Bethel Presbyterian Church: Worship Christ the King!

By Dr. Samuel M. Frost

Today in the Christian Calendar is, Christ the King, or the Feast of Christ the King.  Within the Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran and Anglican, the day, November 26th, is marked by celebrating the exaltation of Christ Jesus, the son of man, to the throne of God’s right of power.  As Presbyterians, we marked the day with singing hymns reflecting the reign of our Lord. 

Summoning the gathering is the Introit, which is the organ music calling us to silence before the Lord, preparing our hearts.  Our opening Call to Worship begins with our Pastor, Alan McCraine, inviting us to worship the King using a traditional, antiphonal Leader/People response.[1] One might find such a form as this, taken from an Anglican service:

Priest: O Lord, open thou our lips:

People: And our mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

Priest: O God, make speed to save us:

People: O Lord, make haste to help us.

Priest: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost (or Spirit).

People: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Priest: Praise ye the Lord.

People: The Lord’s name be praised (this is not ours, but only an example of antiphonal liturgy).

The practice, of course, is biblical since its main source is the Psalms.[2]  It is also strongly attested for in the history of the Church throughout.  What follows is the Invocation, the petition to God to hear our prayers, and accept our worship; that through Christ we, feeble servants, may be pleasing to him.  This Sunday, our Hymn of Praise was Crown Him with Many Crowns.  This song, written by Matthew Bridges in 1851, is based upon Revelation 19:12.  It is a clear attestation of the divinity of Christ and his exaltation to the right hand of God.  The sixth stanza states, “Crown Him the Lord of heav’n! One with the Father known, One with the Spirit thro’ Him giv’n from yonder glorious throne. To Thee be endless praise, for Thou for us hast died. Be Thou, O Lord, thro’ endless days adored and magnified!”  In unity with the Congregations on earth, with the “tabernacle of worshippers” in heaven (Revelation 13:6), we sing as members of the assembly he is building.

The Confession of Sin soon follows, which is a congregational confession in unison.  To hear us in confession as a corporate gathering, including the Elders and Pastor, eliminates any idea of either member being “holier than thou.”  The Assurance of Pardon reminds us of the grace of God in the Son, applied by the Spirit in our hearts of understanding.  Frame writes, “When God draws near, he has special business with us….He wants us to acknowledge that greatness in our praises.  He wants to convict of sin, and he wants us to confess that sin and receive his forgiveness.”[3]  It is to the glory of the Father to glory in the Son to forgive us of our sins, for this means that the work of Son on calvary is received and applied; the work of the Son to the glory of the Father in the Spirit of Truth is worship.

Our service, like so many others around the world, responds in song to God’s grace with the Gloria Patri (Lesser Doxology), or “Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.  As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.”  This form of praise, again, has a very rich and universal history within the Church.[4]  With gratitude, we greet one another with the “peace of Christ” (pax Christi). Church worship is peppered with Latin and Greek phrases, which simply relates our present work with that great, historic root of our sisters and brothers who spoke and wrote in both languages. The Church emerged from the Greco-Roman world while inseparably linked to the Hebrew foundations.

Upon the announcements of weekly and monthly events, prayer requests are taken, and Pastor McCraine offers the prayer of Intercession followed by the Lord’s Prayer which is said in unison.  The Threefold Amen is sung leading to the responsive reading of the Westminster Confession, with the Larger or Shorter Catechism as the theme of the service may require.  This Sunday, Christ the King, we read Question 26 of the Shorter Catechism (“How does Christ execute the office of a king?”), to which we respond with the Answer: “Christ executes the office of a king in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.”  Amen!

Another hymn is sung, the Hymn of Preparation to hear the word of God as contained in the Scriptures.  This week we sang, We’ve a Story to Tell the Nations (Henry Ernest Nichol, 1896).  Written during the height of missionary and Sunday School enthusiasm, this hymn promotes an evangelism of the Gospel until Christ’s Kingdom “shall come upon the earth.”  Blogger Wayne S. Walker writes, “However, songs like this have become “anathema” to many in the modern religious world because they imply that salvation can be obtained only through hearing the preaching of the gospel of Christ. Consider what the editor of the Companion to the United Methodist Hymnal (1993) said of this hymn as he referred to its “underlying theme of condescension whereby in preaching our superior story about our superior religion and civilization we will render their inferior story, hearts, and civilization as ours–superior.” The greatest sin in some denominations (and even with some brethren) today must be “exclusiveness.””[5] Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Period.

The Lectio, or public reading from the Scriptures, precedes the Sermon, and following the PCUSA lectionary, which is optional in the denomination, I read Matthew 25:31-46.  To hear the Scriptures read is a gift and privilege.  To hear God’s word, written and translated into English, carries with it a profound meaning.  How many times in Deuteronomy do we find Moses telling the people to hear (shema) the word of the LORD?  Every time we hear the Scriptures read, our hearts either grow colder, or the Spirit implants the truth which will spring to its intended fruit.  The public reading of Scripture is, of course, ancient.  Indeed, to hear the Scriptures is to hear “the very Word of Christ.”[6]

The Sermon follows, and Pastor McCraine’s title was, Sorted or Divided?  Speaking of the “sheep and the goats” in Matthew 25:31-46, McCraine emphasized that Jesus did not divide them in terms of titles, castes, social standing, wealth, education, ethnicity, slave, or free.  Rather, he divided them by what they did, and did not do.  The acts of service and charity in these verses are marked and clear.  Jesus has, indeed, taken his throne and has “sat down” (Matthew 25:31).  In the future, he will judge “all the nations.”[7]  Yet, now in the present, before this time of judgment comes, the one seated on the throne with the angels in heavenly glory, whose reward is now with him, is telling us what a sheep will do!  Are you a sheep, or a goat?  In a penetrating way, McCraine asks if our “works of service” are done from the heart, or just to gratify ourselves?  Good works are done from the heart that has been enabled by “seeing Jesus” in the faces of those hungry, lost, in prison, and naked. “When you did this to one of them, you did it to me.”

The Hymn of Response followed with Ye Servants of God, Your Master Proclaim, written by the ever-masterful Charles Wesley.  Line three sings, “”Salvation to God, who sits on the throne!” let all cry aloud, and honor the Son; the praises of Jesus the angels proclaim, fall down on their faces and worship the Lamb.”  Reflecting on Daniel 7:13-14 (compare Revelation 5:1-ff., the exaltation of the Lamb who has “come” (erchomai – Greek) to the right hand (5:7) of God, alluding to Psalm 2, and 110), we fall and worship the Lamb of God, who has been seated upon the throne!

With such exuberance, we come to the Offering, wherein we sing the tradition Doxology, Praise God from whom all blessings flow…”  On the heels of this is the Blessing and Benediction.  We have been readied to go and serve.  Robin Ritchy, a master musician, plays a postlude on the organ (one of the very few in Henry County).  Our Service is complete.

I have been absolutely blessed by the Lord to be able to serve with my wife, Kim, in this congregation.[8]  Our worship is quiet, reverent, traditional.  We still sing from the Hymnal accompanied by a traditional pipe organ.  The sermons are conversational in tone, yet thoughtful and at times deeply arresting to the soul.  Our church-building, erected in 1912-13, is a large two storied structure with a large basement hall and kitchen.  The Doric columns with circular capitols, four in number, grace the entrance of the building.  The inside is traditional – like stepping back in time – with a large, ornate, hard-wood features, being graced with a sloping auditorium sanctuary (they built this before electricity became a common feature, and even though, of course, we have electricity, the sanctuary was built for projection and sound before microphones).  However, what’s inside is what counts, and the members there are warm, affectionate, genuine and kind.  No, we do not have a large group, but our trust is in the LORD for that – that’s his job.  However, what matters is that we have a large heart for service to the community.  Praise God from whom all blessings flow.  Praise Him, all creatures here below.  Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts.  Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.  Amen!

[1] These are in forms of versicles and responses (preces), or petitions.

[2] “Complex Antiphony in Psalms 121, 126 and 128: the Steady Responsa Hypothesis,” NISSIM AMZALLAG AND MIKHAL AVRIEL; Amzallag & Avriel: Complex Antiphony in Pss OTE 23/3 (2010), 502-518; Amzallag, Nissim. “PRAISE OR ANTIPHONAL SINGING? THE MEANING OF להודות REVISITED.” Hebrew Studies, vol. 56, 2015, pp. 115–28.  I would also recommend John M. Frame’s book, Worship in Spirit and Truth, (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing.  1996; Jones, Cheslyn. Geoffrey Wainwright, Edward Yarnold, SJ, Eds., The Study of Liturgy (Oxford University Press, 1978), 186-ff.

[3] Opus cit., Frame, 34.

[4] Webber, Robert F., The Complete Library of Christian Worship: Volume 1 The Biblical Foundations of Christian Worship (Nashville, TN: Star Song Publishing. 1993), 292-ff.

[5] [https://hymnstudiesblog.wordpress.com/2009/07/30/quotwe039ve-a-story-to-tell-to-the-nationsquot/].  No offense to Methodists in general!

[6] Clarke, W.K. Lowther, Ed., Liturgy and Worship: A Companion to the Prayer Books of the Anglican Communion. (London: S.P.C.K. 1959) 380.

[7] The Greek reads “when the son of man comes in the glory of him, and with the angels, then he will sit down upon the throne of the glory of him.  And all the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate…”  The string of Future Indicatives here denote subsequent actions, not necessarily simultaneous action.  That is, the son of man, upon his coming (erchomai) to the Father in heavenly glory with the angels in attendance (see Daniel 7:13, noted in Nestle-Aland Greek NT), he will (Future Indicative) sit down.  Hebrews 10:12 states, “But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.”  What follows, then, in the future (at the end) is that all the nations will be gathered (Future Indicative), and he will separate them (Future Indicative).  Thus, it is entirely understandable that his having been seated at the right hand of God is followed by a duration of time, however long, until he gathers all the nations before him.  By informing us of the Judgment at the End of the Age, Jesus is effectively giving us the recipe for becoming a “sheep,” instead of a “goat” before the End arrives! 

[8] Currently, I have been enrolled in the Commissioned Ruling Elder (CRE) Program under the Wabash Presbytery who have constructed a Program with Columbia Theological Seminary.

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Author: Samuel M. Frost, Th.D.

Samuel M. Frost has gained the recognition of his family, peers, colleagues, church members, and local community as a teacher and leader.  Samuel was raised in the Foursquare Gospel tradition and continued in the rising Charismatic Movement of the early 1980’s.  While serving in local congregations he was admitted to Liberty Christian College in Pensacola, Florida where he lived on campus for four years earning his Bachelor’s of Theology degree.  It was there under the tutelage of Dr. Dow Robinson (Summer Institutes of Linguistics), and Dr. Frank Longino (Dallas Theological Seminary) that he was motivated to pursue a career in Theology.  Dr. Robinson wrote two books on Linguistics, Workbook on Phonological Analysis (SIL, 1970) and Manuel for Bilingual Dictionaries: Textbook (SIL, 1969).  It was under these teachers’ guidance that Frost entered into his Master’s studies, being granted a scholarship for Greek I and II at Pentecostal Theological Seminary, accredited, in Cleveland, Tennessee (adjunct of Lee University).  Frost completed his study under Dr. French Arrington (The Ministry of Reconciliation, Baker Books, 1980), who used the text of J. Gresham Machen, New Testament Greek for Beginners. Frost studied Hebrew for two years under Dr. Mark Futato (author, Beginning Biblical Hebrew, Eisenbrauns, 2003) and Dr. Bruce K. Waltke (author, An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax, Eisenbrauns, 1990) at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, Florida. With combined credits from PTS and RTS, Samuel completed his Master of Arts in Christian Studies and Master of Arts in Religion from Whitefield Theological Seminary in Lakeland, Florida under the direct tutelage of Dr. Kenneth G. Talbot, co-author of the well reviewed work, Hyper-Calvinism and Arminianism (Whitefield Media, 2005) with Dr. Gary Crampton (and Foreword by the late, Dr. D. James Kennedy).  Dr. Talbot also oversaw Samuel’s Dissertation, From the First Adam to the Second and Last Adam (2012) earning him the Magister Theologiae (Th.M.) degree.  He also helped put together A Student’s Hebrew Primer for WTS, designed and graded exams for their Hebrew Languages course. Samuel’s studies lead him into an issue in the field of Eschatology where his scholarship and unique approach in Hermeneutics garnered him recognition.  Because of the controversial nature of some of his conclusions, scholars were sharp in their disagreement with him.  Frost’s initial work, Misplaced Hope: The Origins of First and Second Century Eschatology (2002, Second Edition, 2006 Bi-Millennial Publishing), sold over four thousand units.  While arguing for the Reformation understanding of sola Scriptura as defined by the Westminster Confession of Faith, Frost’s book launched a heavily footnoted argument for a total reassessment of the doctrine known as the Second Coming of Christ.  The conclusion was that the events of the war of the Jewish nation against their Roman overlords in 66-70 C.E. formed the New Testament authors’ eschatological outlook, and went no further than their own first century generation; a view otherwise known as “full” or "hyper" Preterism.  Internationally recognized Evangelical author and speaker, Steve Wohlberg remarked, ‘On the “preterist” side today…we have such influential leaders as Gary DeMar, Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., David Chilton, R.C. Sproul, Max King, James Stuart Russell, Samuel M. Frost, and John Noe.  To these scholars…the beast is not on the horizon, he’s dead” (Italics, his)” (End Time Delusions, Destiny Image Publishers, 2004, page 133).  It should be noted that only Noe, King and Frost supported the “full” Preterist position. Thomas Ice and co-author of the best selling Left Behind series, Tim LaHaye, quote Frost’s work, Misplaced Hope, as well in their book, The End Times Controversy: The Second Coming under Attack (Harvest House Publishers, 2003, page 40).  Dr. Jay E. Adams, who single handedly launched “a revolution” in Christian Counseling with his work, Competent to Counsel: An Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling, (1970, Zondervan), also wrote an analysis of Frost’s work in Preterism: Orthodox or Unorthodox? (Ministry Monographs for Modern Times, INS Publishing, 2004).  Adams wrote of Misplaced Hope as a "useful, scholarly work" (p.6 - though he disagreed with the overall thesis).  Dr. Charles E. Hill, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, wrote of Misplaced Hope that Frost, “attacks the problem of the early church in a much more thoroughgoing way than I have seen” (When Shall These Things Be? A Reformed Response to Hyper Preterism, Ed. Keith Mathison, Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing, 2003, ‘Eschatology in the Wake of Jerusalem’s Fall’ p. 110-ff.).  There were several other works as well that took the scholarship of Frost seriously, like Ergun Caner in The Return of Christ: A Premillennial Perspective, Eds., Steve W. Lemke and David L. Allen (B&H Publishing, 2011). Because of the controversial nature of Frost’s conclusions on these matters, it was difficult to find a denomination within the Church-at-Large to work in terms of pastoral ministry.  That situation changed when Samuel was called by a Bible study group in Saint Petersburg, Florida to found a congregation.  Christ Covenant Church was established in 2002 operating under the principles outlined by Presbyterian historian James Bannerman’s work, The Church of Christ: A Treatise on the Nature, Powers, Ordinances, Discipline, and Government of the Christian Church (Banner of Truth Trust, 1974, original, 1869).  By-Laws and a Constitution were drawn up in the strictest manner for what was considered an “Independent” establishment of an independent Presbyterian Church, granted that a “call” was received and recognized by Presiding Elders duly ordained from existing and recognized denominations.  Two Elders, one ordained in the Reformed Presbyterian Church (Mike Delores), and another ordained in the Presbyterian Church of America (Dr. Kelly N. Birks, now deceased) tested and reviewed the call, ordaining Samuel on October 20th, 2002, the Twenty Second Sunday after Trinity.  Proper forms were submitted to Tallahassee, Florida with the stamp of a Notary Public Witness.  Christ Covenant Church (CCC) functioned as a local church for five years with a congregation as large as 30 members.  Frost was gaining recognition after Misplaced Hope had been published in January of that year, and conferences were hosted that included debates with another prominent "full" Preterist educator, Don K. Preston.  CCC hosted best-selling authors, Thomas Ice, and Mark Hitchcock from Dallas Theological Seminary; and Dr. James B. Jordan (Westminster Theological Seminary), well-known author/pastor in Reformed theological circles.  Frost was invited for the next several years to speak at over 25 conferences nation-wide, was featured in articles and an appearance on local news in Tampa for one of CCC’s conferences.  The Evangelical Theological Society also invited Samuel to speak at the Philadelphia conference (Frost is currently a Member of ETS as well as Society of Biblical Literature, SBL). During this time Samuel had submitted one more book, Exegetical Essays on the Resurrection of the Dead (TruthVoice, 2008; repr. JaDon Publishing, 2010); and co-wrote, House Divided: A Reformed Response to When Shall These Things Be? (Vision International, 2010).  Frost also wrote several Forewords for up and coming authors who were influenced by his teaching materials, as well as sited many times in books, lectures and academic papers (Essays is sited in Worship and the Risen Jesus in the Pauline Letters, Tony Costa, Studies in Biblical Literature, Volume 157, 2013 Monographs XV, Peter Lang: New York; "Unsound and Informally Fallacious Preterist Arguments for Mark 13:24-27." Elton L. Hollon, The Heythrop Journal, Volume 64, Issue 5, Sept. 2023).  However, because of certain aspects of Hermeneutics and Frost’s undaunted commitment to scholarship (with always a strong emphasis on the personal nature of devotional living to Christ), several challenges to the "hyper" Preterist view he espoused finally gave way, largely due to the unwavering commitment to Samuel by the Dean of Whitefield Theological Seminary, Dr. Kenneth G. Talbot, who continually challenged him.  In what shocked the "hyper" Preterist world, Samuel announced after the Winter of 2010 that he was in serious error, and departed the movement as a whole. The documentation of Frost’s departure was published by American Vision’s Founder, Gary DeMar, with a Foreword by Dr. Kenneth L. Gentry.  Why I Left Full Preterism (AV Publishing, 2012) quickly ran through its first run.  The book was later republished under the arm of Dr. Kenneth L. Gentry (GoodBirth Ministries Publishing, 2019).  Dr. Gentry also gave mention to Frost in his book, Have We Missed the Second Coming: A Critique of Hyper Preterism (Victorious Hope Publishing, 2016), noting him as "one of the most prominent" teachers within Full Preterism (135).  Dr. Keith Mathison, Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformation Bible College in Sanford, Florida, endorsed the book as well.  Samuel has gone on to write, Daniel: Unplugged (McGahan Publishing House, 2021); The Parousia of the Son of Man (Lulu Publishing, 2019); God: As Bill Wilson Understood Him: A Theological Analysis of Alcoholics Anonymous (Lulu Publishing, 2017).  He is also active as a certified Chaplain with the Henry County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana, and enrolled with ICAADA (Indiana Counselor’s Association on Alcohol and Drug Abuse), and worked directly under Dr. Dennis Greene, Founder of Christian Counseling and Addictions Services, Inc., for a year.  Frost’s passion is in the education of the local church on various issues and occasionally worked with Pastor Alan McCraine with the First Presbyterian Church in Lewisville Indiana (and at Knightstown Bethel Presbyterian - where he currently is a Member, and is a Commissioned Ruling Elder in the PCUSA), where he periodically was called upon to give the sermon. Samuel, with his wife, Kimberly, helped to establish Heaven’s Bread Basket food pantry that donates food items to local families in need once a month – a ministry of the Session of First Presbyterian Church (Lewisville).  Frost has recently earned his doctorate in Theology (Th.D.) after two years with Christian Life School of Theology Global (CLSTG, Georgia).  Currently, he is an Instructor for the Southern Region LIFE Bible College, Papua New Guinea, and recently was co-published with Elton Hollon for Bibliotheca Sacra (April-June 2023; Volume 180, Number 718; 202-227).  He has a solid, family reputation in the community, and has performed local marriages and funerals.  He also sits on the Board of the Historical Preservation Commission in New Castle, and Hagar's Hope, a women's transition house.  Frost is employed as Instructor for the Henry County Health Department (Jail Recovery Assistance Program), teaching Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

3 thoughts on “Bethel Presbyterian Church: Worship Christ the King!”

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