Fellowship Is What It Is All About

We are at the fourth week in the CTI program, and I can not begin to explain the enjoyment, the spiritual growth, and the fellowship that all the CTI students have encountered thus far.  This past weekend the whole congregation went to a retreat weekend.  Never in my life have I gone to a retreat where a congregation has spent a whole weekend in fellowship with one another, in order that the congregation can become a family as Christ has intended for His Bride.  I got to know the congregation this week and got into conversations with some of the members and was able to talk about their testimonies and how they came to know Christ and how they ended up in the Church.  I was able to give my testimony to the younger people of the congregation and was able to have casual conversations about what life is like in America.  All who attended the weekend had fun; we played games, we had a concert, we ate together, but most importantly we were able to hear the Word of God together everyday!

All the games were done in pairs or in groups.  The games helped you get to know the people who are in the congregation better.  The camp offered to teach some of us to do some archery which I gladly accepted (I didn’t get a bull’s-eye).  Dewey and I played football (soccer) with the native Scots and they beat us!   But, the one thing the whole congregation was able to do was memorize John 15:12, “This is my commandment; that you love one another as I have loved you.”  Andrew preached on this verse and what it means to actually follow it.  He told us that we are sinners and don’t deserve love, but Christ loves His children anyway.  It is this reason that we are even able to love another, because Christ first loved us.  We must depend on Christ, and remember the love Christ has for us; this is how we are able to love one another.  This was the theme of the weekend, and I believe it was carried out at the weekend.

I enjoyed having fellowship with people from a different culture.  It just shows that God’s redemption nature reaches beyond the oceans, the mountains, and the land.  I may have left my family back home in the USA, but I know that I have a family here in Airdrie; they are my brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

American Werewolf in Scotland

Greetings, Scotland fans.  This is the third member of the CTI program, the one and only, Ryan Dewey.  For those who don’t know much about me, I’m an American from Buffalo, NY.  It is by far the best town in the world.  Well I have a bias.  Anyway I’m studying for a semester over here in Scotland.  I thank Geneva for giving me this great opportunity.  I’m a senior at Geneva.  Man, where does the time go?  But I’m so thankful for the wisdom and experiences God has given me through that school.  If you’re thinking about going to college, check out Geneva.

My first impressions of the UK have been great.  Everyone has been really kind.  I love meeting new people from the RP Church in Airdrie.  Reverend Quigley has brought powerful sermons every week.  The beauty of it is he lets God’s word speak for itself.  The weather in Scotland is very different from home.  It is a lot cooler than home for September.  It also seems to rain every other day, but I’m from Buffalo and it doesn’t bother me.  I love the look of the UK.  It has more history than the USA, and you see it in the towns.  I mean, when do you get to see a real castle in the States?  The countryside is so beautiful too.  Because it rains a lot everything is a whole lot greener.  Beautiful mountains and fields that only the Lord could have made.

I know it’s only been a few weeks, but I have already learned so much about myself, my God, and ministry.  Both Reverend Quigley and Dick Knodel are great, godly men to learn from.  I know this trip was worth it and it has only begun.  Also we read awesome books about theology, ministry, Paul, and evangelism.  These authors have been touched by the Spirit to share with their readers.  I love all the books I have.  And it’s not just reading.  We get to see parts of Scotland too.  We have had two trips already.  One to Dumbarton Castle and the other was Loch Lomond.  It’s great to see all of this beautiful land.

This past weekend we went to the town of  Stranraer.  There is another RP church there that hands out leaflets to promote their church, so we helped out.  There was also a group from Northern Ireland who helped too.  They all were very friendly.  I had fun in fellowship and spreading the news about Christ’s Church.  Christianity is really struggling over here, but I know God will not let His church fall.  But that doesn’t mean we should just sit and wait for Him to do it.  We are all called to take His Good News to the streets.  I have seen the power of the Gospel firsthand.  God uses us to spread His truth and grow His Church.

While I have been here I have thought these questions.  Are our lives reflecting Christ?  Are we thirsting and hungering for righteousness?  Do we trust the Spirit to make us more like Christ?  Are we striving to become like Christ?  Are we willing to suffer for Christ?  These are my challenges for all of us.  I leave you with this verse.  Romans 13:13-14 “Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”  Thanks for reading.

CTI Week 2

Greetings blog readers!  My name is David  Duly, and I am 21 years old, and I come from Northern Ireland.  Unlike the other two students doing the course, I am coming out of a work background and not from an educational one.   Last year I had the privilege to sit in on some of the seminars that were being held, and I was strongly convicted that I should be bringing myself to study and examine the doctrines of Christianity.  Well, here I am.

 

We have all settled into Tim’s house quite comfortably, and we are all really thankful to God for the great times of fellowship that we have already had with the congregation. We really are thankful for the great welcome we have received.  This week we went on a trip to Loch Lomond and spent Wednesday afternoon with Jimmy Fisher.  The time we spent around the beauty of God’s Creation provoked us to discuss the Creator, His love, His mercy, and our families.  It was a greatly rewarding experience as we all know Jimmy from the Church but to spend an afternoon with him was great fun and a great time of brotherly fellowship for all of us.

 

We are continuing to read through our books and this week the seminars have started. We all have been greatly strengthened and challenged by these seminars.  We are all eager to express our views and discuss the many doctrinal views we have been studying.  Reverend Quigley has been great in provoking us to read, think, and meditate on Christ’s Kingdom.

 

This week we were able to meet and talk to Pastor Sakai from the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Japan.  While talking to him it really impressed upon my mind the true fellowship that we all can experience in Christ and how he has gathered us from all the ends of the earth.  To think that here in Airdrie Church we have not just Scottish but also American, Irish, and Japanese all brought together in Christ.  Praise God!