic speaker who assures you God has a plan for you. Usually, this plan centers on all your needs, your family, your health, pension vacations, basically a genie on a cross who is there to serve your needs and wants so you can live your best life now. Let me break the news to you as subtly as possible: You are serving an idol! A fictitious god after the preacher’s own desires to take your money while entertaining you to hell. Well before you hate this messenger and servant of Christ, let me remind you I actually care for you and want you to hear Jesus. So enough of me. Let’s look at this cost of following Christ. Luke 14:25-35 [ESV] 25 Now great crowds accompanied him (Just like you and many others have), and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate (Hebrew expression which means love less than Christ who died for you) his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. 34 “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” I am sure Christ`s words are clear. So, you said a sinner’s prayer, or you walked down an aisle and the professing leader said you’re saved but I bet he forgot to tell you what Jesus just told you. Did you count the cost to follow him? Do you realize there is a cost to follow him? It’s going to cost you everything. But is not Christ everything to you? If He is not, you have nothing of Him. That is why those who profess Christ have no salt. Listen to Jesus: “It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. “ I pray you have ears to hear Jesus right now (by the way I just prayed to the Lord to grant you ears that hear.)

Let’s get back to the cost. Listen again to Jesus. Matthew 10:22-24, 34-39 [ESV] 22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. … 34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Let’s sum up Christ`s words

1. And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake.

2. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

3. A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.

4. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

5. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Up to this point can you call yourself a disciple of Jesus Christ? Well, are you a Christian? Remember a Christian is one who follows Christ, a disciple. Maybe the church you have been supporting makes you follow that leader instead of the only one Jesus Christ. Maybe you just don’t care. Maybe you enjoy the status quo of those around you. It’s possible you just want to be a spectator. That’s a high cost for the sake of losing your soul. Maybe you’re kept as a spectator because the church leader fears for his income and does not want another voice. Well, if you are serious and you want to follow Christ and learn to be his witness to those whom God has placed in your life. We here at Pathway Presbyterian Church take our ministry seriously. We’ve been taking God`s word seriously since the Reformation. By this point you can see, we are all about the Word of God. We preach through whole books of the Bible. 2Cor 4:1-3 [ESV] 1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. We Follow Jesus and we are Teaching people to follow Christ and equip them for this task through our small group gatherings and our main gathering on the Lord`s day. When Jesus said in Luke 6:40: “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” We will train our congregation. This is taught in Eph 4:11-16 [ESV] 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

If you are serious about your walk with Christ. If you’re tired of being entertained – do you want to grow in your knowledge? 2 Peter 3:18: But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.

For more information see our website and social media sites here.

www.pathwaypresbyterian.com

https://www.facebook.com/PPCClarksville

www.vanguardpresbyterianchurch.com

[1] https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/eph/2/2/s_1099002

[2] https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/1jo/4/5/s_1163005

[3] https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/1jo/4/5/s_1163005

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Confession_of_Faith

[5] https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/col/1/18/s_1108018

[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_members_of_the_Westminster_Assembly

[7] https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/2ti/3/16/s_1128016

[8] https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2021/01/the-context-of-the-westminster-assembly/