The Principles of Separation
The Fashion of the World (43 min)
Michael Penfold preaches on separation from the world in connection with clothing, jewellery, cosmetics, piercing and tattoos. After establishing the fact that the Bible is concerned with the outward appearance of God’s people, Michael outlines 10 scriptural “guiding principles” by which to judge all issues of dress and appearance. Scripture readings: Prov 6:24-25, 7:10, Eze 23:40, 44, 1 Tim 2:8-10, 1 Pet 3:3-4 (Message preached 7th Jun 2018)
Assembly Separation (39 min)
Michael Penfold examines the history, beliefs and influence of two dangerous forces within Christendom – the Ecumenical and Charismatic Movements. Warnings and guidance are given from scripture, combined with an exhortation to “Come out from among them and be separate” (2 Cor 6:17) (Message preached 18th May 2014)
A Forbidden Friendship (37 min)
David West preaches on the command of 1 John 2:15 – “love not the world”. In expounding this topic he poses three questions: 1. What does the Bible mean by the expression “the world”? 2. What are “the things that are in the world”? and 3. What is the relationship of the believer to the world? Explaining that the Greek word “kosmos” indicates “the world system”, David answers the three questions and sounds a call for Christian not to “love…
The Unequal Yoke (37 min)
Mervyn Hall preaches on the issue of the “unequal yoke” from 2 Cor 6:13-18, the key NT passage on separation. Mervyn works through the passage using 4 headings; 1. the apostolic authority, 2. the logical argument, 3. the OT analogy and 4. the only action (“Come out”). He applies Paul’s prohibition about the unequal yoke to marital, financial, political and social situations, but cautions against taking the principle to an extreme (Message preached 17th May 2018)
Israel Shall Dwell Alone (38 min)
Tom West preaches on the Israel’s separation as a picture of ours. He takes up the subject under three headings: the strangeness, strength and sufficiency of separation. Israel’s walk and worship were designed to be different to the surrounding nations. “Dwelling alone” and not intermingling meant they remained strong and retained their identity. In this difficult path, God promised to meet all their needs. Readings: Exod 34:11-17, Num 22:1-2, 5-6, 23:7-10, Deut 7:1-6, 17:14-15. (Message preached 10th May 2018)
Separation in Picture and Type (47 min)
Norman Mellish speaks on the topic of separation from various pictures and types in the Old Testament. He draws principles of separation from Genesis Ch 1 and the creation week, from Leviticus 11 and the instructions regarding clean and unclean animals, and from Nehemiah Chs 1-6 where walls were built and the testimony of God was preserved. (Message preached 3rd May 2018)
What is Separation? (45 min)
Peter Scarsbrook opens a series of 8 messages on the topic of ‘separation’ and begins by defining what Biblical separation is. He first contrasts it with two unscriptural extremes – isolation, on the one hand, and integration on the other. He then outlines the truth of separation from 2 Cor 6:13-18 before finally pointing to 4 principles that inform a Christian’s separation: 1. The character of God, 2. The cross, 3. The Word of God and 4. The example of…
