Marching Forth!

Yesterday I read a sermon of Spurgeon on the subject of Election, and he made a good point concerning the nature of man to complain and find fault with God--even when God allows man to have his own way.  People who hate God always try to pin the blame on God when He is only righteous, just and good.  We have observed this in politics:  when people despise and oppose a leader personally, he cannot do anything right in their eyes.  We observe the same in God's people miraculously delivered from slavery in Egypt who murmured against God and Moses, complained about God's provision and refused to enter the land God promised to give them.  Praise the LORD even when people malign and misunderstand God completely, He continues to draw all people to Himself so they might know Him and be saved.  He does not prevent a single soul from entering into eternal glory (for Christ loves all and died for the sins of the world), but all must come His way by faith in Jesus Chri...

Yesterday I leafed through a book by C.S. Lewis titled The Pilgrim's Regress , and it is one of the more clever and thought-provoking allegorical tales he wrote.  Perhaps the most memorable moment for me is when young John is brought to meet the "Steward" (a minister) who spoke concerning the "Landlord" who represents God.  Lewis presents a scene which brilliantly conveys how confusion, hypocrisy and lack of integrity are blights that obscure the Gospel message and the love of God from people.  With supreme focus on behaviour rather than the heart, using fear to control rather than sharing God's love which liberates, it is a masterful presentation of legalistic religion without a relationship with Jesus.  All I can say is, enjoy--and take it to heart so we as Christians do not resemble the Steward to the young Johns in our lives. "... The Steward lived in a big dark house of stone on the side of the road.  The father and mother went in to talk to the St...

" No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon ." Luke 16:13 "Mammon" is a word I have never heard in everyday conversation, and this is a likely factor why it is not understood.  The most common alternative in Bible translations for mammon is "money" (capitalised in the NIV), but the meaning is greater than dollars and cents.  In his book The Call , Os Guinness goes beyond a definition to provide a useful description that helps us better understand Christ's meaning: " Jesus' use of Mammon (Aramaic for wealth) is unique--he gave it a strength and precision that the word never had before.  He did not usually personify things, let alone deify them.  And neither the Jews nor the nearby pagans knew a god by this name.  But what Jesus says in speaking of Mammon is that money is a power--and not in a vague sense, as i...

In the C.S. Lewis book God In the Dock , he was asked if there are any "unmistakable outward signs in a person surrendered to God, and if that person could be cantankerous?  "Cantankerous" is defined as, "bad tempered, tending to argue or complain."  C.S. Lewis made good points in his answer: " Take the case of a sour old maid, who is a Christian, but cantankerous.  On the other hand, take some pleasant and popular fellow, but who has never been to Church.  Who knows how much more cantankerous the old maid might be if she were not a Christian, and how much more likeable the nice fellow might be if he were a Christian?  You can't judge Christianity simply by comparing the product in those two people:  you would need to know what kind of raw material Christ was working on in both cases. As an illustration, let us take a case of industrialism.  Let us take two factories:      - Factory A with poor and inadequate plant, and     - ...

Paul wrote to Christian believers in  1 Corinthians 11:1 , " Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ ."  Like Jesus, Paul's exercise of liberty was love of God and others--and they would do well to follow in Christ's footsteps as Paul did.  It is said, "Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery," but this is not what is meant by the imitation Paul spoke of:  flattery has nothing to do with it.  We follow Christ and imitate Him from a heart of love, admiration and worship.  Jesus no longer physically walked the earth when Paul wrote his epistles to the Corinthian church, and as Paul submitted to the life of Jesus lived out through him, following Paul's example by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit was the real thing. In his book The Call , Os Guinness had valuable insights to share concerning the importance of imitation in the Christian walk: " Paul's use of the word imitators is important.  Modeling--observing and copying--is vital to di...

In The Call written by Os Guinness, he provides insight of the contrast between love that is of the world and the love of God.  God's love is truly foreign to this world, and it is revealed by Jesus coming to us sinners for our good though we are unworthy.  We look upon what we love with favour that is fickle and can quickly dissipate when our needs, desires or expectations are unmet, yet God is love.  He has demonstrated His love for us by sending His only begotten Son to die for us while we were sinners.  Consider the contrast between eros and agape explained in The Call : " One view of love is the way of eros.  It sees the search as "the great ascent" of humans toward their desired goal.  For the Greeks in particular and the ancient world generally, eros was love as desire, yearning, or appetite aroused by the attractive qualities of the object of its desire--whether honor, recognition, truth, justice, beauty, love, or God.  To seek is therefore t...

The saving faith of a Christian is according to knowledge revealed in God's word, for "... faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God ." ( Romans 10:17 )  In a sermon titled "Faith," C.H. Spurgeon made an excellent point, that faith is more than believing something is true but requires  assent with it.  This perspective and attitude towards God's word is well illustrated by his quote:  " I love it all; I give my full, free, and hearty assent to every word of it, whether it be the threatening, or the promise, the proverb, the precept, or the blessing.  I believe that, since it is all the Word of God, it is all most assuredly true ." (Spurgeon, Charles H. Spurgeon’s Sermons . Baker Books, 1996. pages 369-370)  Here is an illustration involving the Niagara Falls Spurgeon used to show how faith in Christ supplies an indispensable union with God: Some years ago, two men, a bargeman and a collier, were in a boat, and found themselves unable ...

It struck me today during a morning walk that cults remain as popular as ever, and this reveals their tactics can be powerful and effective.  The Merriam-Webster  dictionary explains the history of the word "cult" like this:  " Cult, which shares an origin with culture and cultivate, comes from the Latin cultus, a noun with meanings ranging from "tilling, cultivation" to "training or education" to "adoration."...The earliest known uses of the word, recorded in the 17th century, broadly denoted "worship." From here cult came to refer to a specific branch of a religion or the rites and practices of that branch, as in "the cult of Dionysus."... Finally, by the 19th century, the word came to be used of "a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious ."  Though cults can be diverse, they employ many of the same tactics because they are effective to help manipulate people and retain control. One thing I have generally ...

I am blessed and encouraged by Christians who are intelligent, gracious apologists who take an unapologetic stand on the truth of God's word.  Exploring perspectives and beliefs personally can be beneficial, and God can use these interactions to draw people to Himself.  As we are led by the Holy Spirit, we are Christ's ambassadors to bring the message of reconciliation of sinners to God through the Gospel.  It is important we emphasise the Gospel is not our opinion or view in a sea of options, but Jesus Christ is the exclusive way to eternal life, the Truth in a world of error.  Spurgeon made this point very well in a sermon titled "Gospel Missions," that the divine revelation aspect of our Christian faith can be neglected: "... I conceive that a great mistake has been made in not affirming the divinity of our mission, and standing fast by the truth, as being a revelation, not to be proved by men, but to be believed; always holding out this:  "He that beli...

I am blessed there are countless people in this world that are more intelligent and learned than I am.  My life and perspective has been greatly enriched by their contributions--even when I was not in agreement with those with different biblical interpretations and conclusions.  This has goaded me to dive into the Scripture to ensure I am convinced in my own mind concerning doctrines as well as I can and worked to sharpen my own views with greater precision.  Like a sharp blade requires maintenance to operate at peak performance, so a biblical worldview is improved by sound doctrine put into practice.  Carbon steel knives rust simply by exposure to the air, and unless we are grounded in God's word inhabiting this sin-steeped world tends to dull us. Recently I read an abridged letter sent by Galileo Galilei (yes, THE Galileo) to the Grand Duchess Christina to defend his position from those who criticised his scientific discoveries as incorrect and heretical when ...

Jesus had a man run up to Him and ask, " Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life ?"  Jesus responded with a question in  Mark 10:18 :  " So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God ."  Jesus did not deny He was good, but if He truly was good (as the man suggested but did not yet believe) He was indeed God.  It is no surprise the Jewish man thought he needed to do something to inherit eternal life, for he had been raised keeping the Law of Moses that gave no certainty of eternal life whatsoever.  Surely something needed to be done, for though he was a son of Abraham the enthusiastic man had no assurance of salvation.  This sounds a bit like the testimony of C.H. Spurgeon who was raised to read the Bible and taught of God, yet needed to wrestle awhile until he submitted his will to God by faith in Christ Jesus.  Spurgeon wrote: " I can remember the time when my sins first stared me in the face....

Blessed be the LORD God who has provided the remedy for our sin by atoning for it with the blood of Jesus.  In a sermon preached concerning the sting of sin and how the strength of it is the law (1 Corinthians 15:56-57 ), C.H. Spurgeon did well in building a strong case that every person has a deadly problem with sin we cannot shake by anything we do.  Sin goes deeper than our words and actions but our very thoughts teem with sin we have been steeped in from birth.  Justice can do nothing to help us, because the Law makes no allowance for mercy in judgment.  Spurgeon wrote: " Before thou canst destroy sin thou must in some way satisfy the law.  Sin cannot be removed by thy tears or by thy deeds, for the law is its strength; and until thou has satisfied the vengeance of the law, until thou hast paid the uttermost farthing of its demands, my sting cannot be taken away, for the very strength of sin is in the law."  Now, I must try and explain this doctrine tha...

After being born again by faith in Jesus, Paul desired to know Jesus, the power of Christ's resurrection, and the fellowship of Christ's sufferings by being conformed to His death.  This was God's will for Paul and all believers, and Paul also acknowledged this sanctifying pursuit remained a work in progress in his life as he wrote in  Philippians 3:12 :  " Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me ."  As Paul pursued Christ by faith and obedience, the finish line remained ahead of him.  Paul did not speak as someone who had crossed the line and now had advice for fellow disciples:  he continued to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus by grace. As a Pharisee, Paul had arrived:  he had achieved in obtaining a rare position of honour and influence among the most respected elders in Jewish society. ...

There is no book like the Bible, a book read, studied and discussed more than any other.  The profound revelations of God's word provokes deep thoughts, careful consideration and personal introspection.  Over the storied history of thousands of years, I can hardly appreciate the immeasurable, positive impact the Scriptures have had on the lives of people and nations.  Because God's thoughts are not our thoughts nor His ways our ways, there are difficult passages which are hard to understand.  By faith in God who has revealed Himself, when faced with verses beyond our understanding, our thirst for knowledge is satiated by returning to what we can know about God beyond doubt. In Yancey's What's So Amazing about Grace?,  he mentioned a persistent question many people have had over the years and ways people tried to answer it:  how God decided which foods were clean and unclean under Mosaic Law. "God's brief explanation allows much room for interpretation, and ...

I leafed through an old book yesterday titled Arrows and Anecdotes , a compilation of stories and sayings from the life and ministry of D.L. Moody.  I came upon one anecdote I especially liked titled "Faith and Feelings," and hopefully it will be useful for all who read it. " One night, when preaching in Philadelphia, right down by the side of the pulpit there was a young lady, whose eyes were riveted on me, as if she were drinking in every word.  It is precious to preach to people like that; they generally get good, even if the sermon be poor.  I got interested in her, and after I had done talking I went and spoke to her.  "Are you a Christian?"  "No; I wish I was; I have been seeking Jesus for three years."  I said, "There must be some mistake."  She looked strangely at me, and said, "Don't you believe me?"  "Well, no doubt you thought you were seeking Jesus; but it don't take an anxious sinner three years to meet a ...

I started reading through a book recently titled Christ and Human Suffering by E. Stanley Jones, and there was an interesting chapter that compared various worldviews along with Christianity on the view of suffering.  I was particularly intrigued when the views described concerning other religions converged with the outlook of some Christians I have observed.  It is possible, despite our understanding or best efforts, for genuine believers to lean towards secular, humanistic or religious approaches to suffering rather than a biblical one that walks in step with Jesus by faith in Him. For instance, Stanley wrote concerning the "Moslem" approach: " The Moslem attitude toward suffering is perhaps simpler than any other attitude.  The Moslem is impressed with the sovereignty of God.  All that happens is his will.  He has predetermined and predestined all that happens.  The good and the evil that come upon us are alike his will.  The attitude of the faithfu...

 I was blessed to read a sermon by C.H. Spurgeon which exhorted believers to rely upon the Holy Spirit to do the impossible, to perfectly accomplish what we could never do by our own efforts.  May you be encouraged in knowing God and experiencing the Holy Spirit by faith in Jesus.  Here is an excerpt in the conclusion of the sermon preached long ago but remains as relevant as ever: " The power of the Holy Spirit is your bulwark, and all his omnipotence defends you.  Can your enemies overcome omnipotence? then they can conquer you.  Can they wrestle with Deity, and hurl him to the ground? then they might conquer you.  For the power of the Spirit is our power; the power of the Spirit is our might. Once again, Christians, if this is the power of the Spirit, why should you doubt anything?  There is your son.  There is that wife of yours, for whom you have supplicated so frequently; do not doubt the Spirit's power.  "Though he tarry, wait for him....

I read a couple of C.H. Spurgeon sermons today, and as usual, they were a rich spiritual feast.  What I found compelling and challenging was how he strongly called out professing believers who attended his church who did not regularly read the Bible.  Spurgeon had no quarrel with supposed freethinkers or those of a different perspective, but as a preacher of the Book he knew to be God's word said, "... There is never any necessity for Christian ministers to make a point of bringing forward infidel arguments in order to answer them.  It is the greatest folly in the world...Let men of the world learn error of themselves; do not let us be propagators of their falsehoods ." (Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. Spurgeon’s Sermons: V. 1-2 . Baker Books, 2004. page 27) Spurgeon reserved his strongest rebukes in his sermon for professing, churchgoing Christians who were not in the regular practice of reading the Bible when it is God's word written to us.  He took aim at those who wat...

Those who read the Bible without faith in God--that He is and is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him--will find themselves hopelessly hamstrung, blind and ignorant of the spiritual riches presented to them in God's word.  Those who read Scripture to find fault with God, His Laws or His people will have no problem doing so because mankind's spiritual perceptions are naturally distorted, and there is nothing easier than projecting our faults onto others and justifying ourselves.  Those who willfully deny the truth made evident by God erect endless obstacles for themselves which faith according to God as revealed in His word easily clear away.  I was reminded of this when I thumbed through a book written by an atheist who penned multiple volumes to espouse his hatred of God and defiance of Him.  A learned and intelligent man, no doubt, but lost in a morass of willful unbelief only humility before God can deliver from. My first tip this book was not exposition o...

Often God puts people  in places of leadership or in the spotlight who would rather avoid it.  Dr. Robert E. Speer was one of those people, who for 46 years served as secretary on the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions.  Based on the testimony of his biography, his faithfulness was an inspiration to many who sought to honour him upon his retirement, as the Presbyterian board had an age limit of 70.  As his retirement drew new, he wrote to the editor of a missionary magazine who planned to write an article about him, " In whatever you write, will you not make it just as impersonal as possible?  Let the cause fill the whole picture, and let us water-carriers and wood hewers who have sought to serve it be in our proper place out of sight. " (Wheeler, W. Reginald. A Man Sent from God: A Biography of Robert E. Speer . Fleming H. Revell Co, 1956. page 253) This reticence to public honour is evidence Dr. Speer continued to be small in his own eyes even when others ...