Dear Brothers and Sisters, I just want to indtruce myself:

I am writing to You from Italy. I am now 28 years old: I am a teacher in Secondary School and I have a PhD in History; I have grown up as a Roman Catholic but suddenly the great Grace of God has shot and deranged me. At first I was afraid of guiltiness and sin and I wasn't able to have spiritual comfort through good works and the Roman auricolar "confession", but then our Lord opened to me His very Gospel and through His Word told me the truth. As You can see, my experience is similar to Luther's one because also in my case it was the reading of the Epistle to the Romans that deranged me. Then I have read the classics of the Reformation and I have understood which is the way God is saving the people He has chosen (eternal thanks to Him!). I have understood that Almighty God is now calling me for starting again a new life in Him and with Him: He is now teaching me through the Holy Scripture (His very Word without any error) and through the words of our fathers in Faith whose teachings are founded over the Bible (eg Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, Spurgeon). But I know this new regenerated life couldn't be complete without a community where I can praise our Lord and partecipate to His Supper together with my fellow Christian brethren. And this is the very problem! You of course know how sad is the religious situation here in Italy. All people in my town is Roman Catholic, but I can't go to Roman Catholic churches anymore, because I recognize that they are awfully tainted by heretical and empious Pelagianism! Of course you understand what I am referring to.
The choice is among:

1) The local Lutheran-Reformed-Waldensian-Methodist "network church". The church is a very liberal one. There are female ministers. They don't believe in Bible inerrancy.

2) The local Anglican parish (Diocese of Gibiltrar): in communion with Canterbury. The service is in English for English immigrates. The parish is a "broad church", liberal one.

3) Some Evangelical Pentecostal churches. They are Arminian and I don't agree with charismatic heresy. In particular they broadcast and hear sermons by Benny Hinn and other American preachers who became famous also here through TBNE.

4) The Roman Catholic Church, from which I come. Here the Romans are the most conservative ones but I am not willing to support Roman pelagian theology any more, nor the doctrine of papacy.

5) Wait and pray God to give someone the mission to build a real reformed church (episcopal or presbyterian) in my region. I underline, by the way, that I am in going to move in another region (with no reformed church, neither baptist) in a year.

I have asked for an help to the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in America: I'm still waiting for the answer from them: I keep on praying and hoping.
I am now writing to you asking for any advise in the name of God. Plase help me: what you would do if you were in my sad situation??

The saddest thing is that I have no-one I can share my Faith and my spiritual questions/problems with in real life. No-one in my town knows what is God's election, or what is a Confession of faith. I have to read in English all the info about doctrine. No elders, no preachers, not even a woman, not even a christian friend. I have discovered the wonderful world of Internet not much time ago and I has been useful to find christian brothers in Italy and abroad, but I am a little afraid about this mean for true relations - according to God's plan - have to happen only in real life.
I am praying our Lord for giving me a sign about what I have to do. For the moment, I go on reading the Bible and the texts of our fathers, but - as for the congregation - I can't have a church where true Gospel is preached. I have my Bible (Nuova Riveduta), published in Italian by Genève Biblical Society: I also can read New Testament in Greek and sometimes I do; at last I have got other books for spiritual learning both in Italian and English. I would also like to listen to some sermons from your awesome English/American preachers (I prefer them in British English because it's very difficult to me to understand American spoken English).

I am a Reformed christian and I believe and confess with all my heart:
The Apostolic, Nicene and Athanasian Creeds.
The Westminster Confession of Faith, which is the best confession of Faith ever made (second only to the Bible).
The five Sola: sola gratia, sola fides, sola scriptura, solus Christus, soli Deo gloria.
The TULIP and Canons of Dodrecht.

Thank You very much for Your attention.
May our Lord bless You in Your ministry, work, family and the whole life.

Davide

PS:
Sorry for my bad English... I never studied it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome!

__________________
Gil Garcia
Rehoboth Reformed Church (RCUS)
La Habra, CA


"Indeed, one might say that as far as the doctrine of justification
is concerned, if you are not on the road to Wittenberg or Geneva, then the old proverb is indeed true: all roads lead to Rome." Carl Trueman

Wow! Praise God. What a wonderful testimony to God's saving grace.

Welcome to the Puritan Board!
You wrote: Here, at this board you will find a group of wonderful caring brothers and sisters in Christ to share with. May God richly bless your study of His truths.

__________________
Sterling Harmon
Coventry, CT
PCA
Deacon
________________

"Whatever is laudable in our works proceeds from the grace of God."
-- John Calvin, Institutes III:xv.3.

"Our Lord God must be a good man, to be fond of worthless fellows. I cannot like them, and yet I, myself, am one."
-- Martin Luther, Table Talk

__________________
Chris Poe--Attending Grace Community Baptist Church, Mandeville, LA

"There never was a man in the world without a creed. What is a creed? A creed is what you believe. What is a confession? It is a declaration of what you believe. That declaration may be oral or it may be committed to writing, but the creed is there either expressed or implied."—B.H. Carroll

Dear Davide



Warmest greetings in our Lord's name.

I don't know your circumstances but all I know is that our duty is to obey and as we look to the Lord and commit out ways to Him he guides providentially. There is one duty which is clear, that we are to belong to a sound church, and so I would concentrate in your position on finding a sound church. All other decisions should then be based around this.

If you are due to move in a year's time, could you not move to an area where there is a sound church? Why does the move have to be to another area where the church situation is the same or worse?

And your English is great for one who has not studied it formally!

If you are looking for sound sermons, then try this website

Spurgeon's Metropolitan Tabernacle

__________________
Satch Chikhlia, Reformed Baptist, Surrey, England

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." Colossians 3.1

http://www.book-academy.co.uk For FREE downloadable pdf commentaries recommended by C.H. Spurgeon, Spurgeon's works, and Great Puritan works.

Welcome!

__________________
Yours sincerely,


"Illum oportet crescere me autem minui."

Welcome to the Puritan Board, and may the Lord bless you richly brother.

__________________
Andrew Myers
Husband of Jessica, Father of Jackson, Katie and Samuel
Member, Presbyterian Reformed Church of Northern Virginia
Warrenton, VA USA
Editor, The Matthew Poole Project

"On land, at sea, at home, abroad, / I smoke my pipe and worship God." -- J.S. Bach

Welcome!!!

Forza Italia!!!

__________________
Benjamin P. Glaser
Pittsburgh, PA
Fairmount ARP Church

Student of Theology
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary
My Blog

Welcome.

Have you looked at: Mission To Italy

Or Reformation Christian Ministries

__________________
Rev. Daniel Kok
Pastor of Grace Reformed Church (URCNA)
Leduc, Alberta CANADA
Church Blog

"there is no creature, either in heaven or on earth, who loves us more than Jesus Christ"
Belgic Confession, Article 26

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

__________________
Josh Hicks, Chloë's Daddy
Member of TRBC. My Blog
The Puritan Pub (Team Blog)
Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

Greetings! Welcome!

__________________
Bill Brown
Elder
Grace Baptist Church
Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

__________________
Chris Coldwell
Lakewood Presbyterian Church (PCA), Member
• Naphtali Press: Presbyterian & Reformed Books
• The Confessional Presbyterian, A Journal for Discussion of Presbyterian Doctrine & Practice
• The Blue Banner Archive

When heresy rises in an evangelical body, it is never frank and open. It always begins by skulking, and assuming a disguise. Its advocates, when together, boast of great improvements, and congratulate one another on having gone greatly beyond the ‘old dead orthodoxy,’ and on having left behind many of its antiquated errors: but when taxed with deviations from the received faith, they complain of the unreasonableness of their accusers, as they ‘differ from it only in words.’ This has been the standing course of errorists ever since the apostolic age. Samuel Miller, Introductory essay, The Articles of the Synod of Dort (1841).

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QUOTE: If you are due to move in a year's time, could you not move to an area where there is a sound church? Why does the move have to be to another area where the church situation is the same or worse?


Answer: In Italy there are few Reformed Baptist Church around the nation, and very very far from my region. I used to visit a conservative reformed presbyterian pastor in Switzerland, but now he has move to London. During Easter holidays I could go to Switzerland to attend a church (liberal, but presbyterian), but it were a lot of kilometres. The reasons to move are because of the house. In Italy is not very simple to buy a house if you have not a fixed work (I am a teacher in Secondary Schools), and the economical situation of our nation is very tragic (not only for me, but for a lot of people, especially young). So I have to live with my family because I have no money to have a house for mine, nor I can pay a rent. I am going to stay in a house owned by my realtives, if I can find a better work there. If not, I will go on to stay here, but I think that the religious situation can't change in both case. Anyway every sunday I attend the "Protestant Church" (Lutheran+Waldensian etc) : I know they are liberals, but it is better to not to go to church at all. So this is my present community and I prey for a real reformation of this church.

Ciao! Benvenuto al Puritan Board!

__________________
Nikki Edmond
New Beginnings Believers Bible Fellowship (Family's Church), Non-Denom
Los Angeles, CA
www.haveatulip.com - Chat Room for Reformed Believers
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I didn't know these missions!
I will immediately try to contact the elders or missionaries.
Thank you very much, may God bless You!

I'm glad that I could be of assistance.

[quote=Poimen;379662]Welcome.

Have you looked at: Mission To Italy

Davide,

I have forwarded your info on to a friend of mine who is the main teaching elder behind this Presbyterian mission.

I know you indicated that you are Reformed according to the canons of Dordt, but if you are looking for fellowship, may I also recommend you look at Reformed Baptist Association of Italy.

They have a number of Churches and I'm sure that they would welcome you for fellowship if you can't find a local paedobaptist congregation to fellowship or worship in.

__________________
~Pastor Chris Powell~
Covenant Baptist Church, Toronto
www.covenantbaptistchurch.com

Greetings!

May the Lord richly bless you as you walk before Him!

__________________
~James Helbert~, Wytheville, VA
Providence Reformed Presbyterian Church, RPCUS
TheBibleAlone.com / The Edinburgh Inn
"Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” - Zechariah 3:2

to the Puritanboard.

I rejoice with you in this testimony of God's great mercy.

I think that your English is very good.

I have sent you a private message.

__________________
~Jay~
Husband of ENS, father of J II. | Indian Trail, NC
Teacher Aide, Union County Public Schools, NC
Communicant Member, Precentor | Presbyterian Reformed Church of Charlotte, NC | Presbyterian Reformed Church

Thanks for explaining. There is also the Evangelical Reformed Baptist Churches in Italy- you will find their website:

Here

[Oops - didn't spot that someone had beaten me to it!]

May the Lord bless your desire to worship Him. I shall pray for your situation.

Dear Davide,

Welcome! (Your English is wonderful: congratulations! I'm very impressed - and I'm a professional writer in the U. S. legal system...)

I, too, came out of Roman Catholicism (with kind of an Irish-American "bent" to it), and I believe that there fewer, more fervent believers in the doctrines of grace than those of us who were raised outside of them, in as dark and hopeless a place as Roman Catholicism. Right? We know and have felt, firsthand, the hard fist (sometimes literally) of the opposite of those doctrines.

Have you any way of connecting with others in your area who might believe as you do? There were none where I am, and so I just got on the phone and convinced a good, Bible-preaching, Christ-exalting, Reformed denomination that the Lord would, in His will and with His grace, assemble "x" number of people here to meet in a preaching station. He answered our prayers! If He could bring together a congregation here, He can do it anywhere! We must never underestimate His power, or His desire - far more fervent than our own - that His people be gathered, not scattered...

You are another to be added to my prayer list, Davide! May the Lord bless you beyond the highest of your desires for solid, Reformed fellowship and a congregation!

__________________
Margaret
Free Church of Scotland [Continuing]
Michigan

"He must increase, but I must decrease." - John 3:30