A Summary Poem

What do we affirm? (Part 2)
Dedicated to Joey Rigney and Nathan Miller

The Spirit shines the sight of Christ upon hearts blind and dead,
Awakening life, then giving faith through hearing the gospel said[1] (Regeneration)
Faith looks away unto the One who satisfies completely,
Hoping, hungering, delighting for the day when we shall see and be[2]
(The Nature of Faith)
Justification by grace through faith paramount
Sins forgiven, perfect righteousness imputed to my account[3] (Justification)
Sanctified to be holy is God’s work and ours,
He empowers, sustains and we fight with His sword[4] (Sanctification)
God is the cause of all persevering faith,
Forsaking His provided means invites falling away[5] (Perseverance)
God’s Word is sufficient, rich in promises of power
To meditate and memorize will never go sour[6] (The Word of God)
Dependence upon our Creator and King,
Is the privilege prayer gives to His people, O sing![7] (Prayer)
Body, house, pillar, city, bride, family, temple
All true believers, the Church, the True Israel[8] (The Church)
For the Lord, for the body, for the world we now minister
Church has proper preaching and sacraments rightly administered[9] (The Church)
To edify one another and glorify Jesus,
All members are gifted, All gifts still in practice[10] (Spiritual Gifts)
Believers buried with Him through immersion, raised to newness of life,
Though water physical, baptism spiritual, replacing the knife[11] (Baptism)
Blood and bread shed and broken for His bride,
Jesus spiritually present, not transubstantiated or merely symbolized[12] (Lord’s supper)
Congregational rule, elders ruling and teaching
Only men for this office, created order has meaning[13] (Church Government)
Full-strength wrath, conscious misery, the beginning of hell’s eternal horror
Heaven’s hope is Christ Himself, corporate humble love, the joy of the Master[14]
(Hell and Heaven)
[1] 2 Cor. 4:3-6, 2 Cor. 3:18, Rom. 8:6-11, John 3:19-20, Rom. 10:17, Eph. 2:4-9, Acts 11:18,
Acts 11:13-15, Acts 16:14, Acts 4:12, John 14:6, John 3:3-8, John 1:13, James 1:18,
1 Peter 1:3, Ezek. 36:26-27, Eph. 2:5, Col. 2:13, Acts 10:14, Eph. 2:1, Rom. 8:10, 2 Cor. 5:17,
John 6:44, John 6:65, 1 Cor. 2:14, 1 John 5:1-4, 1 John 3:9, 1 John 2:29, 1 John 4:7
[2] Heb. 11:1,6; 1 Peter 1:13-16, Gal. 3:1-6, 1 Cor. 1:4-9, Gal. 2:16, Heb. 12:14, Rom. 8:14,
James 2:21-26, Rom. 10:9, John 6:35, Matt. 5:6, Heb. 11:24-26, Isa. 55:6-7, Matt. 6:24,
Ps. 16:11, Ps. 21:6, Ps. 65:4, Ps. 85:12-13, Rom. 1:32, John 1:12, John 3:16, John 6:37,
John 7:37, Matt. 11:28-30, Acts 20:21, 2 Cor. 7:9-10, Rom. 2:4, Heb. 6:1, Luke 24:46-47,
Acts 3:19, Acts 5:31, Matt. 6:12, Gal. 2:20-21
[3] 2 Cor. 5:21, Rom. 1:17, Rom. 3:20-26, Rom. 4:3-12, Rom. 5:1, Gal. 2:16, Gal. 3:5-6,
Rom. 3:28, Gen. 15:6, Titus 3:7, Col. 2:13-14, Phil. 3:9, Rom. 5:12-19, Gal. 5:5-6,
James 2:14-26, Rom. 8:30, Rom. 10:4, Gal. 3:24, Rom. 4:5, Rom. 8:33-34, Ps. 103:12,
Rom. 4:3, 1 Cor. 1:30, Rom. 5:17-19, Rom. 6:23, Rom. 8:1, Rom. 4:16,
[4] Lev. 19:2, 1 Peter 1:13-16, Eph. 1:4, Rom. 8:29-30, 1 Thes. 4:7-8, Heb. 12:14, Rom. 8:13,
2 Thes. 2:13, 1 Tim. 4:16, 2 Cor. 3:18, 1 Cor. 15:10, Phil. 2:12-13, 1 John 3:6, 9; Gal. 5:16,
1 Tim. 6:12, 1 Peter 2:11, 1 Peter 1:1-2, Titus 3:5-6, John 7:37-38
[5] Rom. 8:28-30, 1 Peter 1:3-5, 1 Cor. 1:8-9, 1 Thes. 5:23-24, Phil. 1:6, Heb. 13:20-21,
Rom. 15:5-6, Jer. 32:38-40, Ezek. 36: 25-27, Phil. 2:12-13, 2 Peter 1:10-11, 2 Tim. 4:7-8,
John 10:28-30, 1 John 2:19, Rom. 8:35-39, Matt. 24:13, Col. 1:21-23, John 6:35-40,
2 Tim. 2:19, Jude 21, 24, 25; Rom. 1:5, 16:26, Mark 13:13
[6] Heb. 4:12-12, 2 Tim.3:16, 2 Peter 1:4, Rom. 15:4, 2 Cor. 1:20, Rev. 2:7, Eph. 6:13-18,
Heb. 11:13, Eph. 3:4-6, Eph. 5:17, 2 Tim. 2:7, Ps. 119:11, 16, 18, 20, 24, 25, 28, 34, 35, 36,
38, 50, 72, 81-82, 92, 93, 97, 98-100, 103, 105, 107, 111-112, 127, 130, 131, 133, 162
[7] John 16:23-24, Col. 4:2, Eph. 6:18, Luke 11:9-13, Matt. 21:22, Mark 11:24,
James 1:5-8, 5:14-15, James 4:2-3, 2 Chor. 7:14, 1 John 1:9, James 5:16, 1 Tim. 2:5,
John 14:6, Heb. 4:14-15, Heb. 7:23-28, Heb. 8:1-6 Heb. 9:1-14, Heb. 10:1-4, John 14:13-14,
John 15:16, Acts 3:6, Acts 4:7, Acts 16:18, 1 John 5:14-15, Matt. 6:9, Eph. 5:20, Rom. 8:16,
John 15:7, Ps. 66:18, Prov. 15:8, Prov. 15:29, 1 Peter 3:12, 1 Peter 3:7, 1 John 3:21-22,
Ps. 19:12, Matt. 6:14-15, Luke 6:12, Mark 14:39, 1 Thes. 5:17, Acts 6:4, Heb. 5:7, Dan. 9:19,
Ps. 130: 5-6, Rom. 8:26, Luke 22:42, Rev. 5:8, Rev. 8:3-4
[8] Eph 5:25, Eph. 1:22-23, Eph. 2:14,15,19; Deut.4:10, Acts 7:38, Heb. 2:12, Heb. 11:4-32,
Psalm 22:22, 2 Tim. 2:19, 1 Tim.5:1-2, Eph. 3:14, 2 Cor. 6:18, Matt.12:49-50,
1 John 3:14-18, Eph. 5:32, 2 Cor. 11:2, 1 Peter 2:4-8, 1 Cor. 3:9, Heb. 3:3,6; 1 Tim. 3:15,
1 Cor.12: 12-27, Eph. 4:15-16, Rom. 11:24, Rom. 2:28-29, Rom. 4:11-12,16,18; Rom. 9:6-8,
Rom. 9:25, Gal. 3:29, Phil. 3:3, Eph. 2:12-20, Jer. 31:31-34, Heb. 8:8-10, 1 Peter 1:1,
1 Peter 5:13, 1 Peter 2:4-10
[9] Eph. 1:11-12, Col. 1:28, Col. 3:16, Eph. 4:12-13, Eph. 5:16-19, Acts 11:29, 2 Cor. 8:4,
1 John 3:17, Luke 4:40
[10] John 16:13-14, 1 Peter 4:10-11, 1 Cor. 12:14, 1 Cor. 13:8-13, 1 Cor. 12:7, 1 Cor. 12:18-26,
1 Cor. 14:26, Heb. 2:4, Rom. 12:6-8, 1 Cor. 7:7, Eph. 4:11, 1 Cor. 12:11, Joel 2:28-29,
Matt. 12:28, 1 John 3:8, Acts 1:8, Acts 2:32-33, 1 Cor. 14:12, Eph 4:12,13; 1 Tim. 4:14,
2 Tim. 1:6, 1 Cor. 12:11, 1 Cor. 12:4-6, 1 Cor. 1:7
[11] Matt. 28:19, 1 Peter 3:21, Rom. 6:3-5, Col. 2:11-12, Acts 16:33, Mark 1:5,10; Acts 8:39,
John 3:23, Acts 22:16, Acts 10:47-48, Gal. 3:27, Rom. 2:29, Rom. 9:6
[12] 1Cor. 11:23-32, Matt. 26:29, Rev. 19:9, Matt. 26:26-27, John 6:53-57, 1 Cor. 10:17,
Luke 22:19-20, Heb. 9:25-28, John 19:30, Heb. 1:3, Heb. 10:12, 1 Cor. 10:16, John 6:27-59
[13] Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5-9, 1 Peter 1:1, 5:1; James 1:1, 5:14; 1 Peter 5:1-4, 1 Tim. 5:17,
Heb. 13:17, 1 Thes. 5:12, Acts 20:17, Acts 20:28, Eph. 4:11-13, John 10:11, 1 Tim. 3:1-7,
1 Tim. 2:11-14
[14] Rev. 14:10-11, Rev. 14:19-20, Matt 3:12, Matt. 25:41, Matt. 13:41-42, 2 Thes. 1:6-9,
Matt. 25:46, Rom. 6:23, John 17:3, Matt. 25:21, Ps. 16:11, Ps. 37:4, 2 Cor. 3:18,
1 Tim. 6:15-16, Rev. 22:4, Eph. 2:4-7, 1 Cor. 2:9, Ps. 65:4, Rev. 20:11-15, Acts 17:30-31,
Rom. 2:5, Matt. 10:15, Matt. 11:22, 24; Matt. 12:36, 1 Cor. 4:5, 2 Peter 2:4, 2 Tim. 4:1,
John 5:26-27, Rev. 20:12, Eccl. 12:14, Rom. 2:16, Luke 12:2-3, 1 Cor. 12:26-27,
1 Peter 1:17, Rom. 3:19, Rev. 19:1-2, Matt. 25:30, Mark 9:43, 48; Rev. 19:3, Rev. 20:10,
Luke 16:28, 1 Peter 1:13-16

Congratulations!

My dad was married to Shelia Gail Pettiette in Palestine, Texas on May 12, 2007. I love you both very much and was blessed that God allowed me to witness your union. My prayer for you is that God would grant you supernatural power to love one another in a way that exalts Jesus Christ! May He push you both to depend more on Him and less on self. May He grant you great joy in serving Him with renewed focus and aid in one another. May your lives shine more brightly with the light of His presence. May the word of Christ be the bread you hunger for. May God enable me to love and support you in a way the reflects the love of Christ. Gail....may God enable me to be a rich blessing to you as my new Step-Mom. Dad...may God enable me to honor you as your oldest son by being there for you at all times. In all things, may God be the center and goal of your relationship! Again, I love you both and here publically commit to pray for you everyday!