Sunday, February 25, 2007

ONE SOLITARY LIFE

Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.

He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself...

While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

Twenty long centuries have come and gone, and today He is a centerpiece of the human race and leader of the column of progress.

I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.

ORIGINAL AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Saturday, February 24, 2007

HEAVEN WITH CHRIST

ARTHUR W. PINK in Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

THE CONTEMPORARY CHURCH by W.F. Bell

The true church is not about entertainment, show business, making people feel comfortable, or being in any sense, contemporary. The true gospel is concerned about truth, righteousness, holiness, and most of all, magnifying the God of the Bible. We must not be reading our Bibles rightly if we fail to see these things. Listen: "For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17).
Let us define "contemporary" first of all. As an adjective, the word means, "belonging to the same period of time; of or having to do with the present time; modern." This is certainly not a definition of the "church" in Scripture. "Church" (ekklesia) means "called out ones," or those whom God has effectually called from sin and darkness into the "marvelous light" of the Son of God (Colossians 1:13; I Peter 2:9). The true church of Christ is out of step with the world.
The true nature of a gospel church is spiritual. It is not carnal or worldly. The gospel makes no sense whatever if regeneration does not effect mighty changes in sinners. And what are those changes, if they are not clear lines of separation from the world and its ways? The problem today is our society is saturated with entertainment, and we want that same environment brought into the contemporary church. This is not to say we should not be relevant, for the true gospel is always relevant (meeting the needs of sinners in any age, culture, and time). We are to be "real people who care" (ad) and loving to all men. But that is not the issue! The issue is the gospel. The issue is the message of the gospel.
The gospel humbles sinners, discloses to them their awful depravity, and reveals to them the mighty grace of God in Christ, which alone can redeem them from their sins. As John MacArthur has rightly said, "There can be no salvation for those who aren’t convinced of the seriousness of their sin" (The Vanishing Conscience, p. 60).

Monday, February 19, 2007

YOUR NAME--CHARLES ROSSON

A name is important because it's not just a word ~ it's who you are.
It's part of your identity. Your name is your character, your
reputation ~ the essence of who you are
and what you stand for.
What do people think when they hear your name?
This is much more than an interesting question
to be asked at a game we may play.
You may not be able to change your name (at least, not without
a lot of expense and trouble), but you can change what
people think about when they hear that name.
That's why Solomon wrote:
"A good name is to be chosen
rather than great riches."
(Proverb 22:1a KJV)
Alexander the Great once shouted to a young man named Alexander
in his army who was guilty of some violation of military code:
CHANGE YOUR NAME OR CHANGE YOUR CONDUCT.
Is this a command Jesus Christ might speak to
some of us today? (Luke 6:46)

In a real sense, you and I are choosing our names
daily by how we live. Think about it.
Once more: What do others think when
they hear our names? It's a sobering
thought ~ or it should be.
A GOOD NAME IS MORE IMPORTANT
AND SHOULD BE MORE DESIRED
THAN GREAT RICHES.

From CHARLES ROSSON
readytogo3@juno.com



Saturday, February 17, 2007

JOHN GILL

(17th Century English Baptist Pastor and Commentator)

HISTORICAL NOTE: "He was one of the most learned men that the Baptist denomination has ever produced. His great work, The Exposition of the Old and New Testaments, is still held in the highest esteem even by those whose sentiments widely differ from the author’s. His Body of Divinity is also a masterly condensation of doctrinal and practical theology, and his Cause of God and Truth is highly esteemed by many. The system of theology with which many identify his name has chilled many churches to their very soul, for it has led them to omit the free invitations of the gospel, and to deny that it is the duty of sinners to believe in Jesus: but for this, Dr. Gill must not be altogether held responsible, for a candid reader of his Commentary will soon perceive in it expressions altogether out of accord with such a narrow system; and it is well known that, when he was dealing with practical godliness, he was so bold in his utterances that the devotees of Hyper-Calvinism could not endure him. "Well, sir," said one of these, "if I had not been told that it was the great Dr. Gill who preached, I should have said I had heard an Arminian." (C. H. SPURGEON writing about John Gill. 4 Volume Autobiography Vol 1 p.335)

Thursday, February 15, 2007

PREACHING WITH SERIOUSNESS AND POWER

Preachers cannot quicken the dead, but they can be used to arouse those at ease in Zion.”

How few ministers do preach with all their might! Alas, we speak so drowsily or gently, that sleepy sinners cannot hear. The blow falls so light that hard-hearted sinners cannot feel. The most of ministers will not so much as exert their voice, and stir up themselves to an earnest utterance. But if they do speak loud and earnestly, how few do answer it with weight and earnestness of matter! And yet without this, the voice does little good.

It would grieve one to the heart to hear what excellent doctrine some ministers have in hand, while yet they let it die in their hands for lack of close and lively application. In the name of God, brethren, labor to awaken your own hearts, before you go into the pulpit. A sleepy preacher will hardly awaken drowsy sinners. Though you give the holy things of God the highest praise in words, yet, if you do it coldly, you will seem by your manner to unsay what you said in the matter.

Though I move you not to constant loudness in your delivery (for that will make your fervency contemptible), yet see that you have a constant seriousness; and when the matter requires it, then lift up your voice, and spare not your spirits. Oh, speak not one cold or careless word about so great a business as heaven or hell.

I confess I must speak it by lamentable experience, that I publish to my flock the distempers of my own soul. When I let my heart go cold, my preaching is cold. And so I can oft observe also in the best of my hearers that when I have grown cold in preaching, they have grown cold too. Oh brethren, watch therefore over your own hearts: keep out lusts and passions, and worldly inclinations; keep up the life of faith, and love, and zeal; be much at home, and much with God. A minister should take special pains with his heart, before he is to go to the congregation; if it be cold, how is he likely to warm the hearts of his hearers? Therefore, go then specially to God for life!
RICHARD BAXTER (1656)
*******
“And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power; That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God” (I Corinthians 2:3-5).
THE APOSTLE PAUL

“Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed to thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them; for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (I Timothy 4:15-16). THE APOSTLE PAUL

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2). THE APOSTLE PAUL

Sunday, February 11, 2007

CHAPTER 14--SAVING FAITH

I. The grace of faith, whereby the elect are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls, is the work of the Spirit of Christ in their hearts; and is ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the Word: by which also, and by the administration of the sacraments, and prayer, it is increased and strengthened.

II. By this faith, a Christian believeth to be true whatesoever is revealed in the Word, for the authority of god himself speaking therein; and acteth differently, upon that which each particular passage thereof containeth; yielding obedience to the commands, trembling at the threatenings, and embracing the promises of God for this life, and that which is to come. But the principle acts of saving faith are, accepting, receiving, and resting upon Christ alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life, by virtue of the covenant of grace.

III. This faith is different in degrees, weak or strong; may be often and many ways assailed and weakened, but gets the victory; growing up in many to the attainment of a full assurance through Christ, who is both the author and finisher of our faith.

—Westminster Confession of Faith (1646).

Friday, February 09, 2007

GRACE! UNMERITED MERCY! SOVEREIGN LOVE!

"No truth shines with clearer luster in the Bible than that salvation, from first to last, is of God. God is sovereign in salvation!

He often selects . .. the poorest…the vilest…the most depraved…the most fallen…as if utterly to
explode all idea of human merit, and to reflect the free grace of His heart in its richest luster.

O precious truth!

It stains the pride of human merit!

It lays the axe at the root of self!

It humbles and abases!

It empties and lays low!

It ascribes all the praise, honor and glory, might, majesty and dominion, of the new creation in the soul, to the Triune God!

No worthiness of the creature allures Him to the sinner's heart! What worthiness can be supposed to exist--what merit can there be in . . .

a guilty criminal,

an outlawed rebel,

a poor insolvent, one whose mind is enmity,

one whose heart is swelling with treason against God, His government, and His Son? One who owes millions, but has 'nothing to pay'? None whatever!

And that the eternal Spirit should enter the heart of such a one . . .

convincing of sin;

subduing the hatred;

breaking down the rebellion;

leading to Jesus, and sealing pardon and peace upon the conscience;

oh! what but free grace, unmerited mercy, and

sovereign love could thus have constrained Him?

"Lord, what did You see in me," exclaims the converted soul, "that moved You with compassion, that drew You to my heart, and that constrained You to make me Your child? Nothing on my part, but poverty, wretchedness, and misery! Nothing on your part, nothing but love, sovereignty, and unmerited favor!"

O the riches of His grace!"

-OCTAVIUS WINSLOW

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

PRAYING ALWAYS

"Prayer is air to the soul. Just as the body can not live without air to breathe, so the soul cannot live without prayer." FRANS BAKKER

Sunday, February 04, 2007

THE GOSPELS

"If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself." AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO

Saturday, February 03, 2007

EARTHLY RICHES

"There are three things that earthly riches can never do; they can never satisfy divine justice, they can never pacify divine wrath, nor can they ever quiet a guilty conscience. And till these things are done man is undone."
-- THOMAS BROOKS

Friday, February 02, 2007

BACKSLIDING ON ICE

"The Christian life is very much like climbing a hill of ice. You cannot slide up, nay, you have to cut every step with an ice axe; only with incessant labour in cutting and chipping can you make any progress; you need a guide to help you, and you are not safe unless you are fastened to the guide, for you may slip into a crevasse. Nobody ever slides up, but if great care be not taken they will slide down, slide back, or in other words backslide. This is very easily done. If you want to know how to backslide, the answer is leave off going forward and you will slide backward, cease going upward and you will go downward of necessity, for stand still you never can."
CHARLES SPURGEON