Happy Reformation Day!!!

On this day, in the year 1517, a pious and Augustinian monk named Martin Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses onto the door of the Wittenberg church. Every pound of the hammer sent ripples through Christendom, and put Luther at odds with the two most powerful men in the world - the pope in Rome, and standing before Charles V. Accused of heresy, he was ordered to recant for the peace and safety of the temporal order. But finally, after long days of struggle with God and his own conscience he said,

"Since your majesty and your lordships desire a simple reply, I will answer without horns and without teeth. Unless I am convicted by Scripture or plain reason, I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other. My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot, and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other. God help me. Amen."

If that don't make your spine tingle, you need to check your pulse.
Happy Reformation Day!

-BH

God's Testimony Concerning Man

( Written by: Rev. Horatius Bonar )

"God knows us. He knows what we are; he knows also what he meant us to be; and upon the difference between these two states he founds his testimony concerning us.

He is too loving to say anything needlessly severe; too true to say anything untrue; nor can he have any motive to misrepresent us; for he loves to tell of the good, not of the evil, that may be found in any of the works of his hands. He declares, them "good", "very good", at first; and if he does not do so now, it is not because he would not, but because he cannot; for "all flesh has corrupted its way upon the earth."

God's testimony concerning man is, that he is a sinner. He bears witness against him, not for him, and testifies that "there is none righteous, no, not one;" that there is "none that doeth good;" none "that understandeth;" none that even seeketh after God, and still more none that loveth him. God speaks of man kindly, but severely; as one yearning over a lost child, yet as one who will make no terms with sin, and will "by no means clear the guilty." He declares man to be a lost one, a stray one, a rebel, nay a "hater of God;" not a sinner occasionally, but a sinner always; not a sinner in part, with many good things about him; but wholly a sinner, with no compensating goodness; evil in heart as well as life, "dead in trespasses and sins;" an evil doer, and therefore under condemnation; an enemy of God, and therefore "under wrath;" a breaker of the righteous law, and therefore under "the curse of the law."

Man has fallen! Not this man or that man, but the whole race. In Adam all have sinned; in Adam all have died. It is not that a few leaves have faded or been shaken down, but the tree has become corrupt, root and branch. The "flesh," or "old man" - that is, each man as he is born into the world, a son of man, a fragment of humanity, a unit in Adam's fallen body, - is "corrupt." He not merely brings forth sin, but he carries it about with him, as his second self; nay, he is a "body" or mass of sin, a "body of death," subject not to the law of God, but to "the law of sin." The Jew, educated under the most perfect of laws, and in the most favorable circumstances, was the best type of humanity, - of civilized, polished, educated humanity; the best specimen of the first Adam's sons; yet God's testimony concerning him is that he is "under sin," that he has gone astray, and that he has "come short of the glory of God."

The outer life of a man is not the man, just as the paint on a piece of timber is not the timber, and as the green moss upon the hard rock is not the rock itself. The picture of a man is not the man; it is but a skillful arrangement of colors which look like the man. The man that loves God with all his heart is in a right state; the man that does not love him thus is in a wrong one. He is a sinner; because his heart is not right with God. He may think his life a good one, and others may think the same; but God counts him guilty, worthy of death and hell. The outward good cannot make up for the inward evil. The good deeds done to his fellow man cannot be set off against his bad thoughts of God. And he must be full of these bad thoughts so long as he does not love this infinitely lovable and infinitely glorious Being with all his strength.

God's testimony then concerning man is, that he does not love God with all his heart; nay, that he does not love him at all. Not to love our neighbor is sin; not to love a parent is greater sin; but not to love God, our divine parent, is greater sin still.

Man need not try to say a good word for himself, or to plead "not guilty," unless he can show that he loves, and has always loved God with his whole heart and soul. If he can truly say this, he is all right, he is not a sinner, and does not need pardon. He will find his way to the kingdom without the cross and without a Saviour. But, if he cannot say this, "his mouth is stopped," and he is "guilty before God." However favorably a good outward life may dispose himself and others to look upon his case just now, the verdict will go against him hereafter. This is man's day, when man's judgments prevail; but God's day is coming, when the case shall be strictly tried upon its real merits. Then the Judge of all the earth shall do right, and the sinner be put to shame.

There is another and yet worse charge against him. He does not believe on the name of the Son of God, nor love the Christ of God. This is his sin of sins. That his heart is not right with God is the first charge against him. That his heart is not right with the Son of God is the second. And it is this second that is the crowning crushing sin, carrying with it more terrible damnation than all other sins together. "He that believeth not is condemned already; because he he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." "He that believeth not God, hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record which God gave of his Son." "He that believeth not shall be damned." Hence it was that the apostles preached "repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." And hence it is that the first sin which the Holy Spirit brings home to a man is unbelief; "when he is come he will reprove the world of sin, because they believe not on me."

Such is God's condemnation of man. Of this the whole Bible is full. That great love of God which his word reveals is based on this condemnation. It is love to the condemned. God's testimony to his own grace has no meaning, save as resting on or taking for granted his testimony to man's guilt and ruin. Nor is it against man as merely a being morally diseased or sadly unfortunate that he testifies; but as guilty of death, under wrath, sentenced to the eternal curse; for that crime of crimes, a heart not right with God, and not true to his Incarnate Son.

This is a divine verdict, not a human one. It is God, not man, who condemns, and God is not a man that he should lie. This is God's testimony concerning man, and we know that this witness is true."

WHAT IS COVENANT THEOLOGY?

For those of you wondering a little about Covenant Theology, Dr. Duncan from "Together for the Gospel" does a nice job explaining the doctrine with this short post.

Enjoy-
BH

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( written by J. Ligon Duncan III, PhD - Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church )

"Covenant theology is the Gospel set in the context of God’s eternal plan of communion with his people, and its historical outworking in the covenants of works and grace (as well as in the various progressive stages of the covenant of grace). Covenant theology explains the meaning of the death of Christ in light of the fullness of the biblical teaching on the divine covenants, undergirds our understanding of the nature and use of the sacraments, and provides the fullest possible explanation of the grounds of our assurance.

To put it another way, Covenant theology is the Bible’s way of explaining and deepening our understanding of: (1) the atonement [the meaning of the death of Christ]; (2) assurance [the basis of our confidence of communion with God and enjoyment of his promises]; (3) the sacraments [signs and seals of God’s covenant promises — what they are and how they work]; and (4) the continuity of redemptive history [the unified plan of God’s salvation]. Covenant theology is also an hermeneutic, an approach to understanding the Scripture — an approach that attempts to biblically explain the unity of biblical revelation.

When Jesus wanted to explain the significance of His death to His disciples, He went to the doctrine of the covenants (see Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, 1 Corinthians 11). When God wanted to assure Abraham of the certainty of His word of promise, He went to the covenant (Genesis 12, 15, and 17). When God wanted to set apart His people, ingrain His work in their minds, tangibly reveal Himself in love and mercy, and confirm their future inheritance, He gave the covenant signs (Genesis 17, Exodus 12, 17, and 31, Matthew 28, Acts 2, Luke 22). When Luke wanted to show early Christians that Jesus’ life and ministry were the fulfillment of God’s ancient purposes for His chosen people, he went to the covenants and quoted Zacharias’ prophecy which shows that believers in the very earliest days of ‘the Jesus movement’ understood Jesus and His messianic work as a fulfillment (not a ‘Plan B’) of God’s covenant with Abraham (Luke 1:72-73). When the Psalmist and the author of Hebrews want to show how God’s redemptive plan is ordered and on what basis it unfolds in history, they went to the covenants (see Psalm 78, 89, Hebrews 6-10).

Covenant theology is not a response to dispensationalism. It existed long before the rudiments of classical dispensationalism were brought together in the nineteenth century. Covenant theology is not an excuse for baptizing children, nor merely a convention to justify a particular approach to the sacraments (modern paedocommunionism and baptismal regenerationism). Covenant theology is not sectarian, but an ecumenical Reformed approach to understanding the Bible, developed in the wake of the magisterial Reformation, but with roots stretching back to the earliest days of catholic Christianity and historically appreciated in all the various branches of the Reformed community (Baptist, Congregationalist, Independent, Presbyterian, Anglican, and Reformed). Covenant theology cannot be reduced to serving merely as the justification for some particular view of children in the covenant (covenant successionism), or for a certain kind of eschatology, or for a specific philosophy of education (whether it be homeschooling or Christian schools or classical schools). Covenant theology is bigger than that. It is more important than that.

“The doctrine of the covenant lies at the root of all true theology. It has been said that he who well understands the distinction between the covenant of works and the covenant of grace, is a master of divinity. I am persuaded that most of the mistakes which men make concerning the doctrines of Scripture, are based upon fundamental errors with regard to the covenant of law and of grace. May God grant us now the power to instruct, and you the grace to receive instruction on this vital subject.” Who said this? C.H. Spurgeon — the great English Baptist preacher! Certainly a man beyond our suspicion of secretly purveying a Presbyterian view of the sacraments to the unsuspecting evangelical masses.

Covenant theology flows from the trinitarian life and work of God. God’s covenant communion with us is modeled on and a reflection of the intra-trinitarian relationships. The shared life, the fellowship of the persons of the Holy Trinity, what theologians call perichoresis or circumincessio, is the archetype of the relationship the gracious covenant God shares with His elect and redeemed people. God’s commitments in the eternal covenant of redemptive find space-time realization in the covenant of grace."

The marks of a true shepherd

In light of your own personal calling, this could be especially striking:
(Arthur Pink, Studies in the Scriptures, May, 1939)

How diligently should they scrutinize their motives, who think of entering the ministry; for thousands have abused this Divine institution through love of ease, desire for authority and reputation, or love of money--and brought upon themselves "greater damnation" (James 3:1). Thousands have invaded the pastoral office in an unauthorized manner, to fleece sheep rather than feed them, robbing Christ of His honor and starving His people.

Solemn beyond words is it to observe how sternly our Lord denounced these false shepherds of His day. (Matthew 23) As J. C. Ryle rightly said, "Nothing seemed so offensive to Christ as a false teacher of religion, a false prophet, or a false shepherd. Nothing ought to be so much feared by the Church, be so plainly rebuked, opposed and exposed."

What are the marks of a true shepherd, how are God’s people to identify those called and qualified by Him to minister unto His people?

First, the genuine pastor has the doctrine of Christ on his LIPS. The ministers of the new covenant are described as those who had "renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness." Christendom today is infested with men who are full of deceit and hypocrisy, trimming their sails according to whatever direction the breeze of public opinion is blowing.

"We have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God." (2 Cor. 4:2). The true servant of Christ holds back nothing which is profitable, no matter how unpalatable it may be unto his hearers. He is one who magnifies not himself, nor his denomination, but Christ--His wondrous Person, His atoning blood, His exacting claims.

Second, the genuine pastor has the Spirit of Christ in his HEART. It is the Spirit who opens to him the mysteries of the Gospel, so that he is "the faithful and wise servant" (Matt. 24:45). It is the Spirit of Christ who gives him a love for His sheep, so that it is his greatest delight to lead them into the green pastures of His Word. It is the Spirit of Christ who enables him to use "great boldness of speech" (2 Cor. 3:12), so that he shuns not to declare all the counsel of God. It is the Spirit of Christ who makes him to be "prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction" (2 Tim. 4:2). It is the Spirit of Christ who gives efficacy to his ministry, making it fruitful according to the sovereign pleasure of God.

Third, the genuine pastor has the example of Christ in his LIFE, which is a conforming of him to the image of his Master. It is true, sadly true, that there is not one of them who does not fall far short both of the inward and outward image of Christ. Yet there are some faint tracings of His image visible in all His true servants. The image of Christ is seen in their words, spirit, actions; otherwise we have no warrant to receive them as God’s servants.

Find a man (no easy task today!) who has the doctrine of Christ on his lips, the Spirit of Christ in his heart, and the example of Christ in his life--and you find one of His genuine ministers--all others are but "thieves and robbers."

Politics and Religion - Oil and Water - or - Sparks and Gasoline (Part Intro.)

A religious politician - A political religionist. Sound like oxymorons? Some would argue they are. Some would hold that you couldn't be farther from the truth. Who's right? Well throughout this series I hope to take a closer look at that very issue, "Politics and Religion - Oil and Water - or - Sparks and Gasoline?"

Should Churches campaign for candidates? Either openingly or behind closed doors?

Should Churches take up political causes?

Does the Church have a place in politics at all? If so, to what extent?

Preachin' Politicians...biblical? Or not?

Should political theory intersect with religious adherence?

What's the deal with "voting your values"?

Does politics have a place in the Church?

Is politics worth the Christian's time?

I know Southern Baptists get a bad wrap for being too political, both inside and outside the church doors - but what is the solution? Is there one?

The Christian Right - are they just a bunch of fundamentalists?


Hopefully some answers to come,
Bro. Hank <

Clip of Paisley Rejecting the Anglo-Irish Agreement

Here is a primer for you folks, on a discussion to follow about "Politics and Religion - Oil and Water - or - Sparks and Gasoline". Any preemptive comments?

Smiling in ambiguity,
Bro. Hank <

The power of God

(Stephen Charnock, 1628-1680)

"All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing.
He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and
the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand
or say to Him--What have You done?" Daniel 4:35

"The power of God is that ability and strength whereby
He can bring to pass whatever He pleases, whatever His
infinite wisdom may direct, and whatever the infinite purity
of His will may resolve. As holiness is the beauty of all God's
attributes; so power is that which gives life and action to all
the perfections of the divine nature. How vain would be the
eternal decrees, if power did not step in to execute them.
Without power--
His mercy would be but feeble pity,
His promises an empty sound,
His threatenings a mere scarecrow.
God's power is like Himself--infinite, eternal,
incomprehensible; it can neither be checked,
restrained, nor frustrated by the creature.

As His essence . . .
is immense--not to be confined in place;
as it is eternal--not to be measured in time;
so it is almighty--not to be limited in regard of action."

============================================

It is good news that God is almighty; for He is a God who loves and redeems sinners! "Lord, I thank you that we can't outrun, outlast, or outwit your grace, nor chide your Love forever - but "All that the Father giveth [you] shall come to [you]" - John 6:37. Thank you Lord for your infinite purity and boundless Love that saves the wretch like me and sets the captives free! 'Tis a beautiful thought when you say, "I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not" - Isaiah 65:1. Father, we love you because you FIRST loved us! Don't let us forget it!"

Bro. Hank <

Prayin' for His will

Wow! Don't we serve an AWESOME GOD?! He shall ever be my Rock and my Salvation, and in Him I shall hide my soul. My prayers shall reach His throne, and whatsoever I ask in HIS name - He shall give unto me.

John 14:13
"And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."

Children of the Most High God, I ask you...What more can we ask God in Jesus' Holy name, than for His will to be done in our lives and in our world??? And what greater prayer is there than that? None I say, none! There is nothing greater than being in the will of God, and therefore there is nothing else worthy of prayer -- than for the complete will of God to be done in our lives. After all, is that not what Christ prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, for the Father's will to be done? Should we then not consider it as Christ's example of true prayer? I say it was, and it is.

Pray my brethren. Pray earnestly for the will of God to be done in your lives. And pray my friends, that "the Father may be glorified in the Son."

Amen!

Bro. Hank

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"Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!

All Thy works with joy surround Thee, earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee, center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea,
Singing bird and flowing fountain call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blessed,
Wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, all who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.

Mortals, join the happy chorus, which the morning stars began;
Father love is reigning oer us, brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward in the triumph song of life."

- Henry J. van Dyke

He does whatever He pleases!

(Arthur Pink, "The Attributes of God")

"He does whatever He pleases!" Job 23:13

"Ah, my reader, the God of Scripture is no make-believe
monarch, no mere imaginary sovereign; but King of kings,
and Lord of lords! To countless thousands, even among
those professing to be Christians, the God of the
Scriptures is quite unknown.

The god of this twentieth century no more resembles
the Supreme Sovereign of Holy Writ, than does the
dim flickering of a candle, the glory of the midday sun!
The god who is now talked about in the average pulpit,
spoken of in the ordinary Sunday School, mentioned in
much of the religious literature of the day, and preached
in most of the so-called Bible conferences, is the figment of
human imagination, an invention of mushy sentimentality!

The heathen outside of the pale of Christendom form gods
out of wood and stone; while the millions of heathen inside
Christendom manufacture a god out of their own carnal
mind! In reality, they are but atheists, for there is no other
possible alternative between an absolutely supreme God,
and no God at all. A god whose will is resisted, whose
designs are frustrated, whose purpose is checkmated,
possesses no title to Deity; and so far from being a fit
object of worship, merits nothing but contempt!"

"Our God is in heaven and does whatever He pleases."
Psalm 115:3

"I know that You can do anything, and no plan of
Yours can be thwarted." Job 42:2

"The Lord does whatever He pleases in heaven and
on earth, in the seas and all the depths." Psalm 135:6


"Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns!"
Revelation 19:6

Letter to a stricken soul

(by Arthur Pink)


My dear brother,

My heart goes out to you in sympathy in this dark hour, and I feel my helplessness to comfort you. The loss you have sustained is far greater than any human creature can make up--your suffering is too acute for any fellow-mortal to alleviate. I may endeavor to pour into your sorely-wounded heart something of 'the balm of Gilead,' but only the great Physician can give any efficacy to the same. I can do little more than point you to Him who alone can 'bind up the broken-hearted'. Jesus is a Friend who sticks closer than a brother. Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you. Unburden yourself to Him.

May divine grace be given you, so that you shall be enabled to meekly acquiesce unto whatever our all-wise God may appoint. It is in heart-submission to God's providential dealings with us, that true religion largely consists. Your acute sorrow is among the 'all things' which work together for good to those who love God. If the Spirit of God is pleased to sanctify this affliction unto you, it will prove a real blessing in disguise. May I suggest several lines of meditation which, if pursued by you and blessed to you by God, will enable you to improve this affliction.

1. Learn anew the terribleness of sin. 'Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.' (Romans 5:12) Yes, had sin never entered this world, no graves would have ever been dug in it. Every funeral should be a forceful reminder to us of what the Fall has brought in! Every funeral ought to beget in us a deeper hatred of sin. It was sin which necessitated the death of God's beloved Son. Then how we should loathe it, seek grace to resist its evil solicitations, and follow hard after its opposite--holiness.

2. See the great importance of holding all God's temporal mercies with a light hand. The best of them are only loaned us for a season, and we know not how early we shall be called to relinquish them. It is the part of wisdom for us to recognize and remember this while they are in our hands: not to grasp them too tightly, nor to look upon them as ours to enjoy forever in this perishing world. Holy Writ bids us to 'rejoice with trembling', for that which delights my heart this morning may be taken from me before the shadows of night fall. The more I live with this fact before me, the less shall I feel the loss when it comes!

3. Endeavor to get your heart more weaned from this perishing world. 'Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.' (Col. 3:2) But we are slow to heed this exhortation, and often God has to use drastic means to bring us to a compliance with it. It is for our own good as well as His glory, that we do so. It is only heavenly things which abide; then let us seek grace to have our hearts more and more set upon them.

4. Seek to demonstrate the reality of true religion. Only the real child of God is enabled to say, 'The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away: blessed be the name of the Lord.' Earnestly seek supernatural help from above, dear brother, that you may be enabled to manifest the sufficiency of Divine grace to strengthen and support--to show you do have a peace and comfort which the Christless are strangers to. Sorrow not as others do, who have no hope. Doubt not the Lord's goodness. "Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will support you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken." Psalm 55:22

Yours by God's abounding mercy,
A. W. Pink

On just such husks do the religious swine feed

(Arthur W. Pink)

"Take heed what you hear." Mark 4:24

"The word hear obviously includes what is read, for
that which is written or printed is addressed to the
ears of our intellect. Few people today realize the
urgent need for 'taking heed' unto what they read.
Just as the natural food which is eaten either helps
or hinders the body; so the mental food we receive
either benefits or injures the mind, and that, in turn,
affects the heart. Now just as it is harmful to listen
to the rubbish and poison which is being served from
the great majority of present-day pulpits, so it is
exceedingly injurious to the soul to read most of
what is now being published. Take heed what you
hear--and read!

"Those who are after the flesh do mind the things
of the flesh" (Romans 8:5), and are charmed with
oratorical eloquence, catchy sayings, witty allusions,
and jocular displays. On just such husks do the
religious swine feed; but the penitent prodigal
can find no nutriment therein!

Christian reader, if you value the health of your soul,
cease hearing and quit reading all that is lifeless,
unctionless, powerless--no matter what prominent or
popular name is attached thereto. Life is too short
to waste valuable time on that which profits not.

Ninety-nine out of every hundred of the religious books,
booklets, and magazines now being published, are not
worth the paper on which they are printed! Take heed
what you hear--and read!"

They pierce not, they cut not, they fly not

(taken from Thomas Brook's, THE PRIVY KEY OF HEAVEN 1665)

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
avails much." James 5:16

"Cold prayers call for a denial.

Be fervent, be warm, be importunate with God in all your
closet duties and performances. Certainly, all those usual
phrases of crying, wrestling, and striving with God, which
are scattered up and down in Scripture, strongly show
that holy importunity and sacred violence which the saints
of old have expressed in their addresses to God.

Fervency feathers the wings of prayer, and makes them
fly the swifter to heaven. An arrow, if it be drawn up but
a little way, flies not far; but if it be drawn up to the head,
it will fly far, and pierce deeply. Just so, fervent prayer
flies as high as heaven, and will certainly bring down
blessings from thence.

Look! as in a painted fire there is no heat; so in a cold
prayer there is no heat, no warmth, no omnipotency,
no devotion, no blessing. Cold prayers are like arrows
without points, as swords without edges, as birds without
wings: they pierce not, they cut not, they fly not up
to heaven. Such prayers as have no heavenly fire in them,
do always freeze before they reach as high as heaven.
But fervent prayer is very prevalent with God."

God's Jewels

(taken from Arthur W. Pink, "God's Jewels")

"And they shall be Mine, says the Lord Almighty, in
that day when I make up My jewels." Malachi 3:17

"It almost surprises one to learn that the great and self-sufficient God has 'jewels,' but our surprise increases to astonishment when we learn that these 'jewels' are living creatures. And astonishment gives place to overwhelming amazement when we discover that these living creatures are fallen and depraved sinners redeemed from among men! Truly, nothing but Divine grace would ever liken such wretched worms of the dust, unto precious jewels! Yet that is the very thing which we find God doing in our text. It is not the unfallen angels, nor the holy seraphim and exalted cherubim who are spoken of as Jehovah's valued treasure--but lost and ruined sinners saved by amazing grace!

The Lord has likened His people to 'jewels' because of their inestimable value in His sight. This is an exceedingly hard thing for the Christian to really grasp, for he feels such a wretched and worthless creature in himself. That the Lord of Glory should deem him of great worth, is difficult to conceive. Yet so it is!

From the earliest times, men have thought much of precious gems, and fabulous prices have been paid for them. With great ardor and toil, do men hunt after gold; but with even greater eagerness and labor will they seek the diamond. Hundreds of men will labor for a whole year in one of the diamond mines of Africa, and the entire result of their efforts may be held in the palm of your hand. Princes have been known to barter their estates in order to obtain some gem of peculiar brilliance and rare excellence.

Yet more desirable still, are His saints in the esteem of the Lord Jesus. The value of a thing in the eyes of its possessor, may be gauged by the price he was willing to pay for it. So valuable was the Church unto Christ that He gave Himself for it, and shed His precious blood to purchase it for Himself. Thus, the saints are likened unto 'jewels' because of the great value which the Lord places upon them.

"You will be a glorious crown in the Lord’s hand, and a royal diadem in the palm of your God." (Isaiah 62:3) What marvelous words are these for faith and hope to lay hold of! Our feeble intellects cannot grasp them! Wondrous is it to think of rough stones, which first look like small pebbles, being found in the mud and mire of earth; then cut and polished until they scintillate with a brilliancy surpassing any earthly object, and being given an honored place in the diadem of a monarch. But infinitely more wonderful is it, that poor lost sinners, saved by sovereign grace, should be among the crown-jewels of the Son of God!"

Four New 'Aints - Did I Forget an "S"?

This week, the AP reported this:

"Pope Benedict XVI has canonised four new saints on the steps of St Peter's Basilica in Rome, the second such ceremony of his pontificate. The four saints included a Mexican bishop who suffered anti-clerical persecution and an Italian nun who pioneered women's schooling. Thousands of people attended the outdoor ceremony in Rome..."The Church rejoices in the four new saints," Benedict told the crowd. "May their example inspire us and their prayers obtain for us guidance and courage."

Oh yeah, and the AP reported this too:

"Saints fans here [in New Orleans] were just happy there was a plan to rebuild the Louisiana Superdome and bring back a sense of normality by watching a team they had always loved despite four decades of mostly losing seasons.

Next came the hiring of Sean Payton(1), who played up his credentials as a former Bill Parcells assistant but had no prior head coaching experience. His first big move was to urge the team to sign free agent quarterback Drew Brees(2), somewhat of a risk with Brees coming off throwing-shoulder surgery.

At the same time, no one could be sure how well Deuce McAllister(3) would come back from reconstructive knee surgery.

But if Payton could handle the job, and if Brees and McAllister came back healthy, this team had a chance to at least be competitive -- especially because the Saints were bound to get at least one immediate contributor with the No. 2 overall draft choice.

Ah, the draft. It seemed exceedingly wishful thinking to hope Houston would pass on Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush(4) and let the Saints have him, didn't it?"

All in all, I'd say its a win-win situation for everyone! Popery has 4 new peeps to pray to, and New Orleans has 4 new peeps to root for. If only every day could be a draft day! I do hope that Pope Ben and his staff did their homework for their new recruits...I would hate to see any prayers go unanswered, or poor folks suffer in purgatory any long than they have to. And ditto for Payton's guys. Afterall, the requirements are almost the same for both parties: 1. be brainwashed into thinking you are doing the right thing, and 2. have a miracle or two attributed to you. Payton and his team of Saints are well on their way....

So in closing - This week gave me four new 'Aints. As in, I 'Aint gonna pray to these guys either, no matter what potenate, or council, or general manager it is that's spouting the proclamation.

My prayers, guidance, and courage are reserved ONLY for the LORD, Jesus Christ!
I pray that yours are as well.

bro. Hank <

J.C. Ryle on Sin

(taken from J.C. Ryle's "Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots")

"In bringing this mighty subject to a close, I feel that I have only touched the surface of it. It is one which cannot be thoroughly handled in a paper like this. He that would see it treated fully and exhaustively must turn to such masters of experimental theology as Owen, and Burgess, and Manton, and Charnock, and the other giants of the Puritan school. On subjects like this there are no writers to be compared to the Puritans. It only remains for me to point out some practical uses to which the whole doctrine of sin may be profitably turned in the present day.

(a) I say, then, in the first place, that a Scriptural view of sin is one of the best antidotes to that vague, dim, misty, hazy kind of theology which is so painfully current in the present age. It is vain to shut our eyes to the fact that there is a vast quantity of so-called Christianity now-a-days which you cannot declare positively unsound, but which, nevertheless, is not full measure, good weight, and sixteen ounces to the pound. It is a Christianity in which there is undeniably “something about Christ, and something about grace, and something about faith, and something about repentance, and something about holiness”; but it is not the real “thing as it is” in the Bible. Things are out of place, and out of proportion. As old Latimer would have said, it is a kind of “mingle-mangle,” and does no good. It neither exercises influence on daily conduct, nor comforts in life, nor gives peace in death; and those who hold it often awake too late to find that they have got nothing solid under their feet. Now I believe the likeliest way to cure and mend this defective kind of religion is to bring forward more prominently the old Scriptural truth about the sinfulness of sin. People will never set their faces decidedly towards heaven, and live like pilgrims, until they really feel that they are in danger of hell. Let us all try to revive the old teaching about sin, in nurseries, in schools, in training colleges, in Universities. Let us not forget that “the law is good if we use it lawfully,” and that *’ by the law is the knowledge of sin.” (1 Tim. i. 8; Rom. iii. 20; vii. 7.) Let us bring the law to the front and press it on men’s attention. Let us expound and beat out the Ten Commandments, and show the length, and breadth, and depth, and height of their requirements. This is the way of our Lord in the Sermon on the Mount. We cannot do better than follow His plan. We may depend upon it, men will never come to Jesus, and stay with Jesus, and live for Jesus, unless they really know why they are to come, and what is their need. Those whom the Spirit draws to Jesus are those whom the Spirit has convinced of sin. Without thorough conviction of sin, men may seem to come to Jesus and follow Him for a season, but they will soon fall away and return to the world.

(b) In the next place, a Scriptural view of sin is one of the best antidotes to the extravagantly broad and liberal theology which is so much in vogue at the present time. The tendency of modern thought is to reject dogmas, creeds, and every kind of bounds in religion. It is thought grand and wise to condemn no opinion whatsoever, and to pronounce all earnest and clever teachers to be trustworthy, however heterogeneous and mutually destructive their opinions may be.—Everything forsooth is true, and nothing is false! Everybody is right, and nobody is wrong! Everybody is likely to be saved, and nobody is to be lost!—The Atonement and Substitution of Christ, the personality of the devil, the miraculous element in Scripture, the reality and eternity of future punishment, all these mighty foundation-stones are coolly tossed overboard, like lumber, in order to lighten the ship of Christianity, and enable it to keep pace with modern science.—Stand up for these great verities, and you are called narrow, illiberal, old-fashioned, and a theological fossil! Quote a text, and you are told that all truth is not confined to the pages of an ancient Jewish Book, and that free inquiry has found out many things since the Book was completed!—Now, I know nothing so likely to counteract this modern plague as constant clear statements about the nature, reality, vileness, power, and guilt of sin. We must charge home into the consciences of these men of broad views, and demand a plain answer to some plain questions. We must ask them to lay their hands on their hearts, and tell us whether their favourite opinions comfort them in the day of sickness, in the hour of death, by the bedside of dying parents, by the grave of beloved wife or child. We must ask them whether a vague earnestness, without definite doctrine, gives them peace at seasons like these. We must challenge them to tell us whether they do not sometimes feel a gnawing “something” within, which all the free inquiry and philosophy and science in the world cannot satisfy. And then we must tell them that this gnawing “something” is the sense of sin, guilt, and corruption, which they are leaving out in their calculations. And, above all, we must tell them that nothing will ever make them feel rest, but submission to the old doctrines of man’s ruin and Christ’s redemption, and simple childlike faith in Jesus.

(c) In the next place, a right view of sin is the best antidote to that sensuous, ceremonial, formal kind of Christianity, which has swept over England like a flood in the last twenty-five years, and carried away so many before it. I can well believe that there is much that is attractive in this system of religion, to a certain order of minds, so long as the conscience is not fully enlightened. But when that wonderful part of our constitution called conscience is really awake and alive, I find it hard to believe that a sensuous ceremonial Christianity will thoroughly satisfy us. A little child is easily quieted and amused with gaudy toys, and dolls, and rattles, so long as it is not hungry; but once let it feel the cravings of nature within, and we know that nothing will satisfy it but food. Just so it is with man in the matter of his soul. Music, and flowers, and candles, and incense, and banners, and processions, and beautiful vestments, and confessionals, and man-made ceremonies of a semi-Romish character, may do well enough for him under certain conditions. But once let him “awake and arise from the dead,” and he will not rest content with these things. They will seem to him mere solemn triflings, and a waste of time. Once let him see his sin, and he must see his Saviour. He feels stricken with a deadly disease, and nothing will satisfy him but the great Physician. He hungers and thirsts, and he must have nothing less than the bread of life. I may seem bold in what I am about to say; but I fearlessly venture the assertion, that four-fifths of the semi-Romanism of the last quarter of a century would never have existed if English people had been taught more fully and clearly the nature, vileness, and sinfulness of sin.

(d) In the next place, a right view of sin is one of the best antidotes to the overstrained theories of Perfection, of which we hear so much in these times. I shall say but little about this, and in saying it I trust I shall not give offence. If those who press on us perfection mean nothing more than an all-round consistency, and a careful attention to all the graces which make up the Christian character, reason would that we should not only bear with them, but agree with them entirely. By all means let us aim high.—But if men really mean to tell us that here in this world a believer can attain to entire freedom from sin, live for years in unbroken and uninterrupted communion with God, and feel for months together not so much as one evil thought, I must honestly say that such an opinion appears to me very unscriptural.—I go even further. I say that the opinion is very dangerous to him that holds it, and very likely to depress, discourage, and keep back inquirers after salvation. I cannot find the slightest warrant in God’s Word for expecting such perfection as this while we are in the body. I believe the words of our Fifteenth Article are strictly true—that “Christ alone is without sin; and that all we, the rest, though baptized and born again in Christ, offend in many things; and if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”—To use the language of our first Homily, “There be imperfections in our best works: we do not love God so much as we are bound to do, with all our hearts, mind, and power; we do not fear God so much as we ought to do; we do not pray to God but with many and great imperfections. We give, forgive, believe, live, and hope imperfectly; we speak, think, and do imperfectly; we fight against the devil, the world, and the flesh imperfectly. Let us, therefore, not be ashamed to confess plainly our state of imperfections.”—Once more I repeat what I have said, the best preservative against this temporary delusion about perfection which clouds some minds—for such I hope I may call it—is a clear, full, distinct understanding of the nature, sinfulness, and deceitfulness of sin.

(e) In the last place, a Scriptural view of sin will prove an admirable antidote to them low views of personal holiness which are so painfully prevalent in these last days of the Church. This is a very painful and delicate subject, I know; but I dare not turn away from it. It has long been my sorrowful conviction that the standard of daily life among professing Christians in this country has been gradually falling. I am afraid that Christ-like charity, kindness, good-temper, unselfishness, meekness, gentleness, good-nature, self-denial, zeal to do good, and separation from the world, are far less appreciated than they ought to be, and than they used to be in the days of our fathers."

The devil's tennis-ball

(Thomas Brooks, "The Privy Key of Heaven" 1665)

"Warn those who are idle." 1 Thessalonians 5:14

"Take heed of an idle and slothful spirit. An idle life
and a holy heart are far asunder. By doing nothing
men learn to do evil things. It is easy slipping out
of an idle life into an evil and wicked life. Yes, an
idle life is of itself evil, for man was made to be
active, not to be idle. Idleness is a mother-sin, a
breeding-sin; it is the devil's cushion--on which
he sits; and the devil's anvil--on which he frames
very great and very many sins. Look! as toads and
serpents breed most in standing waters, so sin
thrives most in idle people. Idleness is that which
provokes the Lord to forsake men's bodies, and
the devil to possess their souls.

No man has less means to preserve his body, and
more temptations to infect his soul, than an idle
person. Oh shake off sloth! The sluggish Christian
will be sleeping, or idling, or trifling; when he should
be in his closet a-praying. Sloth is a fatal sickness of
the soul; get it cured--or it will be your eternal bane.
Of all devils, it is the 'idle' devil which keeps men
most out of their closets. There is nothing that gives
the devil so much advantage against us as idleness.

Idleness is the time of temptation. An idle person
is the devil's tennis-ball, tossed around by him
at his pleasure.

The fowler bends his bow and spreads his net for birds
when they are set, not when they are upon the wing.
So Satan shoots his most fiery darts at men, when
they are most idle and slothful.

Slothful and idle people commonly lie so long a-bed,
and spend so much precious time between the comb
and the mirror, and in eating, drinking, sporting, and
trifling; that they can find no time for private prayer.
Certainly such as had rather go sleeping to hell, than
sweating to heaven, will never care much for prayer.
And therefore shun sloth and idleness, as you would
shun a lion in your way, or poison in your food, or
coals in your bosom!"

Picturing The Absurd, from OldTruth.com

The following was posted by Jim B., over at Oldtruth.com.

I apologize for leaving y'all without any background info on some of these jokes, but I couldn't wait to pass this along...

Enjoy!
bro. Hank <

P.S. - I actually just bought one of those 'infamous' Reformation Study Bible last week! Whoop! I love it!
========================================================
(HT: OldTruth.com - Picturing the Absurd)

"Last week, a convert from Islam, now serving as the seminary President at Jerry Falwell's college, identified a group that he labeled as "worse than Muslims". Who are they? You might be surprised to find out that the Puritans were among them, so was the evangelist George Whitefield, and so was the hymn writer of Amazing Grace. Remember Matthew Henry whose bible commentaries are on most pastor's bookshelves? He's one of them too, as are numerous missionaries and martyrs in church history. If I were Jerry Falwell right about now, I'd be thinking that I have a loose cannon onboard the SS Liberty. This post takes a not-so-politically-correct look at the 'Jihad' that one man brought upon himself with his outrageous behavior.

If you haven't heard about the (now cancelled) formal debate involving
Ergun Caner and James White, you can get caught up by watching the
unofficial video. In the wake of all of that, Ergun Caner of Liberty University posted a set of Q&A's on his blog last week, including this reckless excerpt:

Q: DIDN'T YOU SAY THAT CALVINISTS ARE WORSE THAN MUSLIMS?

A: Yes, absolutely. For a small portion of these people, just daring
to question the Bezian movement is heresy. They will blog and
e-mail incessantly. I call it a "Calvinist Jihad", because just like
Muslims, they believe they are defending the honor of their view.
They can discuss nothing else. I have even had a few call for my
head! Dr. Falwell and I have laughed about it, because they are so
insistent, and they miss the point completely. There are plenty of
schools to which the neo-Calvinists can go, but Liberty will be a
lighthouse for missions and evangelism to the "whosoever wills".
Period. The difference is, Muslims know when to quit -
for these guys, it is the only topic about which they can talk.

The Liberty crew need not be the only ones laughing however, especially amidst the humorously absurd comparisons between Calvinists and Muslims. And lets be honest here, with the world being what it is today, Ergun Caner knows that for most of us - these kind of comparisons are likely to bring to mind these Muslims, and not these. So, what could Ergun Caner possibly be thinking? Perhaps if we could have his thoughts on film, they might look something like this:

"James White is the biggest Jihadist of them all!
He's worse than the most radical Muslims"

"They will stop at nothing short of world domination,
and then they'll prevent Christians everywhere
from reaching out to the whosoever will"

"If we would have had better screening and tighter border security,
we could have kept them out of this land to begin with.
Where was the Coast Guard back in 1620?"

"... but now they've managed to spread their dangerous beliefs,
and labor to pass them on to their children through catechism.
Those poor kids, I can only imagine what they must teach them"

"They only know one way to discuss their
unpopular and outdated views"

"They pedal these Reformation Study Bibles everywhere.
I'm so sick of those study notes reminding us of our
total reliance upon a sovereign God"

"One of them was even called the Prince of Preachers.
A prince is like a dangerous Sultan, right? Whatever!
He was ALWAYS inciting Jihad"

"This one trains pastors to be Lordship-terrorists
at his destructive Shepherds Conference training grounds"

THE END

In all seriousness, and speaking just for myself, I admit that Ergun Caner
got at least one thing right about Calvinists such as myself:

Though it's not all that I talk about (I spend much more time talking about the Church Growth Movement on this blog), I do love to talk about Calvinism. Why? Not because I want to "defend the honor of my view", but because Calvinism is just a nickname for how I understand God's grace. Isn't saving grace worth discussing, and dwelling on, and thinking about?

So to our brothers at Liberty University, I say: You've had a good Lynchburg-laugh; we've laughed too - at the absurdity of being compared to the followers of a volatile false religion. Let's now get back to talking about the grace of God. After all, if our understanding of that is wrong, how can we expect to be right in our missions and evangelism to the whosoever will?"

Thoroughly Post-Modern Biblical Interpretation

Being new to all this interpretation jargon (pre-modern, modern, post-modern), it's difficult for me to comment on much of the debate surrounding the different school of thoughts, but difficulty hasn't stopped me yet - and so we continue.

Check out what ensued at SIF in the discussion about half-truths...

And then check out this piece by Ben Witherington, professor at Asbury Seminary, entitled, "Thoroughly Post-Modern Biblical Interpretation". It helped me shed some well needed light on the issue at hand, and gave me a little hope for Methodists everywhere...

excerpt:

"Why is this important when it comes to the study of the Bible? There is a simple answer--- THIS IS GOD'S WORD. I do not get to decide for myself what God's Word says or means. It would be arrogant for me to think so. It is for me to discover the meaning of the text encoded in the sentences and paragraphs, for it had an objective meaning long before I ever looked at the text or studied the text. God through the vehicle of various inspired human beings put that meaning there. Post-modernism has problems with objective truth claims, especially texts that make claims on us before we can even begin to make claims about them. It likes to use the pejorative term 'foundationalism' when people start talking about objective truth claims. Frankly, this seems to me to be yet one more human ploy to hold the truth claims of the Bible on us all at bay. Put simply most post-modern theory involves an epistemology that violates the whole Biblical theory and reality of 'revelation'-- a truth conveyed by God through human vehicles to us in perspicuous words that involve truths that not merely relative but absolute and makes an absolute claim on us all."

Carry on,
bro. Hank <

More Guns, Not Fewer

(source PatriotPost.US - Digest)

"While the gun-grabbers of the Left cry out for more gun control in the wake of recent school shootings, The Patriot advocates the exact opposite. The Founders crafted the Second Amendment to mean what it says: "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed" (emphasis added). Citizens were thus granted protection against tyrannical government-among the first priorities of any tyrant is disarming the people-but the logic applies to many other areas.


Let's look at schools. In Joplin, Missouri, this week, a seventh-grader fired a Mac-90 assault rifle in his middle school, though no one was injured. Missouri Governor Matt Blunt used the occasion to advocate a law allowing teachers to carry guns, much like the arming of commercial pilots. We couldn't agree more. While law-enforcement officers have always been very quick to respond when murderers attack schools, armed teachers and staff may have prevented many tragic deaths. As it stands, "gun free zones" only empower the killers.

The White House, meanwhile, hastily organized a conference on preventing violence in schools. Gun-control advocates cried foul because they were uninvited, but considering that their ideas have already been tried and failed, why bother? Better ideas were discussed, such as character education and other prevention techniques, pointing to the need to address the underlying problem, and not simply focus only on the tools of violence. In his 27 May 1999 testimony, none other than Darrell Scott, father of Columbine victim Rachel Scott, pointed to the example of Cain and Abel: 'The villain was not the club he used. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain.' Amen."

=======================================

Imagine that! Perhaps in Washington's push for 'Character Education', someone will make the correlation between the absence of the Ten Commandments and Biblical teaching, and the rise in 'characterless' children...

Who knows?
bro. Hank <

Tom Short on "Marriage: Trusting God for the Right Partner"

(taken from ShortNotes, by Tom Short)

"Last week, my wife and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary.

Just four days later, I had the privilege of giving my daughter, Christine,
away in marriage. It was a lovely ceremony and we couldn't have
wished for a finer young man than her husband, Jonathan Kimball.
I ask your prayers for them as they begin a new family unto the glory
of God.

Every parent desires to see their child happily and successfully
married. As I contemplated the large number of single people who
read ShortNotes, I couldn't help but have the same desire for you.
Thus, I have included a few random thoughts about marriage that
I hope will be stimulating and edifying to you.

- Marriage is a God-ordained institution. He created it and He knows how it is to operate if it is to be successful. But in our day, the world is trying to co-opt marriage by creating a whole new set of definitions and standards by which marriage is to operate. And the world's way is NOT working. Stick with God's way! Don't let the world defile you with it's ways which are contrary to God's way.

- If you want to know God's plan for marriage, study what the Bible says about it. Begin with the very first marriage - Adam and Eve (found in Genesis 3). Ephesians 5 is a good New Testament reference to marriage. Find an on-line Bible where you can look up every reference to "husband" and "wife." This will take a little bit of work, but it sure beats reading some magazine article in Redbook about how to have a happy marriage!

- Next to coming to Jesus, marriage is the most significant decision you will ever make. Don't enter into it lightly! Seek God's will concerning your potential mate. Pray for God's guidance about your marriage plans. Study the Bible concerning marriage. And seek advice from parents and godly counselors about your readiness for marriage and your compatibility with your potential spouse. In getting advice, don't simply look for someone to confirm your desires, but seek honest input with a sincere willingness to follow their advice even if it is difficult.

- Understand that marriage is about a lot more than "love." Love is certainly a significant part of the equation, but marriage is about two people committing their lives to one another until they die with the objective of starting a family, uniting for a common purpose and sharpening one another in the Lord.

- In my youth, I did not feel I should "seek a wife." Over and over again in Scripture, we are told to "seek the Lord." As I sought the Lord, He brought the right person into my life. I sought the Lord and I found Him, as we as I found the wife the Lord had for me. This is a venture of faith as it is very difficult for us to trust God to meet this most intimate of needs in our lives. But, He will if we
trust Him! Personally, I think an often overlooked key to a happy and successful marriage is to find the spouse GOD wants us to have rather than simply find the spouse I want. I did not marry a woman I could live with - I married a woman I could not live without!

- Now is the time to prepare yourself for marriage: spiritually, emotionally, financially, relationally, etc. People prepared for marriage tend to bring the qualities to a marriage that make it successful. People unprepared tend to be disappointed and encounter overwhelming problems once married.

-Focus on becoming a mature man or woman of God and He will lead a similarly mature man or woman of God into your life. Many young people are on the hunt for the perfect mate. Let me encourage you to focus on becoming the perfect mate. People tend to match with someone of equal maturity. In other words, if you are a "five" -- spiritually, emotionally, socially, etc. you are not likely to marry a "ten," even though you may dream about doing so! If you want to marry a "ten," get serious with God about you becoming a "ten"! If you are content to be a spiritual "five," get used to the idea of marrying a "five." Better yet, repent of your contentment with your spiritual lukewarmness and seek the Lord until you begin to seriously grow in Christ!!!"

Anti-Semitism In Christology?

Sidney G. Hall, senior pastor of Trinity United Methodist(Austin, Tx.), might just agree. Or, he might say, Paul's theology has 'come off' as anti-semitic down through the centuries. Either way, Hall believes that it must be reconciled. In his book entitled, "Christian Anti-Semitism and Paul's Theology", Hall says this, in his chapter on Christology, Liberation, and the Jewish People:

"The synagogue's major obstacle in embracing the church as a trustworthy friend is Christianity's christology, or doctrine of Christ. Christocentric theology in the church places a wall between Christians and Jews. When christology and theology become doctrinally enmeshed, the church's belief system has no room for God to be active in any other faith community outside Christianity. Christians who adhere to this perspective herald, either intentionally or unintentionally, that non-Christian religious communities are theologically dead. This win-lose mentality presents Christianity as the only living faith, a perspective that diminishes the church's life and integrity."

Do What!?!?!

Sadly, this man is serious. A shining example of Romans 1:22.

So what do y'all think? Should we take the centrality of Christ out of our churches, so that 'other faith communities' won't feel inferior?

Bro. Hank <

p.s. - my new signature is gonna be the "<" sign, rather than the fish "><>". the fish is cool, but the "<" sign reminds me of John 3:30, "He must increase, but I must decrease."

Those Battling Baptists...

Well, they do say that "All is fair in Love and War", right? So does this mean war?

Oh, you haven't heard? The forces of Calvinism are sweeping the SBC like a firestorm, and pastors everywhere are sounding the battle cry, "To Arms! To Arminians!" Well, the guys at Fide-O have highlighted a recent skirmish, that serves as a striking reminder of the state of our beloved Convention, in their post Baptist Battles Against Calvinism.

And dare I say, that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, not human-made weapons, but mighty, through God, to the pulling down of strongholds? Dare I say that?


Marching On To Zion-
Bro. Hank ><>

A devil at home!

"The way in which a man lives in his home is vital. It
will not do to be a saint abroad--and a devil at home!
There are some of that kind. They are wonderfully sweet
at a prayer meeting, but they are dreadfully sour to their
wives and children. This will never do! Every genuine
believer should say, and mean it, 'I will walk within my
house with a perfect heart.' It is in the home that
we get the truest proof of godliness!

'What sort of a man is he?' said one to George Whitefield;
and Whitefield answered, 'I cannot say, for I never lived
with him.' That is the way to test a man--to live with him."

(quote from Charles Spurgeon, sermon #2362)

Fillup on "Name It and Claim It"

Phillip Bethancourt, over at Fillup.org, lays out a well-grounded reflection on the common Christian act of "Name It and Claim It". The post helped settle a few questions in my heart, so if you have the time, I think it'll be well worth your attention...

Bro. Hank ><>

=============================================================
By Phillip Bethancourt (HT:Fillup.org):

"In one of my seminary classes, we recently discussed the question, 'why should God answer our prayers?' Here are some reflections on the topic:


When we pray, we should give God (whether implicitly or explicitly) a biblical reason why He should answer that prayer. This is not an effort at divine arm-twisting, but a means of appealing to God on the basis of His revealed Word for specific answer to prayer. One type of biblical reason for God to answer our prayers is the promises of God contained in scripture.


The Bible is full of promises. If we are going to claim the promises of God as grounds for Him to answer our prayer, then that opens us up to the potential of abusing the system and claiming them incorrectly. There is a right and wrong way to claim the promises of the Bible.


Many people want to just name and claim biblical promises to further their agenda. However, we must come to a realization that not all promises in scripture relate to us the same. We cannot claim every promise in the Bible for ourselves as is. Why? Because not every promise in the Bible was addressed to us as is. So, for instance, a male cannot name and claim for himself the promise of a Virgin Birth given in Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14) in order to substantiate the belief that he will somehow be with child.


The promises of the Bible do not all apply to the same audience. Who the promise was intended for originally impacts how we can interact with that promise before God in prayer:


Some promises in the Bible are for all people in general (Romans 10:13-Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved)
Some promises in the Bible are for all believers in general (Hebrews 13:5-I will never leave you nor forsake you)
Some promises in the Bible are for specific believers (Matthew 1:23-Promise to Mary that she will bear a son whom she is to call Immanuel)

While the first two categories apply directly to those of us who are in Christ, the third category creates a difficult scenario. Why? We can't claim promises that weren't given to us as is. So, what do we do with promises given to other people? Can they serve as grounds for why God should answer our prayers?..." (finish reading the article here)

Lay the Blame Where it is Deserved - Godly separation

"Divisions and separations are most objectionable in religion. They weaken the cause of true Christianity ...But before we blame people for them, we must be careful that we lay the blame where it is deserved. False doctrine and heresy are even worse than schism. If people separate themselves from teaching that is positively false and unscriptural, they ought to be praised rather than reproved. In such cases separation is a virtue and not a sin." -- J.C. RYLE

"Bad theology will eventually hurt people and dishonor God in proportion to its badness." -- John Piper (A Godward Life Volume Two, pg. 377)

-------------------------------------

I've recently run into a few folks who have questioned my belief of Christian "separation" and the overall "biblicity" of the entire matter. Perhaps it's just the way I come off, but people seem to take offense at my willingness to separate from what I feel is 'bad theology'. Mind you, I don't claim to have omniscience or infallibility in my decisions...but I'm also not deaf, blind, and dumb when it comes to the foundations of the faith. This handbook of Faith that we have (the Bible), is pretty clear about some things...one of them being - SEPARATION.

"If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." - 1 Tim 4:6-8

"As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." - 1 Tim 1:3-5

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." - Col 2:8

Through my conversations about this, the question inevitably comes down to this: 'What constitutes a seperatable offense?' Or to put it differently, 'How far is too far?' And that's what I'm trying to decide. But I care not to decide upon anything by my own feeble intellect, feelings, or emotional responses to peoples or theological systems. My hope is in the Word, and it alone. And those systems that are based 'outside' of scripture (ie. extra-biblical) - are quick to gain my separatist glare. Am I too quick with the Sword? Can you be too quick with the Sword? Call me out, please. Rebuke me to my face, that I may turn and repent -- or join me in praising God for his revelations of Truth in 2 Corinthians 6:17, where the Word exhorts:

"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you."

So as far as 'bad theology' goes, I don't have it all figured out, but here are some biggies that Monergism highlights: Synergism - Seeker Sensitive - Four-Point Calvinism - Forseen Faith - No Lordship - Legalism - New Perspective on Paul - Open Theism - Religious Pluralism - HyperCalvinism - Finneyism - Oneness Pentecostalism - Word of Faith - Liberal Theology. I will add a footnote here - Not all 'bad theology' requires IMMEDIATE separation. It should definitely be on the list, but "reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness" (2 Tim 3:16) should be our primary aim. Only when these are rejected, does separation become an option.

What do y'all think? Unity for the sake of unity?

Bro. Hank ><>

P.S. - If you haven't taken this heretic quiz - take a few moments and find out if I need to separate from you...lol.

"Stop, Poor Sinner, Stop and Think"

A hymn for meditation, from the hand of the man who penned "Amazing Grace". I pray you enjoy it as much as I did! Compare the truths of that hymn, to the one found below...

'Tis true that some will be saved "as if through fire",
and I praise God for that!
Bro. Hank ><>

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"Stop, Poor Sinner, Stop and Think"
-John Newton

"Stop, poor sinner! stop and think
Before you farther go!
Will you sport upon the brink
Of everlasting woe?
Once again I charge you, stop!
For, unless you warning take,
Ere you are aware, you drop
Into the burning lake!

Say, have you an arm like God,
That you His will oppose?
Fear you not that iron rod
With which He breaks His foes?
Can you stand in that dread day,
When He judgment shall proclaim,
And the earth shall melt away
Like wax before the flame?

Pale faced death will quickly come
To drag you to His bar;
Then to hear your awful doom
Will fill you with despair:
All your sins will round you crowd,
Sins of a blood-crimson dye;
Each for vengeance crying loud,
And what can you reply?

Though your heart be made of steel,
Your forehead lined with brass,
God at length will make you feel,
He will not let you pass:
Sinners then in vain will call,
Though they now despise His grace,
"Rocks and mountains on us fall,
And hide us from His face!"

But as yet there is a hope
You may His mercy know;
Though His arm is lifted up
He still forbears the blow:
'Twas for sinners Jesus died,
Sinners He invites to come;
None who come shall be denied,
He says, "There still is room."

Should the average Christian care about theology?

J.I. Packer offers a nice insight to the question of the Christian and theology....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A fair question! - but there is, I think, a convincing answer to it. The questioner clearly assumes that a study of the nature and character of God will be unpractical and irrelevant for life. In fact, however, it is the most practical project anyone can engage in. Knowing about God is crucially important for the living of our lives.


As it would be cruel to an Amazonian tribesman to fly him to London, put him down without explanation in Trafalgar Square and leave him, as one who knew nothing of English or England, to fend for himself, so we are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it.


The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place, and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business, for those who do not know about God. Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfold, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul. (HT: ReformedTheology


J.I. Packer, Knowing God, p.17

The Comment Factor

Centuri0n, over at "...and his ministers a flame of fire" has posted some well timed remarks on the upside of allowing comments to your blog posts. And for a real life example of why comments are good, step on over to our growing comments to "Half-Truths" at Stepping In Faith.

Have you made your comment today?

bro. Hank
===========================================
"de annotatibus"
By Centuri0n:

"I have no idea why the question of whether or not there ought to be comments allowed on Christian blogs is even a question. I have no idea why anyone would bother to even have a blog if they planned to keep the comments section closed.
However, Ergun Caner has said this about the topic of blog comments (I'll bet: because he doesn't allow them), and I got a good laugh out of his remarks. However, because he doesn't allow comments (apparently for the sake of following Christ -- if someone who reads that post can explain it to me I'd be much obliged; I'm a little puzzled at his omission of the "like ministry" punchline), I really don't have an opportunity to share the joy with him.

For those of you who are curious, here are my top reasons for keeping comments open on this blog:

[5] Because it's possible I might be wrong. If you don't think about this topic any further than "comments are a vital method of self-correction", you will have done well. You know: when someone has the audacity to call people who reject Santa "jerks", he ought to keep the door open to some level of criticism which is at about the same altitude as the comment he originally made.

[4] Because it's possible that somebody might learn something. There is at least one baptist reading this blog today who, after reading my various elaborations on the differences between Presbyterian paedobaptism and other forms of paedobaptism and the credobaptist position of all God-fearing men since John (the Baptist) (that's a joke, folks: laugh and move on), he learned something. It's also possible that I have learned one or two things by interacting with the people who have a strong enough constitution to read this blog from time to time and leave a comment.

[3] Because it builds community. Notice -- not "church" but "community". My wife thinks it's a little weird to make friends over the internet, but that's because she likes to talk and not to write. I like to write and to read. Nice to meet you, too.

[2] Because it foils those who want to call names. The proof, of course, is in the pudding. The meta is a fine record of whatever it is that I am, and while I have made my share of mistakes I don't pretend that I'm not that person by means of historically revisionistic anathemas.

[1] Stats. If you leave a comment, you'll probably come back. It's like potato chips.

And my other opinion for the day is that people who do not turn on comments fall into two categories:


Those who have an ardent following of torch-and-pitchfork wielding villagers who will stop at nothing to start a lynching

Those who cannot defend themselves and perceive everyone who criticizes them as torch-and-pitchfork wielding villagers who will stop at nothing to start a lynching

We will not include a list for either of those categories. You apply the paradigm as far as it is useful to you in your daily life.
_______________________________________________

As a side note, I really love the Google toolbar spell-checker. If you install it, you will, too."

GOD LOVES QUITTERS

By Sean Dietrich

"I used to try and try and try. When I first began following Jesus, I would try and try to do the things that were said in the bible. I would desperately try to do the things that my other brothers and sisters told me I should be doing. I tried to follow a strict set of moral guidelines, and I always came up short! Nothing worked. I read more books, prayed more prayers and things never panned out for me. I can tell you, I felt like Paul felt when he said, "Woe is me..."

I remember coming home one day from a worship service on a Sunday afternoon. I opened up my front door and fell face forward on my couch and just cried. Nothing was happening in my spiritual life at all at the time. I was dry. It was that simple. This was unacceptable for me. I was a music minister. I was supposed to be an example! However, the self-imposed burden of full-time ministry did nothing to push me into this flawless life of following Jesus. I was hopeless. The more I tried the more I failed.

How did I plan on solving my problem? By trying harder of course! The only conclusion I could come to in my all failings, was that I was slacking. After all, Jesus said if we love him we would keep his commandments. So what does that really mean?

...AND THAT'S A PROMISE

Jesus said if we love him, we would obey his teaching.

Before I shed my "works" mentality, I used to envision Jesus saying this in an irritated state. I really believed that Jesus was actually saying: "The more you do for me, the more you will prove your love for me." But then I had a revelation. I can't explain how it happened, and I can't detail the exact process of events that led up to it. But what brand new life it brought!

All at once, Jesus revealed to me that if I sought the love found in him instead of seeking the commandments, I would end up keeping obeying his teachings without even trying. I began to see that Jesus' statement was actually a promise! Jesus was telling me that if I would just learn to love with him, the commandments would wind up be kept. He was promising it to me. What a promise.

I can remember finally getting it. I am referring to the moment when I finally had a revelation of his love. It was something I had yearned for in the deepest chambers of my heart for so long. Suddenly all the years of work that Jesus had been doing inside me began to show up externally. I was giving up my own efforts and resting in the total love he had for me.

QUIT BUT STILL WIN?

I remember vocalizing out-loud to God, "Lord, I give up." It felt so good giving up too! What freedom! I could finally see that he never really expected me to "try" and live the perfect life to begin with. Instead, he wanted me to "love" him, and "abide" in him. He would take care of all the rest if I would just learn to love and trust him. The pressure is off!

The beautiful thing for me is: the more I willingly give up, the more fruit he produces through me. All of the sudden I'm living on the pages of the bible. I was now free from the law of sin and death! Not just intellectually free. Really free! Now I too finally experience the awesome life found in the New Testament. It's an amazingly beautiful way to live.

I can definitely live life this way. Thanks Jesus."

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Bro. Sean, that New Testament life is an "amazingly beautiful way to live". I praise God for his grace, that he did not leave us at Mt. Sinai, but brought us on to Mt. Calvary, so that he could bring us home to Mt. Zion.

O' to be free indeed!

Bro. Hank

Matthew 11:28 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

What binds the conciences of men?

Due to some recent conversations here in cyberspace, I felt it was fitting to post an excerpt from the "Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy" as well as some comments by R.C. Sproul, found in his book, Scripture Alone.

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Article II of the Chicago Statement reads:

"We affirm that the Scriptures are the supreme written norm by which God binds the conscience, and that the authority of the church is subordinate to that of Scripture. We deny that church creeds, councils, or declarations have authority greater than or equal to the authority of the Bible."

Sproul writes:

"The question at this point dealt with the fact that other written documents are important to the life of the church. For example, church creeds and confessions form the basis of subscription and unity of faith in many different Christian denominations and communities. Such creeds and confessions have a kind of normative authority within a given Christian body and have the effect of binding consciences within that particular context. However, it is a classic tenet of Protestantism to recognize that all such creeds and confessions are fallible and connot fully and finally bind the conscience of an individual believer. Only the Word of God has the kind of authority that can bind the conscience of men forever...Our consciences are justly bound to lesser authorities only when and if they are in conformity to the Word of God."

Divine guidance

(taken from John Newton's Letters)

"In general, God guides and directs His people, by affording
them, in answer to prayer, the light of His Holy Spirit, who
enables them to understand and to love the Scriptures.

The word of God furnishes us with just principles, and right
apprehensions, to regulate our judgments and affections, and
thereby to influence and direct our conduct. Those who study
the Scriptures, in a humble dependence upon Divine teaching,
are taught to make a true estimate of everything around them,
and are gradually formed into a spirit of submission to the will
of God. They thereby discover the nature and duties of their
several situations and relations in life, and the snares and
temptations to which they are exposed.

The word of God dwelling richly in them, is a preservative from
error, a light to their feet, and a spring of strength and consolation.
By treasuring up the doctrines, precepts, promises, examples, and
exhortations of Scripture, in their minds, and daily comparing
themselves with the rule by which they walk, they grow into a
habitual frame of spiritual wisdom, and acquire a gracious taste,
which enables them to judge of right and wrong with a degree of
readiness and certainty, as a musical ear judges of sounds. And
they are seldom mistaken, because they are influenced by the
love of Christ, which rules in their hearts, and a regard to the
glory of God, which is the great object they have in view.

The Lord, whom they serve, does not disappoint their expectations.
He leads them by a right way, preserves them from a thousand snares,
and satisfies them that He is and will be their guide even unto death."

True Religion is Born From Knowledge of Truth

Benjamin Breckenridge Warfield on truth in religion:

"The grounds of religion must be taught and learned as truly as the grounds of anything else. Let us make no mistake here. Religion does not come of itself; it is always a matter of instruction. The emotions of the heart, in which many seem to think religion is too exclusively to consist, always follow the movements of thought. Passion for service cannot take the place of passion for truth, or safely outrun the acquisition of truth, for it is dreadfully possible to navigate sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, to find we have made him only a "son of hell".

This is why God establishes and extends his Church by the ordinance of preaching; it is why we have Sunday schools and Bible classes. This is why God has grounded his church in revelation. He does not content Himself with sending His Spirit into the world to turn men to Him. He sends His Word into the world as well. Because it is from knowledge of the truth, and only from the knowledge of the truth, that under the quickening influence of the Spirit true religion can be born."

From The Chief End of Man (book intro, 19th century)

On CT Studd...

From the Spurgeon Underground:

"CT Studd has been one of my heroes since I was a boy. Revisiting some of his writing and his biolgraphy recently has refreshed my mind about this great man of God.

If you do not know who CT Studd is, then you must learn about him! Read about him. He was a famous cricket player who left the sport for the mission field and gave his inherited family fortune away to fund missions. He served first with Hudson Taylor and China Inland Missions, then served in India, and then founded a mission agency and went as a missionary to Africa."

Here are a few quotes from his writing:

"Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell."

"The best training for a soldier of Christ is not merely a theological college. They always seem to turn out sausages of varying lengths, tied at each end, without the glorious freedom a Christian ought to abound and rejoice in. You see, when in hand-to-hand conflict with the world and the devil, neat little biblical confectionery is like shooting lions with a pea-shooter: one needs a man who will let himself go and deliver blows right and left as hard as he can hit, trusting in the Holy Ghost."

"Funds are low again, hallelujah! That means God trusts us and is willing to leave His reputation in our hands. "

"Our recruits come out from home vastly raw and are largely parrots. They have been crammed with religion as though for an examination, and seem to come out to carry on their education rather than finish it. So many are just taught doctrines without ever having thought them out or searched the Scriptures for themselves. They come out like infants with pop guns. They need to be trained into soldiers with real devil-defying weapons. Some arrive thinking they are the last thing in high-class Christianity and have to find out they know little. That is why I keep the newcomers here at base for a time till I can make them really think out things and settle questions, not from hearsay but from Bible-say."

"How could I spend the best years of my life in living for the honours of this world, when thousands of souls are perishing every day? "

"If you don't want the Devil to hit you, hit him first, and hit him with all your might, so that he may be too crippled to hit back. 'Preach the Word' is the rod the Devil fears and hates."

"Three of the Devil's dogs with which he hunts us are: Swelled head, Laziness, Cupidity."

"Don't go into the study to prepare a sermon -- that's nonsense. Go into your study to God and get so fiery that your tongue is like a burning coal and you have got to speak."

"The "romance" of a missionary is often made up of monotony and drudgery; there often is no glamour in it; it doesn't stir a man's spirit or blood. So don't come out to be a missionary as an experiment, it is useless and dangerous. Only come if you feel you would rather die than not come. Lord Wolsey was right: "A missionary ought to be a fanatic or he encumbers the ground." There are many trials and hardships. Disappointments are numerous and the time of learning the language is especially trying. Don't come if you want to make a great name or want to live long. Come if you feel there is no greater honour, after living for Christ, than to die for Him. That does the trick in the end. It's not the flash in the pan but the steady giving forth of light, it's shining on and on that we need out here. Our job is to make all hear the Word. God's job is to give penetration to His Word. "

"I can easily see why the folks at home want to eliminate Hell from their theology, preaching and thought. Hell is indeed awful unless its preaching is joined to a life laid down by the preacher. How can a man believe in Hell unless he throws away his life to rescue others from its torment? If there is no Hell, the Bible is a lie."

"I am getting desperately afraid of going to heaven for I have had the vision of the shame I shall suffer as I get my first glimpse of the Lord Jesus; His majesty, power and marvellous love for me, who treated Him so meanly and shabbily on earth, and acted as though I did Him a favour in serving Him! No wonder God shall have to wipe away the tears off all faces, for we shall be broken-hearted when we see the depth of His love and the shallowness of ours. "

"God has called me to go, and I will go. I will blaze the trail though my grave may only become a stepping stone that younger men may follow."

Some things are true and some things are false...

One of my favorite sayings is "Absolutely not!" Don't ask me why, but that's just fun for me to say. No matter if the answer is really yes, or no - if I'm feeling uppity, I'm liable to bust out with an "Absolutely not!" But that statement shadows a little of my spiritual beliefs as well.

I believe in absolutes.

When debating, discussing, or dividing truth - we are often confronted with the question of "Are there such things as ABSOLUTE truths?"

Why, absolutely! In fact, to make the statement that "There is no such thing as absolutes", you are speaking absolutely, and thereby negating your entire argument.

When God speaks, he speaks absolutely. Let me pause here to define our term:
Absolute:
1 a : free from imperfection : PERFECT, b : free from mixture, c : OUTRIGHT, UNMITIGATED
2 : being, governed by, or characteristic of a ruler or authority completely free from constitutional or other restraint
3 : having no restriction, exception, or qualification
4 : POSITIVE, UNQUESTIONABLE
5 a : independent of arbitrary standards of measurement
6 : FUNDAMENTAL, ULTIMATE
7 : perfectly embodying the nature of a thing
8 : being self-sufficient and free of external references or relationships


Do those definitions sound like God's word? I would say so. In fact, they sound like God himself! You could say we serve an Absolute God.

And not only does God speak absolutely, but he calls us to speak absolutely:
"But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." - Matthew 5:37, James 5:12

Spurgeon highlights these same ideals in "A Need For Decision":

"Some things are true and some things are false. I regard that as an axiom; but there are many persons who evidently do not believe it. The current principle of the present age seems to be, "Some things are either true or false, according to the point of view from which you look at them. Black is white, and white is black according to circumstances; and it does not particularly matter which you call it. Truth of course is true, but it would be rude to say that the opposite is a lie; we must not be bigoted, but remember the motto, 'So many men, so many minds.'" Our forefathers were particular about maintaining landmarks; they had strong notions about fixed points of revealed doctrine, and were very tenacious of what they believed to be scriptural; their fields were protected by hedges and ditches, but their sons have grubbed up the hedges, filled up the ditches, laid all level, and played at leap-frog with the boundary stones. The school of modern thought laughs at the ridiculous positiveness of Reformers and Puritans; it is advancing in glorious liberality, and before long will publish a grand alliance between heaven and hell, or, rather, an amalgamation of the two establishments upon terms of mutual concession, allowing falsehood and truth to lie side by side, like the lion with the lamb. Still, for all that, my firm old-fashioned belief is that some doctrines are true, and that statements which are diametrically opposite to them are not true, - that when "No" is the fact, "Yes" is out of court, and that when "Yes" can be justified, "No" must be abandoned."

Be deliberate,

Bro. Hank

What do you think?