Statement of Purpose

Ephphatha Reformation Ministries is a non-profit organization, dedicated to the Word of God and the glory of Christ, by working for the support and encouragement of Christian families, individual disciples of Christ, and church ministries, with an emphasis on publishing, promoting and distributing devotional materials and study resources.

Values and Commitments

1. Be biblical. The Christian faith is a revealed religion through the holy, inspired and inerrant Word of God. Without God’s Word, we are left to be blown here and there by every wind of teaching. Unless we take a consistent stand on God’s Word, allowing Scripture to define and shape every aspect of our faith and practice, we lose the opportunity to uphold truth and confront error without hypocrisy. One’s commitment to “be biblical” will inevitably mean being Reformed, in the tradition of Luther, Calvin, Spurgeon, the Puritans, Machen, R.C. Sproul and John Piper.

2. Glorify Christ through the proclamation and explanation of the Gospel. “Gospel” means “good news,” and the Gospel is the message of God’s Word from beginning to end. The call of God is to proclaim the Good News of Christ’s saving life and work on the cross. God’s Word calls us to a faith that glories in Christ Jesus, confessing Him as God and Sovereign Lord and the desperate sinner’s only sure hope.

3. Be open and speak plainly. Christians need material they can understand. When a teacher sets out to teach God’s Word, his first concern should be to communicate well and to be understood, not to impress his fellow teachers and scholars. There is certainly a place for scholarly work and writing, but Ephphatha Reformation Ministries is more interested in teaching God’s Word to the average believer as we recognize that the message of the Gospel is gloriously simple and simply glorious.

4. Be instructive. Christians need teaching in God’s Word and not just shallow inspiration through clever stories and endless illustration. If a teacher wants to write an autobiography, he should state his intention up front and not pretend to be teaching God’s Word when he is primarily “sharing” and talking about himself. This applies to both written instruction and the spoken word, especially preaching.

5. Be concise. Christians need material that they can read in a reasonable amount of time, preferably in one sitting. We rightly lament how little time most Christians give to the study of God’s Word, but it will take God’s Word to draw them deeper into the Word that they might give themselves more fully to Christ.

6. Be a good team player by networking with other organizations and materials. Christians need materials for further study and need to know how and where to get them, and Ephphatha Reformation Ministries does not intend to duplicate the fine works already produced and ready to be used to the church’s blessing. However, we will be discerning in choosing to promote and distribute only those materials that conform to our philosophy. They must be plainly written, instructive in God’s Word, and concise. Otherwise, most people will not use them nor benefit from them.

7. History and tradition are valuable resources. The popular approach today is either to spurn tradition for tradition's sake or to follow tradition for tradition's sake. Instead, we must test tradition by the Word of God, and where it is found to be sound, we must recognize tradition as a legacy and heritage of faithfulness. The church's Confessions are valuable resources, and while diction and style can be updated, they are like a beautiful antique oak desk that must not be replaced by a plastic or plywood counterpart.