From the monthly archives:

October 2007

I just had to share this quote from Spurgeon on prayer:

If some of the prayers at certain prayer meetings were less doctrinal, less experimental, and more argumentative with God, they would be more like true prayer should be, for true prayer is just pleading with the Most High, spreading our case before him, and then pressing our suit with all the arguments we can muster. . . .

Charles Haddon SpurgeonYou can say, “Lord, thou didst tell me to believe in Jesus Christ, thy Son; then, wilt thou not accept me, for his sake, for I have done what thou didst bid me do? Thou hast said, ‘Call upon me in the day of trouble;’ Lord, this is a day of trouble with me, and I do call upon thee; so wilt thou not answer me?” If you argue with the Lord in such a style as this, you will find that this kind of pleading is potent with him who is omnipotent . . .

When a man has promised you something that you really need, you take him by the buttonhole, and you say to him, “Now, you promised to give me that;” and if he is an honest man, you can hold him by his own word; and shall the God of truth ever fail to perform his promise? No, that is one of the things that God cannot do; he cannot lie, and yet cannot run back from his promise, nor does he want to do so. O Christian, if you would get anything from God, find a promise of it in his Word, and then thou mayest count the thing as good as received. When a man of means gives you his cheque, you count it just as good as hard cash; and God’s promises are even better than cheques or bank notes. We have only to take them, and plead them before him, and we may rest assured that he will honor them.

— Charles Spurgeon, Sermon No. 3010

If there is one thing that the discernment debate between the Pyromaniacs and myself has confirmed these past few days, it is surely that discernment is far from easy!! It’s a good thing Tim Challies has written a book on it. I really like the following extract from his book, which I think totally sums up what I think has been happening over at the fire-lovers’ place. Of course, the whole point about wisdom and discernment is that it is very situational, so I am quite sure that some others see things very differently from me on that matter! Please note that I am not trying to claim that Tim would or should side with me in this debate; rather I am choosing to apply these words to the situation at hand as they seem relevant to me.

“It is easy, when attempting to be discerning, to neatly categorize people into two camps: safe and unsafe or good and bad. We then implicitly trust the people in the good camp and entirely reject anything said by those in the bad camp. To do so, though, is to ignore the common grace God gives whereby even those whose views are far different from our own can still be wise and can still speak the truth. While we need to read their words with care and discernment, we can and often should still read their words. We need to rest in the security of the Spirit’s guiding and protecting ministry in our hearts rather than in sheltering ourselves from views that do not always accord with our own.” (Tim Challies in The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment)

Tim then goes on to quote Dennis E. Johnson, Professor of Practical Theology and Academic Dean at Westminster Seminary California, in an article on Common Grace and Theological Scholarship as follows:

Dennis E. Johnson, Ph.DWe cannot simply compile a list of “safe” authors, stamp them with the Reformed equivalent of imprimatur or nihil obstat, and then confine our reading to them. We must do the hard work of exercising discernment—sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, argument by argument. Facts, insights, perspectives, and methods must all be tested in the light of the principles of Scripture. And we must keep alive our consciousness of dependence on Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Our safety is not in avoiding the ideas of the unbelieving world; our safety is in union with Christ, who transforms the mind of those who trust in him.

There is hard work to be done in sorting and sifting the teachings of other humans, especially when we realize that we cannot simply cubbyhole the unpleasant or challenging ideas away and ignore them. But this hard work, like other exercise, gives us the necessary muscle tone to serve and lead God’s people. “Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil (Hebrews 5:14).

Blogging, Discernment, and a Book by Tim Challies

October 25, 2007

UPDATE—February 19, 2008In January 2008, the following post was identified as the 2nd all-time most popular post with readers of this blog. The 3rd most-read post was “The ESV: A Bible Translation for Everyone?“
This post was an expression of some of my own concerns and frustrations about the blogging world I have come to love [...]

Read the full article →

Twelve Literary Features of the Bible

October 25, 2007

UPDATEIn January 2008, the following post was identified as the 20th all-time most popular post with readers of this blog. The 21st most popular post was my interview with Mark Dever.
This post introduced us to a remarkable new approach to a study Bible, brought to us by Crossway. In January 2008, I’m still working my [...]

Read the full article →

John Owen and Charles Spurgeon on John Bunyan

October 24, 2007

I want to mention today a man who both John Owen and Charles Spurgeon held in high regard. Most know of John Bunyan as a writer, but he was also one of the most famous preachers of his era. Here is what one of the Pyromaniacs said of Bunyan, his preaching, and and his book, [...]

Read the full article →

John Owen – Man of the Word and Spirit

October 23, 2007

In conclusive proof that there is nothing new under the sun, we see in this quote on John Owen a devoted conviction to both Word and Spirit. How we need churches today who will bring both emphases to the fore, as did Martyn Lloyd Jones in the quote I posted yesterday.
May God raise up an [...]

Read the full article →

Martyn Lloyd-Jones Monday – Knowing Jesus Experientially

October 21, 2007

In this quote, taken once again from the Doctor on Ephesians, we see a strong emphasis on experience. The Christian must KNOW God. Oh, how little we emphasize that today! How poor our experience often is. How few people glow when they speak about their relationship with their precious Saviour. How this challenges me personally [...]

Read the full article →

The Secret of Newfrontiers

October 21, 2007

Just as it is not possible to really understand a car without knowing about its engine, you cannot understand Newfrontiers without knowing about the engine which lies under its hood. That engine is in very large part what happens several times a year when church leaders gather for a time of prayer and fasting. [...]

Read the full article →

INTERVIEW – Greg Haslam On Being Reformed and Charismatic

October 20, 2007

In this, the final segment of my interview with Greg Haslam, Greg discusses being reformed and charismatic, Terry Virgo’s spiritual influence on the church in the UK, and the role of the organization Terry heads up, Newfrontiers.
If you missed any of the other four parts of this interview, you can read them here:

Greg Haslam on [...]

Read the full article →

INTERVIEW – Greg Haslam On Unity Versus Doctrinal Integrity

October 18, 2007

Today we continue with the fourth part of my interview with Greg Haslam, pastor of Westminster Chapel in London (pictured here with his wife, Ruth). The previous three parts of this interview included an introduction to Greg and his ministry, on leaving Newfrontiers for Westminster Chapel, and Haslam on the primacy of preaching.
AdrianYesterday we spoke [...]

Read the full article →

INTERVIEW – Greg Haslam On The Primacy Of Preaching

October 18, 2007

Today I continue with part three of my interview with Greg Haslam. In part one, Greg told us a little about himself, and in part two he discussed his relationship to Newfrontiers and his move to Westminster Chapel.
AdrianIf Westminster Chapel has stood for anything over the years it is surely the primacy of preaching. Can [...]

Read the full article →

INTERVIEW – Greg Haslam On Leaving Newfrontiers For Westminster Chapel

October 17, 2007

Today I continue the interview with Greg Haslam which began yesterday in a post entitled “Greg Haslam on Filling Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ Pulpit.”
Adrian Yesterday you mentioned your previous church, which is a part of Newfrontiers. You still speak at Newfrontiers conferences, but your current church isn’t listed as a member. What exactly is your relationship with [...]

Read the full article →

INTERVIEW – Greg Haslam On Filling Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ Pulpit

October 16, 2007

It is a pleasure to welcome to my blog, Greg Haslam, who is the current successor to Martyn Lloyd-Jones at Westminster Chapel in London.
Adrian To begin with Greg, can you tell us a bit about yourself?
GregI am a ’scouser,’ born in Liverpool in 1953, who lived in a rough area of the city called Bootle [...]

Read the full article →

Martyn Lloyd-Jones Monday – What Makes Grace, Grace?

October 15, 2007

The Doctor defines grace and our salvation in such a way in this quote that I simply HAD to share it with you:
. . . we are Christians entirely and solely as the result of the grace of God. Let us remind ourselves once more that ‘grace’ means unmerited, undeserved favour. It is an action [...]

Read the full article →