Decembrrrrrr photos

Anti-Meridian Review...

...is up, over at intothehill.com. If your so inclined.

One does not simply...

...poorly photoshop their way into the Desiring God Conference...



no.....it is folly.

October Photos. 2.

May these lead you to your knees.

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Here you may suppose the Father to say, when driving his bargain with Christ for you:

Father: "My son, here is a company of poor miserable souls, that have utterly undone themselves, and now lie open to my justice! Justice demands satisfaction for them, or will satisfy itself in the eternal ruin of them: What shall be done for these souls And thus Christ returns."

Son: "O my Father, such is my love to, and pity for them, that rather than they shall perish eternally, I will be responsible for them as their Surety; bring in all thy bills, that I may see what they owe thee; Lord, bring them all in, that there may be no after-reckonings with them; at my hand shalt thou require it. I will rather choose to suffer thy wrath than they should suffer it: upon me, my Father, upon me be all their debt."

Father: "But, my Son, if thou undertake for them, thou must reckon to pay the last mite, expect no abatements; if I spare them, I will not spare thee."

Son: "Content, Father, let it be so; charge it all upon me, I am able to discharge it: and though it prove a kind of undoing to me, though it impoverish all my riches, empty all my treasures, (for so indeed it did, 2 Cor. 8:9 "Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor”) yet I am content to undertake it."

Blush, ungrateful believers, O let shame cover your faces; judge in yourselves now, has Christ deserved that you should stand with him for trifles, that you should shrink at a few petty difficulties, and complain, this is hard, and that is harsh? O if you knew the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in this his wonderful condescension for you, you could not do it.

From Fountain of Life Opened Up, by John Flavel.

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His delight in the prospect of the eternal salvation of souls more than countervailing the dread he had of his extreme sufferings. Many waters could not quench his love, neither could the floods drown it, for his love was stronger than death; yea, than the mighty pains and torments of such a death.

From Christ the Example of Ministers, by Jonathan Edwards

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We never sent to him; he sent to us. Suppose that, after we had all sinned, we had fallen on our knees, and cried importunately, "Oh, Father, forgive us!" Suppose that day after day we had been, with many piteous tears and cries, supplicating and entreating forgiveness of God. It would be great love then that he should devise a way of pardoning us. But no; it was the very reverse. God sent an ambassador of peace to us; we sent no embassage to him. Man turned his back on God, and went farther and farther from him, and never thought of turning his face toward his best Friend. It is not man that turns beggar to God for salvation; it is, if I may dare to say it, as though the Eternal God himself did beg of his creatures to be saved. Jesus Christ has not come into the world to be sought for, but to seek that which is lost. It all begins with him. Unsought, unbidden by the object of his compassion, Jesus came into the world.

~From Herein is Love, by C.H. Spurgeon

October Photos. 1.

Some Stuff.

1. I've created a directory of sermons that have shaped and changed me HERE. It will also be listed on my sidebar as 'My Sermonshelf.' I hope they will be a blessing in your life.


2. Michael Spotts is giving away books! Head on over to the Open Life blog to enter to win this months - a glorious copy of Tomas Watson's Body of Divinity! There are a few rules so make sure to read the post carefully.

About The Body of Divinity:

"The first book published by the Trust (Banner of Truth), this has been one of their best sellers and consistently the most useful and influential of their publications. John Piper, Steve Lawson, Spurgeon, and other godly men all rank Body of Divinity as amongst those books most influential upon them. There are several reasons for this:

The subject of the book. It deals with the foremost doctrinal and experimental truths of the Christian Faith. It is based on the Westminster Assembly's Shorter Catechism, in which the main principles of Christianity are brought together and set forth from the scriptures in the form of questions and answers. This Catechism is unsurpassed for its 'terse exactitude of definition' and 'logical elaboration' of the fundamentals.

The style of the author. Watson conveys his thorough doctrinal and experiential knowledge of the truth in such an original, concise, pithy, pungent, racy, rich and illustrative style that he is rightly regarded as the most readable of the Puritans. Almost every other line is quotable."


3. Brave Saint Saturn has released their third CD! Head on over to purevolume to listen to three songs off of it, or over to emusic to listen to snippets of the whole album. If you would like to download the album FREE and legally I have discovered a way. Click HERE to sign up for emusic and recieve 50 free songs. Simply use the free downloads and then cancel your subscription. This allows you to keep the songs and your account will not be charged for your first month. If you would like to order a CD you can do it from their store. Trust me, it's worth it. I'll also be reviewing this album for intothehill.


4. New photos up next week - so be looking for those. =)

September Photos

Just a few of my favorites from this month.
Drowning insecurities with the beauty of design.

Old Books.

There is a strange idea abroad that in every subject the ancient books should be read only by the professionals, and that the amateur should content himself with the modern books. Thus I have found as a tutor in English Literature that if the average student wants to find out something about Platonism, the very last thing he thinks of doing is to take a translation of Plato off the library shelf and read the Symposium. He would rather read some dreary modern book ten times as long, all about "isms" and influences and only once in twelve pages telling him what Plato actually said. The error is rather an amiable one, for it springs from humility. The student is half afraid to meet one of the great philosophers face to face. He feels himself inadequate and thinks he will not understand him. But if he only knew, the great man, just because of his greatness, is much more intelligible than his modern commentator. The simplest student will be able to understand, if not all, yet a very great deal of what Plato said; but hardly anyone can understand some modern books on Platonism. It has always therefore been one of my main endeavours as a teacher to persuade the young that firsthand knowledge is not only more worth acquiring than secondhand knowledge, but is usually much easier and more delightful to acquire.

This mistaken preference for the modern books and this shyness of the old ones is nowhere more rampant than in theology. Wherever you find a little study circle of Christian laity you can be almost certain that they are studying not St. Luke or St. Paul or St. Augustine or Thomas Aquinas or Hooker or Butler, but M. Berdyaev or M. Maritain or M. Niebuhr or Miss Sayers or even myself.

Now this seems to me topsy-turvy. Naturally, since I myself am a writer, I do not wish the ordinary reader to read no modern books. But if he must read only the new or only the old, I would advise him to read the old. And I would give him this advice precisely because he is an amateur and therefore much less protected than the expert against the dangers of an exclusive contemporary diet. A new book is still on its trial and the amateur is not in a position to judge it. It has to be tested against the great body of Christian thought down the ages, and all its hidden implications (often unsuspected by the author himself) have to be brought to light. Often it cannot be fully understood without the knowledge of a good many other modern books. If you join at eleven o'clock a conversation which began at eight you will often not see the real bearing of what is said. Remarks which seem to you very ordinary will produce laughter or irritation and you will not see why - the reason, of course, being that the earlier stages of the conversation have given them a special point. In the same way sentences in a modern book which look quite ordinary may be directed at some other book; in this way you may be led to accept what you would have indignantly rejected if you knew its real significance. The only safety is to have a standard of plain, central Christianity ("mere Christianity" as Baxter called it) which puts the controversies of the moment in their proper perspective. Such a standard can be acquired only from the old books. It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones.

Every age has its own outlook. It is specially good at seeing certain truths and specially liable to make certain mistakes. We all, therefore, need the books that will correct the characteristic mistakes of our own period. And that means the old books. All contemporary writers share to some extent the contemporary outlook - even those, like myself, who seem most opposed to it. Nothing strikes me more when I read the controversies of past ages than the fact that both sides were usually assuming without question a good deal which we should now absolutely deny. They thought that they were as completely opposed as two sides could be, but in fact they were all the time secretly united - united with each other and against earlier and later ages - by a great mass of common assumptions. We may be sure that the characteristic blindness of the twentieth century - the blindness about which posterity will ask, "But how could they have thought that?" - lies where we have never suspected it, and concerns something about which there is untroubled agreement between Hitler and President Roosevelt or between Mr. H. G. Wells and Karl Barth. None of us can fully escape this blindness, but we shall certainly increase it, and weaken our guard against it, if we read only modern books. Where they are true they will give us truths which we half knew already. Where they are false they will aggravate the error with which we are already dangerously ill. The only palliative is to keep the clean sea breeze of the centuries blowing through our minds, and this can be done only by reading old books. Not, of course, that there is any magic about the past. People were no cleverer then than they are now; they made as many mistakes as we. But not the same mistakes. They will not flatter us in the errors we are already committing; and their own errors, being now open and palpable, will not endanger us. Two heads are better than one, not because either is infallible, but because they are unlikely to go wrong in the same direction. To be sure, the books of the future would be just as good a corrective as the books of the past, but unfortunately we cannot get at them.

~C.S. Lewis from his intoduction to Athanasius' 'On The Incarnation.'

Doctrine.

"But the Gospel is not only news. It is first news, and then it is doctrine. Doctrine means teaching, explaining, clarifying. Doctrine is part of the gospel because news can't be just declared by the mouth of a herald - it has to be understood in the mind of the hearer. If the town crier says, "Amnesty is herewith published by the mercy of your Sovereign," someone will ask, "what does 'amnesty' mean?" There will be many questions when the news is announced, "What is the price that has been paid?" "How have we dishonored the King?" When the gospel is proclaimed, it must be explained. ...Unintelligible news is not even new, let alone good.

Gospel doctrine matters because the good news is so full and rich and wonderful that it must be opened like a treasure chest, and all its treasures brought out for the enjoyment of the world. Doctrine is the description of these treasures. Doctrine describes their true value and why they are so valuable. Doctrine guards the diamonds of the Gospel from being discarded as mere crystals. Doctrine protects the treasures of the Gospel from the pirates who don't like the diamonds but who make their living trading them for other stones. Doctrine polishes the old gems buried at the bottom of the chest. It puts the jewels of the Gospel truth in order on the scarlet tapestry of history so each is see in its most beautiful place.

And all the while, doctrine does this with its head bowed in wonder that it should be allowed to touch the things of God. It whispers praise and thanks as it deals with the diamonds of the King. ... and on its knees Gospel doctrine knows it serves the herald. The Gospel is not mainly about being explained. Explanation is necessary, but it is not primary. A love letter must be intelligible, but the grammar and logic are not the point.

The Gospel is good news. Doctrine serves that."

From John Piper's book 'God is the Gospel'.



"Among certain Christians it has become quite the fashion to cry down creed and cry up experience as the only true test of Christianity. The expression "Not creed, but Christ" (taken, I believe, from a poem by John Oxenham) has been widely accepted as the very voice of truth and given a place alongside of the writings of prophets and apostles. When I first heard the words they sounded good. One got from them the idea that the advocates of the no-creed creed had found a precious secret that the rest of us had missed; that they had managed to cut right through the verbiage of historic Christianity and come direct to Christ without bothering about doctrine. And the words appeared to honor our Lord more perfectly by focusing attention upon Him alone and not upon mere words. But is this true? I think not. Now I have a lot of sympathy for the no-creed creedalists for I realize that they are protesting the substitution of a dead creed for a living Christ; and in this I join them wholeheartedly. But this antithesis need not exist; there is no reason for our creeds being dead just as there is no reason for our faith being dead. James tells us that there is such a thing as dead faith, but we do not reject all faith for that reason. Now the truth is that creed is implicit in every thought, word or act of the Christian life. It is altogether impossible to come to Christ without knowing at least something about Him; and what we know about Him is what we believe about Him; and what we believe about Him is our Christian creed. Otherwise stated, since our creed is what we believe, it is impossible to believe on Christ and have no creed."

From A.W. Tozer's book 'That Incredible Christian'.

A Matthew Henry Moment

And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city. And while he lingered, the men laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of his two daughters; the Lord being merciful unto him: and they brought him forth, and set him without the city. And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. ~Genesis XIX, 15-17


Observe,

1. With what a gracious violence Lot was brought out of Sodom, v. 16. It seems, though he did not make a jest of the warning given, as his sons-in-law did, yet he lingered, he trifled, he did not make so much haste as the case required. Thus many that are under some convictions about the misery of their spiritual state, and the necessity of a change, yet defer that needful work, and foolishly linger. Lot did so, and it might have been fatal to him it the angels had not laid hold of his hand, and brought him forth, and saved him with fear, Jude 23. Herein it is said, The Lord was merciful to him; otherwise he might justly have left him to perish, since he was so loth to depart. Note, (1.) The salvation of the most righteous men must be attributed to God's mercy, not to their own merit. We are saved by grace. (2.) God's power also must be acknowledged in the bringing of souls out of a sinful state. If God had not brought us forth, we had never come forth. (3.) If God had not been merciful to us, our lingering had been our ruin.

2. With what a gracious vehemence he was urged to make the best of his way, when he was brought forth, v. 17. (1.) He must still apprehend himself in danger of being consumed, and be quickened by the law of self-preservation to flee for his life. Note, A holy fear and trembling are found necessary to the working out of our salvation. (2.) He must therefore mind his business with the utmost care and diligence. He must not hanker after Sodom: Look not behind thee. He must not loiter by the way: Stay not in the plain; for it would all be made one dead sea. He must not take up short of the place of refuge appointed him: Escape to the mountain. Such as these are the commands given to those who through grace are delivered out of a sinful state. [1.] Return not to sin and Satan, for that is looking back to Sodom. [2.] Rest not in self and the world, for that is staying in the plain. And, [3.] Reach towards Christ and heaven, for that is escaping to the mountain, short of which we must not take up.

Some Newer Work

Some of my favorites from this summer. I need to post more photos.

Book Review - 'The Cross'

The Cross: God’s Way of Salvation
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Crossway Books, 1986, 224 pages, $12 (paperback)


Few books have impacted me emotionally as “The Cross” by D. Martin Lloyd-Jones. The first 100 pages flew by me late one Wednesday night leaving behind a small, broken man on the floor crying out in worship and thanksgiving. Page by page Mr. Lloyd-Jones, like a jeweler examining a diamond in the light, shows the reader different beautiful facets of the cross – that antinomy of the terrible and beautiful together. In this brief outline, I’ve decided to let Lloyd-Jones’ own words do most of the work to show the beauty and message of this book.

The book begins by explaining that the cross is what the apostles gloried in, and how Jesus’ life and teaching make no sense preached apart from the shadow of the cross.

“Now at the risk of being misunderstood I will put it like this: It is not primarily the teaching of our Lord. I say that, of course, because there are so many today who think that this is Christianity. They say, ‘What we need is Jesus’ teaching. He is the greatest religious genius of all times. He is above all philosophers. Let us have a look at His teaching, at the Sermon on the Mount and so on. That is what we want.’ ‘What the world needs today,’ they say, ‘is a dose of the Sermon on the Mount; a does of his ethical teaching. We must preach this to people and teach them how to live.” But according to the apostle, Paul, this is not their first need. And I will go further. If you only preach the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ, not only do you not solve the problem of mankind, but in a sense you aggravate it. You are preaching nothing but utter condemnation, because nobody can ever carry it out. So they did not preach His teaching. Paul does not say, ‘God forbid that I should glory, save in the Sermon on the Mount’ or ‘God forbid that I should glory save in the ethical teaching of Jesus’. He does not say that. It was not the teaching of Christ, nor the example of Christ either. What they preached was His death on the cross and the meaning of that event.” pp. 20-21

We see in Proverbs 17:15 that anyone who justifies a wicked man is an abomination to God, but later in Romans 4:5 we find Paul glorying that God has done that very thing – justified the wicked! How do we unlock these two contradictory statements? The cross is the key. A large and wonderful portion of this work is dedicated to the question posed to Spurgeon’s listeners 100 years prior, ‘How can a holy and just God forgive sinners without becoming an abomination to Himself?’

“No, we do not understand the righteousness of God. That is why modern man does not believe in the blood of the cross. He does not know what righteousness is. He does not know what justice is or what law is. He does not believe in discipline, and his world is becoming a hell for that reason. But God is righteous, he is the law giver, he is holy, he is of so pure a countenance that he cannot even look upon sin; and God cannot pretend that he has not seen it. God sees sin. He sees everything. He must punish sin. His own holy nature insists upon it and he has told us abundantly that he is going to do so. So here is the problem. Man is a guilty sinner, God is a holy God. How can the two be brought together? The answer is the cross of Christ.

…So what was happening on the cross was that God himself was laying your sins and mine upon his dearly beloved Son, and he paid the penalty of our guilt and our transgressions. “For he made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2Cor. 5:21). “The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). That is what the Father did. What did the son do? He was passive as a lamb, he did not grumble, he did not complain. He took it all upon him. He allowed it to happen. He surrendered himself deliberately and freely.

“Who gave himself for (on behalf of) our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father” (Galatians 1:4). But still more wonderfully, in Galatians 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” pp. 32-33

The book is also a call for examination, echoing Paul’s own exhortation in 1st Cor. 13:5 to examine and test ourselves to make sure of our calling and election.

'The word 'glory' at once tells us at once that the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is the test of every one of us. It is the test of our profession of Christianity. It is the test of our church membership, indeed, of our whole position and profession. There is no more subtle test of our understanding than our attitude to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, the cross passes judgment on us all, immediately and of necessity. You cannot remain neutral in the presence of the cross. It has always divided mankind and still does. And what the apostle says is that there are ultimately only two positions with respect to it. The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is either an offense to us or else it is the thing above everything else in which we glory.

My dear friends, there never can be a more important question than this: what does the cross do to you? Where do you find yourself as you think of it and face it? It is one of these two, it is either an offense or else you glory in it. Are we all clear about our position? Do we know exactly where we stand? There are some perhaps saying, 'Well quite certainly it is not an offense, to me, but I am afraid I cannot say I glory in it.' Well, my friend, you are in an impossible position. There are only two positions - offense or glory. As we value our immortal souls, let us examine the matter, let us look into it, let us see what the apostle has got to tell us here, and elsewhere in his writings, about these two positions, in order that we may know for sure." pp. 41-42

The book goes on to discuss the power of the cross whereby it was (and is) the means of the devil’s defeat, the amazing regeneratory strength of the cross whereby filthy, vile sinners can have peace with God, and the infinite worth of the cross whereby the Son of God gave up his very communion with His Father to save those who hated him. At the same time, Lloyd-Jones glories in his admission that there is SO much more to that great cross than we will ever know.

Although considered one of the greatest preachers of the 20th century, surprisingly very few people outside the theological academy know of this great man and his writings. I am partial to think we can attribute this to peddling shallow, superficial and some down right worthless books in an attempt to simplify and “dumb down” truth in an effort to reach our increasingly dim church members. There are several deeply theological authors who are very readable and accessible to people of all walks of life, and Lloyd-Jones is one of them – Spurgeon also coming immediately to mind.

A concise work from a man not usually known for brevity (he has a 14 volume commentary on Romans!), I would (and will) recommend this book to all my friends, saved or lost. It’s a priceless work on the most important subject.

Piper Paints People-Pictures

Listening through these has been such a blessing to me in the past few weeks. I thoroughly recommend you burn a few of them and listen in your car or while doing some busy work. They are all very well done (save the MLJ one), but I especially hope you'll do some right-click save-as on this one, and this one, this one, and definitely this one. I've been very encouraged hearing about the lives, faith, doctrines and actions of these men. Praise the Lord for his faithfulness to raise up prophets in every generation.

On Sovereignty and Supremacy

A.W. Pink on God's Supremacy

"Of old, God complained to an apostate Israel, Thou thoughtest that I was altogether as thyself. (Ps. 50:21). Such must now be His indictment against an apostate Christendom. Men imagine that the Most High is moved by sentiment, rather than actuated by principle. They suppose that His omnipotency is such an idle fiction that Satan is thwarting His designs on every side. They think that if He has formed any plan or purpose at all, then it must be like theirs, constantly subject to change. They openly declare that whatever power He possesses must be restricted, lest He invade the citadel of man’s "free will" and reduce him to a "machine." They lower the all efficacious Atonement, which has actually redeemed everyone for whom it was made, to a mere "remedy," which sin-sick souls may use if they feel disposed to; and they enervate the invincible work of the Holy Spirit to an "offer" of the Gospel which sinners may accept or reject as they please.

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 maudlin 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 nought but contempt."

C.H. Spurgeon on God's Sovereignty


"There is no attribute more comforting to His children than that of God's Sovereignty. Under the most adverse circumstances, in the most severe trials, they believe that Sovereignty has ordained their afflictions, that Sovereignty overrules them, and that Sovereignty will sanctify them all. There is nothing for which the children ought more earnestly to contend than the doctrine of the Master over all creation--the Kingship of God over all the works of His own hands--the Throne of God and His right to sit upon that Throne. On the other hand, there is no doctrine more hated by worldlings, no truth of which they have made such a football, as the great, stupendous, but yet most certain doctrine of the Sovereignty of the infinite Jehovah. Men will allow God to be everywhere except on His throne. They will allow Him to be in His workshop to fashion worlds and make stars. They will allow Him to be in His almonry to dispense His alms and bestow His bounties. They will allow Him to sustain the earth and bear up the pillars thereof, or light the lamps of heaven, or rule the waves of the ever-moving ocean; but when God ascends His throne, His creatures then gnash their teeth. And we proclaim an enthroned God, and His right to do as He will with His own, to dispose of His creatures as He thinks well, without consulting them in the matter; then it is that we are hissed and execrated, and then it is that men turn a deaf ear to us, for God on His throne is not the God preached. It is God upon His throne whom we trust."

Ironside answers the agnostic

This is taken from Boice's "Standing on the Rock", a book defending biblical inerrency, authority and sufficiency. The specific chapter was dealing with positive evidence for the bible - or why we can be assured that it is trustworthy. Besides the bibles amazing preservation over thousands of years, it's incredible unity though over 30 human authors were used, it's self-attestingness, and it's prophetic call and answers spanning hundreds of years, we can also look at the transforming power of the bible as an evidence for it's divine authorship. This anictdote taken from H.A. Ironside's life demonstrates the latter. And I'd be lying if it didn't make me chuckle.

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"Does the Bible actually transform men and women, turning them into godly persons? It does. Prostitutes have been reformed. Drunkards have become sober. Those filled with pride have become humble. Dishonest people have become people of integrity. Weak women and men have become strong, and all because of the transformation wrought in them by God as they have heard and studied the Scriptures.

A remarkable illustration comes from the life of Dr. Harry Ironside. Early in his ministry the great evangelist and Bible teacher was living in the San Francisco Bay area working with a group of believers called “Brethren”. One Sunday as he was walking through the city he came upon a group of Salvation Army workers holding a meeting on the corner of Market and Grant Avenues. There were probably sixty of them. When they recognized Ironside they immediately asked him if he would give his testimony. So he did, giving a word about how God had saved him through faith in the bodily death and literal resurrection of Jesus.

As he was speaking, Ironside noticed that on the edge of the crowd a well-dressed man had taken a card from his pocket and had written something on it. As Ironside finished his talk this man came forward, lifted his hat and very politely handed him the card. On one side was his name, which Ironside immediately recognized. The man was one of the early socialists who had made a name for himself, lecturing not only for socialism but also against Christianity. As Ironside turned the card over, he read, “Sir, I challenge you to debate with me the question ‘Agnosticism versus Christianity’ in the Academy of Science Hall next Sunday afternoon at 4 o’clock. I will pay all expenses.”

Ironside reread the card aloud and then replied somewhat like this. “I am very much interested in this challenge….Therefore I will be glad to agree to this debate on the following conditions: namely, that in order to prove Mr______ has something worth fighting for and worth debating about, he will promise to bring with him to the hall next Sunday two people, whose qualifications I will give in a moment, as proof that agnosticism is of real value in changing human lives and building true character.

“First he must promise to bring with him one man who was for years what we commonly call a ‘down-and-outer’. I am not particular as to the exact nature of the sins that had wrecked his life and made him an outcast from society - whether a drunkard, or a criminal of some kind, or a victim of his sensual appetite – but a man who for years was under the power of evil habits from which he could not deliver himself, but who on some occasion entered one of Mr._____’s meetings and heard his glorification of agnosticism and his denunciations of the Bible and Christianity, and whose heart and mind as he listened to such an address were so deeply stirred that he went away from that meeting saying, ‘Henceforth, I too am an agnostic!’ and as a result of imbibing that particular philosophy found that a new power had come into his life. The sins he once loved he now hates , and righteousness and goodness are now the ideals of his life. He is now an entirely new man, a credit to himself and an asset to society – all because he is an agnostic.

“Secondly, I would like Mr.______ to promise to bring with him one woman – and I think he may have more difficulty in finding the woman than the man – who was once a poor wretched, characterless outcast, the slave of evil passions, and the victim of man’s corrupt living……perhaps one who had for years lived in some evil resort…..utterly lost, ruined and wretched because of her life of sin. But this woman also entered a hall where Mr.______ was loudly proclaiming his agnosticism and ridiculing the message of the Holy Scriptures. As she listened, hope was born in her heart, and she said, ‘This is just what I need to deliver me from the slavery of sin!’ She followed the teaching and became an intelligent agnostic or infidel. As a result her whole being revolted against the degradation of the life she had been living. She fled from the den of iniquity where she had been held captive so long; and today, rehabilitated, she has won her way back to an honored position in society and is living a clean, virtuous, happy life – all because she is an agnostic.

“Now” he said, addressing the gentleman who had presented him with the card and the challenge, “if you will promise to bring these two people with you as examples of what agnosticism can do, I will promise to meet you at the Hall of Science at four o’clock next Sunday, and I will bring with me at the very least 100 men and women who for years lived in such sinful degradation as I have tried to depict, but who have been gloriously saved through believing the gospel which you ridicule. I will have these men and women with me on the platform as witnesses to the miraculous saving power of Jesus Christ and as present-day proof of the truth of the Bible.”

Dr. Ironside then turned to the Salvation Army captain, a woman, and said, “Have you any who could go with me to such a meeting?” She exclaimed with enthusiasm, “We can give you forty at least from just this one corps, and we will give you a brass band to lead the procession!”

“Fine,” Dr. Ironside answered. “Now, Mr.______, I will have no difficulty picking up sixty others from the various missions, gospel halls and evangelical churches of the city; and if you will promise faithfully to bring two such exhibits as I have described, I will come marching in at the head of such a procession, with the band playing, ‘Onward, Christian Soldiers’, and I will be ready for the debate.”

Apparently the man who had made the challenge must have had some sense of humor, for he smiled wryly and waved his hand in a deprecating sort of way as if to say, “Nothing doing” and then edged out of the crowd while the bystanders clapped for Ironside and the others.
The power of the living Christ operating by means of the Holy Spirit through the written Word changes lives. This has been true throughout history. It is a powerful proof that the Bible is indeed the Word of God.”

Prayer

I really enjoyed that video. The concentric way of prayer and how we should be 'scripture-praying' were very encouraging to me. It also inspired me to set aside a particular area to pray in. Since I have no woods currently available, I opted to buy a little stool and place it in the corner of my study. By setting aside a particular place for praying, you avoid many distractions and remained focused on why you are there. I would encourage everyone to do the same. =)




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Over the past six months God has really shown me the need, and given me the desire, to pray - and pray heavily, particularly in private prayer.

He has shown me my own inability to change myself and to rely on him for all my wisdom - 'To God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.' (Acts 16:27). Both Timothy, and Jude echo that same sentiment. But praise God, that God is not tightfisted with his wisdom, but will dispense it to us if we only humbly ask. As James tells us in his book, chapter one, verse five: 'If any of you lacks wisdom, let Him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.' I am so deficient in every aspect of all good things, Lord, please help me.

Our Lord also prayed heavily - so much so that his disciples specifically asked him to teach them how to pray. (Luke 11:1) He would often go out for hours at a time, to a solitary place (Mark 1:35), to be in communion with God and find out the "...will of He who sent me." (John 8:29) He commands us to do the same in Matthew 6:6. What convicted me so greatly about the way Jesus prayed, was the realization that he had no sin to repent of. How much more should we always be in fervent prayer, we that have so much to repent of!

Are we actively seeking the will of God? Are we in a constantly repenting for our sins and asking God for wisdom and power to sanctify us? Are we taking advantage of the great peace and love that we have in communion with a God who is also our Father? Are we lifting up in intercession our family, friends, and the world? Are we consistently praising God for his blessings and giving him glory in our thanksgiving? Are we following our Lord's injunction to pray for our enemies and those that curse us? Or is prayer only a reality to us when we have some trivial want or need - a safety net, there to use just in case we screw things up too much on our own.

Prayer really does change things. Do we believe that? Let us redeem the time (Ephesians 5:16) and be found spending much time in prayer!

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"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.' (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16)

"The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous." (Proverbs 15:29)

"Those who know God the best are the richest and most powerful in prayer. Little acquaintance with God, and strangeness and coldness to Him, make prayer a rare and feeble thing." --E. M. Bounds

"Let the fires go out in the boiler room of the church and the place will still look smart and clean, but it will be cold. The Prayer Room is the boiler room for its spiritual life." --Leonard Ravenhill

"Notice, we never pray for folks we gossip about, and we never gossip about the folk for whom we pray! For prayer is a great deterrent." --Leonard Ravenhill

"The true spirit of prayer is no other than God's own Spirit dwelling in the hearts of the saints. And as this spirit comes from God, so doth it naturally tend to God in holy breathings and pantings. It naturally leads to God, to converse with him by prayer." --Jonathan Edwards

"No leaving can make up for the failure to pray. No earnestness, no diligence, no study, no gifts will supply its lack." -- E.M. Bounds

"Whole days and weeks have I spent prostrate on the ground in silent or vocal prayer." -- George Whitefield

“If any of you should ask me for an epitome of the Christian religion, I should say that it is in one word- Prayer. Live and die without prayer, and you will pray long enough when you get to hell.” --C.H. Spurgeon

Updated Bookshelf

I've updated and recategorized my "bookshelf", which is found yonder on the sidebar on the right side of your screen (or here). If you've got time to check it out, these are titles that receive my whole-hearted approval, which is an honor every author sets out to achieve prior to touching ink to parchment. =)

These works have helped mold and teach me as I journey to 'study to show myself a workman, unashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.' I would encourage all of you to read and learn as much doctrine (greek for 'teaching') and theology (greek for 'a word from God') as possible. We study and master so many intricate things - some things for our careers, others more trivial, but we often offer excuses why we don't seek to learn and study hard the things of infinite value under the guise of 'it being to difficult' or 'I'm just not a theologian.' Remember that the Holy Spirit is what ultimately illuminates your mind to Scripture and the things of God, so trust in Him to help you understand his truth as you set out to learn. Always do it with a humble and trembling attitude, realizing your deficiency and you'll do well! (Isaiah 66:2) And remember that God will give us wisdom liberally, all we have to do is ask! (James 1)

#5 John Piper - Sovereign Joy in the Life and Thought of St. Augustine

(A series of 48 sermons that have angered, broken, impacted, molded,
and changed me.)

#5 “Sovereign Joy in the Life and Thought of St. Augustine” – John Piper

Piper’s passion is so addicting! I never really got Piper’s “Christian hedonism.” It seemed too man centered, until explained through the lens of Augustine’s definition of grace – God’s giving to us a sovereign joy in God that triumphs over the joy of sin.

We need to discover purity/chastity in God more desirable than lust. We need to find our Joy in Him over everything else.

What trifles am I keeping instead of God?

“Not in reveling and drunkenness, not in lust and wantonness, not in quarrels and rivalries, rather arm yourselves with the lord Jesus Christ. Spend no more thought on nature and nature’s appetites.” Romans 13:13

D.A. Carson Interview

Free Audio Book - Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan

My friend Michael Spotts recently posted this gem on his blog, and I thought it too good not to share with all of you!

He writes:

"Second to the bible, do you know what the most widely read book of all time is? John Bunyan's classic allegory, Pilgrim's Progress, which happens to be this month's free audio book at ChristianAudio.com. Now you can join Christian on his perilous journey to the celestial city (all ten amazing .mp3 hours of it!) while saving your pennies for some other tome.

Use the coupon code JUN2008 to redeem this month's free audiobook download from christianaudio.com.

You'll have to join first, but joining is free and takes just a minute. Add the book to your cart and when it prompts you for the coupon code, enter it - the price will drop to $0. I've been a member for the last year and have received several top-quality books from them for free. Act fast, Bunyan's book is only free for this month."

Description: "John Bunyan was a simple maker and mender of pots and kettles who received very little education. In spite of that, he penned the most successful allegory ever written. He lost his first wife and was imprisoned for twelve years for his compelling—but unlicensed—preaching. Nevertheless, his preaching about the gravity of sin, salvation by grace, the cost of discipleship, perseverance, and the glory of eternal life lives on in the signs and symbols of The Pilgrim’s Progress. Embark on a perilous journey with Christian, the lead character, from the City of Destruction to the luminous safe haven of the Celestial City. The journey will encourage you to “set your hope fully on the grace to be given you” amidst the obstacles of life."

A Matthew Henry Moment

"And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch."
~Genesis VI, 13-14


"Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he."
~Genesis VI, 22


Noah's care and diligence in building the ark may be considered, 1. As an effect of his faith in the word of God. God had told him he would shortly drown the world; he believed it, feared the threatened deluge, and, in that fear, prepared the ark. Note, We ought to mix faith with the revelation God has made of his wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men; the threatenings of the word are not false alarms. Much might have been objected against the credibility of this warning given to Noah. "Who could believe that the wise God, who made the world, should so soon unmake it again, that he who had drawn the waters off the dry land (ch. i. 9, 10) should cause them to cover it again? How would this be reconciled with the mercy of God, which is over all his works, especially that the innocent creatures should die for man's sin? Whence could water be had sufficient to deluge the world? And, if it must be so, why should notice be given of it to Noah only?" But Noah's faith triumphed over all these corrupt reasonings. 2. As an act of obedience to the command of God. Had he consulted with flesh and blood, many objections would have been raised against it. To rear a building, such a one as he never saw, so large, and of such exact dimensions, would put him upon a great deal of care, and labour, and expense. It would be a work of time; the vision was for a great while to come. His neighbours would ridicule him for his credulity, and he would be the song of the drunkards; his building would be called Noah's folly. If the worst came to the worst, as we say, each would fare as well as his neighbours. But these, and a thousand such objections, Noah by faith got over. His obedience was ready and resolute: Thus did Noah, willingly and cheerfully, without murmuring and disputing. God says, Do this, and he does it. It was also punctual and persevering: he did all exactly according to the instructions given him, and, having begun to build, did not leave off till he had finished it; so did he, and so must we do. 3. As an instance of wisdom for himself, thus to provide for his own safety. He feared the deluge, and therefore prepared the ark. Note, When God gives warning of approaching judgments, it is our wisdom and duty to provide accordingly. See Exod. ix. 20, 21; Ezek. iii. 18. We must prepare to meet the Lord in his judgments on earth, flee to his name as a strong tower (Prov. xviii. 10), enter into our chambers (Isa. xxvi. 20, 21), especially prepare to meet him at death and in the judgment of the great day, build upon Christ the Rock (Matt. vii. 24), go into Christ the Ark. 4. As intended for warning to a careless world; and it was fair warning of the deluge coming. Every blow of his axes and hammers was a call to repentance, a call to them to prepare arks too. But, since by it he could not convince the world, by it he condemned the world, Heb. xi. 7.

Praise God for the Beauty and Reality of His Sanctification!

I'm not here yet, but I'm thankful that He is breaking me, and making me His own.

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Once it was the blessing, Now it is the Lord;
Once it was the feeling, Now it is His Word.

Once His gifts I wanted, Now the Giver own;
Once I sought for healing, Now Himself alone.

Once 'twas painful trying, Now 'tis perfect trust;
Once a half salvation, Now the uttermost.

Once 'twas ceaseless holding, Now He holds me fast;
Once 'twas constant drifting, Now my anchor's cast.

Once 'twas busy planning, Now 'tis trustful prayer;
Once 'twas anxious caring, Now He has the care.

Once 'twas what I wanted, Now what Jesus says;
Once 'twas constant asking, Now 'tis ceaseless praise.

Once it was my working, His it hence shall be;
Once I tried to use Him, Now He uses me.

Once the power I wanted, Now the Mighty One;
Once for self I labored, Now for Him alone.

Once I hoped in Jesus, Now I know He's mine;
Once my lamps were dying, Now they brightly shine.

Once for death I waited, Now His coming hail;
And my hopes are anchored, Safe within the vale.

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A.B. Simpson (1843-1919) was a Canadian preacher, theologian, and author, and founder of The Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA), an evangelical protestant denomination with an emphasis on global evangelism.

An Amazing (and Exausting) Weekend!

One of my best friends, Riley, got married Saturday, and I was honored to have been a member of his wedding party. Friends came in from all over the country and it was a blessed several days where we were able to fellowship together again as a group. I kidnapped Riley on Wednesday to begin the weekend festivities, and brought him out to Backbone State Park, for his very last bachelor trip. We spent the entire day in the woods, playing chess, reading and writing, and in prayer. It was perfect. (View the rest of the photos here) Thursday and Friday found us all in many times of prayer, laughter, and Mario Kart. I think I got an average of 4 hours of sleep every night that weekend. The wedding itself was beautiful - it's the first time I'm teared up at one. The vows were sacred.

All the guys also contributed VERY generously to Riley's wedding gift, and we were able to buy him some really great books! Thank you all for all your help getting everything organized last weekend!! I miss you all. Come back and visit again soon. Please?



Per Request of several people I've decided to post the speech I gave at Riley's Reception. Though I'm hesitant to do so for a number of reasons. Pride being the first one. It's hard to keep a clear head when a dozen or so people talk about how great something was that you did. I attribute any insight or eloquence the address may have had unto God and his grace upon me and the things HE has taught me in the past couple years. Second, the speech was meant for there and then, that specific moment to that specific person and his bride. So there is a difficulty for me in almost "resurrecting" something, or at least, taking it out of it's element. It also seems kind of pretentious - though I hope it doesn't come across that way - posting something that has already has been done. I hope this doesn't come across as looking for more praise for myself. I'm only posting it because of the insistence of those who have asked me for it, and I hope it brings edification and challenge to everyone who reads it. Thanks!

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March 3rd, 2008

Riley,

We’ve sojourned together these past five years as fellow heirs in this grace of life; from the first time we met all the way through early morning singing, late night heart-bearing, MY BAPTISM, countless trips and countless prayers. And even through times of pain and battle - I count it as nothing but JOY to have had you as my friend. You’ve never ceased giving to me – physically, emotionally, spiritually. Thank you.

G.K. Chesterton once called St. Francis of Assisi a “living poem” and I can’t help but echo his sentiments today in regards to you. You ARE a poem Riley. The meter of your life is an eclectic one - ever changing but always guided by the hand of God. And the words that make and come out of your mouth bear such a cadence that only a fool could miss their beauty. And your content...impacts people. It changes them. This room full of people - especially this girl by your side is a testament to that. Your life is so radiant because you strive, and I know you strive hard, after reflecting that perfect Poem. That perfect man and that fully God combined in that mystical union. And although your poem sometimes contains a faulty rhyme or a dissident note, it still outshines ANY I have ever encountered. And now your poem is changing again - and it must for you have found a ‘very good thing’.

I have a charge for the both of you.

We believe in a sovereign God. A God of order and a God of detail. A God who doesn’t allow anything to happen that is beyond his control. ‘For we know that God causes ALL things to work together for GOOD to those who love God, and are called according to His purpose.’ If you can just believe that as a FACT - not just a vague doctrine that we give a mental assent to - but if you can hold it as a REALITY, it will prosper your marriage more than anything I have encountered. Jacquie is going to be a wonderful wife to you - a helper who can listen to you and empathize with you and give you joys upon joys as you grow in life together…but she has her weaknesses as well. Just as you, Riley, have SUCH strengths that will help empower Jacquie – your weaknesses will still be there, and, in fact, as I have discovered, your weaknesses will only become magnified in a marriage. But when, Riley, you come to the realization that your wife’s weaknesses have been divinely orchestrated for a purpose...and a good purpose at that - it lifts you from despair into worship. HER weaknesses and YOURS too Riley - for you certainly have your fair share of those - are there to do the same thing as everything else in this world to those whom God loves…to conform you to the image of Christ. When we think of the great qualities of our Lord that we glory in most and want to emulate we see that they are usually threefold - we praise in His mercy, His grace, and His unconditional love. YOU BOTH DO NOT MEET ALL OF EACH OTHERS CONDITIONS BECAUSE YOU CANNOT LOVE SOMEONE UNCONDITIONALLY WHO DOES. I’m sure there are things in you Riley, left over from your old nature that Jacquie would give anything to change in you, but those things are there for a reason - to teach you how to love each other fully and to conform you to Christ’s image while being used as tools in God’s perfect plan to sanctify each other. Grasp this, and hold it to your heart and you’ll do well. Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger and you’ll do well. Fulfill your new biblical roles…not as a burden, but as a privilege and you’ll do well. Serve one another.

Thank you both for your friendship. I truly feel lucky beyond dessert to be in your company. I love you.

YAY - New Weepies!

Just got it today - it's wonderful! =)

I suggest you get it by signing up for emusic - you'll get 50 downloads for free just for signing up, and you can cancel after the first month - that would be 80 songs for $10 - or you could remain and pick a monthly download plan. The one I have allows me to get 30 songs a month for $10 (which is now my monthly budget for music.) If your a indie music lover this is a great (and frugal) solution to buying expensive CD's or downloading illegally.

#4 Paul Washer - Regeneration and Self Denial

(A series of 48 sermons that have angered, broken, impacted, molded,
and changed me.)

#4 Paul Washer -Regeneration and Self Denial
















One of the most impactful sermons I’ve ever heard...it literally turned my
pitiful humanistic theology on it's head.

I think this quote from the message sums it all up perfectly:

“If you have the doctrine of justification without the doctrine of regeneration you have nothing! The same God who has the power to justify wicked men because His own Son died in their law-place under His wrath – that same God has the power to regenerate a heart and make a man not only BE a new creature but act like one.”

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(click below to listen)
#4 - Paul Washer - Regeneration and Self Denial



.

A Whole Hearted Recommendation

The Cross
Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones, Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1986. 224 pp. (paperback).

Only in the past year or so have I really seen the glory of what Christ did for me that day on that hill, and why it must have happened as it did. Sometimes (in the middle of the night, usually) that beauty overwhelms me and I can't help but praise him for his sacrifice. Dr. Martyn-Lloyd Jones helped me do that last night. This work is possibly the best work I have EVER read on the cross. Almost every page had me in tears and singing praises!

"...The apostle does not merely say that he preaches the cross and that he believes in it. He says, 'God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.' So there is more here, and it is to something of this 'more' that I want to draw your attention to now.

'The word 'glory' at once tells us at once that the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is the test of every one of us. It is the test of our profession of Christianity. It is the test of our church membership, indeed, of our whole position and profession. There is no more subtle test of our understanding than our attitude to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, the cross passes judgment on us all, immediately and of necessity. You cannot remain neutral in the presence of the cross. It has always divided mankind and still does. And what the apostle says is that there are ultimately only two positions with respect to it. The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is either an offense to us or else it is the thing above everything else in which we glory.

'My dear friends, there never can be a more important question than this: what does the cross do to you? Where do you find yourself as you think of it and face it? It is one of these two, it is either an offense or else you glory in it. Are we all clear about our position? Do we know exactly where we stand? There are some perhaps saying, 'Well quite certainly it is not an offense, to me, but I am afraid I cannot say I glory in it.' Well, my friend, you are in an impossible position. There are only two positions - offense or glory. As we value our immortal souls, let us examine the matter, let us look into it, let us see what the apostle has got to tell us here, and elsewhere in his writings, about these two positions, in order that we may know for sure."
pp. 41-42

A Matthew Henry Moment

"And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." Genesis III, 22-24

Observe here, how they were justly disgraced and shamed before God and the holy angels, by the ironical upbraiding of them with the issue of their enterprise: "Behold, the man has become as one of us, to know good and evil! A goodly god he makes! Does he not? See what he has got, what preferments, what advantages, by eating forbidden fruit!" This was said to awaken and humble them, and to bring them to a sense of their sin and folly, and to repentance for it, that, seeing themselves thus wretchedly deceived by following the devil's counsel, they might henceforth pursue the happiness God should offer in the way he should prescribe. God thus fills their faces with shame, that they may seek his name, Ps. lxxxiii. 16. He puts them to this confusion, in order to their conversion. True penitents will thus upbraid themselves: "What fruit have I now by sin? Rom. vi. 21. Have I gained what I foolishly promised myself in a sinful way? No, no, it never proved what it pretended to, but the contrary."

"He turned him out, from the garden to the common. This is twice mentioned: He sent him forth v.23), and then he drove him out, v. 24. God bade him go out, told him that that was no place for him, he should no longer occupy and enjoy that garden; but he liked the place too well to be willing to part with it, and therefore God drove him out, made him go out, whether he would or no. This signified the exclusion of him, and all his guilty race, from that communion with God which was the bliss and glory of paradise. The tokens of God's favour to him and his delight in the sons of men, which he had in his innocent estate, were now suspended; the communications of his grace were withheld, and Adam became weak, and like other men, as Samson when the Spirit of the Lord had departed from him. His acquaintance with God was lessened and lost, and that correspondence which had been settled between man and his Maker was interrupted and broken off. He was driven out, as one unworthy of this honour and incapable of this service. Thus he and all mankind, by the fall, forfeited and lost communion with God. But whither did he send him when he turned him out of Eden? He might justly have chased him out of the world (Job xviii. 18), but he only chased him out of the garden. He might justly have cast him down to hell, as he did the angels that sinned when he shut them out from the heavenly paradise, 2 Pet. ii. 4. But man was only sent to till the ground out of which he was taken. He was sent to a place of toil, not to a place of torment. He was sent to the ground, not to the grave,—to the work-house, not to the dungeon, not to the prison-house,—to hold the plough, not to drag the chain. His tilling the ground would be recompensed by his eating of its fruits; and his converse with the earth whence he was taken was improvable to good purposes, to keep him humble, and to remind him of his latter end. Observe, then, that though our first parents were excluded from the privileges of their state of innocency, yet they were not abandoned to despair, God's thoughts of love designing them for a second state of probation upon new terms."

Feeding Sheep or Amusing Goats? (Pt. II)

A German philosopher many years ago said something to the effect that the more a man has in his own heart, the less he will require from the outside; excessive need for support from without is proof of the bankruptcy of the inner man.

If this is true (and I believe it is) then the present inordinate attachment to every form of entertainment is evidence that the inner life of modern man is in serious decline. The average man has no central core of moral assurance, no spring within his own breast, no inner strength to place him above the need for repeated psychological shots to give him the courage to go on living. He has become a parasite on the world, drawing his life from his environment, unable to live a day apart from the stimulation which society affords him.

Schleiermacher held that the feeling of dependence lies at the root of all religious worship, and that however high the spiritual life might rise, it must always begin with a deep sense of a great need which only God could satisfy.

If this sense of need and a feeling of dependence are at the root of natural religion, it is not hard to see why the great god Entertainment is so ardently worshiped by so many. For there are millions who cannot live without amusement; life without some form of entertainment for them is simply intolerable; they look forward to the blessed relief afforded by professional entertainers and other forms of psychological narcotics as a dope addict looks to his daily shot of heroin. Without them they could not summon courage to face existence.

No one with common human feeling will object to the simple pleasures of life, nor to such harmless forms of entertainment as may help to relax the nerves and refresh the mind exhausted by toil. Such things, if used with discretion, may be a blessing along the way. That is one thing, however, the all-out devotion to entertainment as a major activity for which and by which men live is definitely something else again.

The abuse of a harmless thing is the essence of sin. The growth of the amusement phase of human life to such fantastic proportions is a portent, a threat to the souls of modern men. It has been built into a multimillion dollar racket with greater power over human minds and human character than any other educational influence on earth.

And the ominous thing is that its power is almost exclusively evil, rotting the inner life, crowding out the long eternal thoughts which would fill the souls of men, if they were but worthy to entertain them. The whole thing has grown into a veritable religion which holds its devotees with a strange fascination; and a religion, incidentally, against which it is now dangerous to speak. For centuries the Church stood solidly against every form of worldly entertainment, recognizing it for what it was—a device for wasting time, a refuge from the disturbing voice of conscience, a scheme to divert attention from moral accountability.

For this she got herself abused roundly by the sons of this world. But of late she has become tired of the abuse and has given over the struggle. She appears to have decided that if she cannot conquer the great god Entertainment she may as well join forces with him and make what use she can of his powers.

So, today we have the astonishing spectacle of millions of dollars being poured into the unholy job of providing earthly entertainment for the so-called sons of heaven. Religious entertainment is in many places rapidly crowding out the serious things of God.

Many churches these days have become little more than poor theaters where fifth-rate "producers" peddle their shoddy wares with the full approval of evangelical leaders who can even quote a holy text in defense of their delinquency. And hardly a man dares raise his voice against it.

The great god Entertainment amuses his devotees mainly by telling them stories. The love of stories, which is a characteristic of childhood, has taken fast hold of the minds of the retarded saints of our day, so much so that not a few persons manage to make a comfortable living by spinning yarns and serving them up in various disguises to church people.

What is natural and beautiful in a child may be shocking when it persists into adulthood, and more so when it appears in the sanctuary and seeks to pass for true religion. Is it not a strange thing and a wonder that, with the shadow of atomic destruction hanging over the world and with the coming of Christ drawing near, the professed followers of the Lord should be giving themselves up to religious amusements? That in an hour when mature saints are so desperately needed vast numbers of believers should revert to spiritual childhood and clamor for religious toys?

"Remember, 0 Lord, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach. The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned ! For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim." AMEN. AMEN.

~A.W. Tozer

Lectures From Bryan Chapell’s Homiletics Class

My good friend Tyler recently posted a link to these - 25 lectures from Bryan Chapell's homiletics class over at Covenant Seminary.

I believe them to be such a valuable resource to ministers and laity alike that I've decided to post them here as well. You're basically getting a free seminary level course by a very gifted teacher and brother in the Lord. I'm only on the sixth lecture, but I look forward to the ingesting the rest of them this month!

Dr. Chapell is the president of the seminary and author of several renowned books, including: Christ Centered Preaching, Praying Backwards, and 1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus (w/ R. Kent Hughes.)

If you missed the link above, you can find the lectures: HERE.