Thoughts and Meditations

Personal comments made by David F. Reagan unless otherwise stated

June 30, 2006

Where is God? – “The same God who in his revelation limits himself, as it were, to definite places, occasions, and persons, is, nevertheless, exalted infinitely high above the whole realm of nature and every creature. Even in those parts of Scripture which stress his temporal and local manifestation the idea of his exaltation and omnipotence is not wanting: the Lord who walks in the garden is the Creator of heaven and earth. The God who appears to Jacob determines the future. Although the God of Israel dwells in the midst of His people in the house which Solomon builds for him, yet even the heaven of heavens cannot contain him (1Kings 8:27). He reveals himself in nature, and lives along with his people, as it were; but at the same time he is the Incomprehensible (Job 26:14; 36:26; 37:5), the Incomparable (Isaiah 40:18, 25; 46:5), the One who is exalted infinitely above time and space and every creature (Isaiah 40:12ff; 41:4; 44:6; 48:12)… To summarize: throughout the entire Old Testament these two elements are found side by side: (a) ‘God dwelleth with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit,’ and (b) he is at the same time ‘the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy’ (Isaiah 57:15).” –from The Doctrine of God by Herman Bavinck (p. 18).

Not Killed by Water Baptism – This story is told by the Baptist preacher John Taylor of an incident that occurred in Kentucky during the 1780’s: “I was invited to baptize some people there [on Silver Creek in Madison County, Kentucky]. I think five were baptized at the time and among them an old man the name of Wilson, apparently far gone in a consumption. This became a great trial to my faith. I found [that] the old man could only speak a little above a whisper. And though he had been much of a singer and a prayerful man in his family, all had been laid aside perhaps for a twelvemonth for want of breath.

“I had lately been reading Mr. [David] Rice’s pamphlet on infant baptism, where he had aver[r]ed that it was instant death to wet a man allover in the last stages of a consumption. If all this is true, thought I, which I did not know to the contrary, in this thing I had great perplexity.

“This old man came foremost to the water. And I [was] almost ready to tremble with fear, but in we went. As quick as he recovered from the water, he raised his hands [and] with pretty strong voice cried, ‘Glory to God! Glory to God!’ The first thought I had was, ‘Old man, you are not yet killed.’

June 29, 2006

Three Stages of Spiritual Maturity – “First John 2 [1John 2:12-14] gives us three stages of maturity among believers. John speaks of the ‘little child’ as the one who understands that his sins are forgiven. That stage is very important and in understanding it, we all say ‘Amen.’ The ‘young men’ are those who have overcome the wicked one. At that point we have a great drop-out rate among our ranks. There are those strong enough to take on spiritual warfare without hurting God’s name in the process, but they are fewer and fewer compared to what we have seen in church history. Finally, John says the third category is ‘fathers.’ They are such because they ‘know God.’ It is important to note that ‘fathers’ are referred to not only because they are older, but also because it is the father that produces children. They are selfless and secure enough to ‘grow others up.’ God knows we are in great need of a double dose of ‘fathers’ within Christianity, not men who are supersaints, but men who understand and know God.” –from The God You Can Know by Dan DeHaan (p.13).

Prayer for the Day Ahead –“We do not know what a day may bring forth (Proverbs 27:1). Few of us think in the morning about what tidings we may hear or what events may befall us before night. We should beg God for grace to carry us through the duties and difficulties that we do not foresee as well as those that we do. In order that we may stand ‘complete in all the will of God’ (Colossians 4:12), we should pray that as the day is, so our strength may be (Deuteronomy 33:25). We will find that ‘sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof’ (Matthew 6:34), and that therefore as it is folly to think about tomorrow’s events, so it is wisdom to think about today’s duty. The supplies of divine grace are sufficient for this day and the duty of it. We should pray that God’s grace will thoroughly furnish us for every good word and work and thoroughly fortify against every evil word and work, that God’s grace will help us not to think, speak, or do anything all day that we will wish unthought, unspoken, or undone at night.” –from Experiencing God’s Presence by Matthew Henry (p.49-50).

June 28, 2006

Calvinistic Koran – The following quotes from Al-Quran translated by Ahmed Ali are strangely close the Calvinistic teaching on predestination:

• “He alone is guided whom God shows the way; and whom He leads astray is surely lost. Many of the jinns and human beings have We destined for Hell, who possess hearts but do not feel, have eyes but do not see, have ears but do not hear, like cattle, even worse than them. They are people unconcerned.” 7:178-179

• “Whosoever God allows to go astray has none to show him the way, for He leaves them to wander perplexed in their wickedness.” 7:186

Saved! Saved! – In July of 1910, the Baptist Evangelist Mordecai Ham held an evangelistic campaign in Gonzales, Texas. “One of the most popular evangelistic hymns was born during this campaign. The evangelist was preaching on the subject, ‘Christ Our Refuge.’ In the audience was a man who had killed four men and had despaired of ever being saved. He listened to Mr. Ham explain that Christ is a refuge for sinners of any and every stripe and that the ‘Cities of Refuge,’ described in the Old Testament, are a type of Christ, who is a haven of hope and eternal forgiveness for all who will flee to Him. Midway during the sermon this man jumped up from his seat and shouted: ‘Saved! Saved! Saved!’ Mr. Scofield [Jack P. Scholfield] was so inspired that the next afternoon he sat outside the hotel, where the Ham party was residing, and composed both the words and the music for the hymn entitled, ‘Saved, Saved.’ That night the tabernacle audience heard the song for the first time.” –from A Biography of M. F. Ham by E. E. Ham (p.99-100).

June 27, 2006

Better Than Sacrifices – According to John Bunyan in The Acceptable Sacrifice: The Excellency of a Broken Heart (p.2-3), there “are four things that are very acceptable to God. The

• First is, The sacrifice of the body of Christ for our sins; of this you read, Hebrews 10; For there you have it preferred to all burnt offerings and sacrifices; it is this that pleaseth God; it is this that sanctifieth and so setteth the people acceptable in the sight of God.
• Secondly, Unfeigned love to God is counted better than all sacrifices, or external parts of worship: ‘And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices” (Mark 12:33).
• Thirdly, To walk holily and humbly and obediently towards and before God, is another: Micah 6:6-8. “Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams” (1Samuel 15:22).
• Fourthly, And this in our test is the fourth, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” [Psalm 51:17].”

June 26, 2006

Be Still in the Midst of Noise – “It is significant that the psalm in which the words ‘Be still’ occur [Psalm 46] is filled with noise and commotion. The earth shakes, the waters roar and are troubled, the mountains threaten to tumble into the midst of the sea, the nations rage, the kingdoms are moved and the sound of war is heard throughout the land. Then a voice is heard out of the silence saying, ‘Be still, and know that I am God.’ [Psalm 46:10]” –from God Tells the Man Who Cares by A. W. Tozer (p.21).

Nightly Meetings with Bwana – The English missionary C. T. Studd (1860-1931) established and operated the Heart of Africa Mission in his later years. He was known to the African nationals and the other missionaries as Bwana. His work with the other missionaries was amazing. “Probably the times with Bwana which will live most in their memory are the nightly meetings at Ibambi. More than anything else they kept the Mission on the true foundation of all spiritual work—the Bible and prayer. There were no time limits, but he just opened the Bible, read maybe two or three chapters, and then talked. The Epistles were his favourites. One hour, two hours, in Conference days till after midnight, night after night, it was always the same, our hearts burned within us as we met with Jesus. The greatest of all the lessons that we learned there was that if Christian workers want continual power and blessing, they must give time to meet together daily, not for a short, formal meeting, but long enough for God really to speak through His Word, to face out together the challenges of the work, to deal with anything that arises to hinder unity, and then to go to God in prayer and faith. This alone is the secret of victorious and spiritual warfare. No amount of hard work or earnest preaching can take its place.” –from C. T. Studd: Cricketer & Pioneer by Norman Grubb (p.218).

June 23, 2006

Things That Cannot Be Undone – “There are things which even the forgiven man cannot undo anymore than you cast a stone into a pool, and then with your hand stay the ever-multiplying circles. We live in a world of laws that cannot be trifled with. ‘Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap’ [Galatians 6:7]. David sowed shame, appetite, and murder, and one by one they come back on his head. We recognize this law and own its justice, but too often our lives are so ordered that we are as men that expect that our lives and our deeds will be exceptions to the general law. With God there is mercy and plenteous redemption. But the Sword!

            Wounds of the soul, though healed, will ache,

            The reddening scars remain

              And make confession;

            Lost innocence returns no more,

            We are not what we were

              Before transgression.”

--from The Parables of the Old Testament by Clarence E. Macartney (p.42).

Secret of the Lord – “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him” [Psalm 25:14]. He deals familiarly with them. He calls them not servants only, but friends; and he treats them as friends [John 15:15]. He affords them more than promises; for he opens to them the plan of his great designs from everlasting to everlasting; shews them the strong foundations and inviolable securities of his favour towards them, the height, and depth, and length, and breadth of his love, which passeth knowledge [Ephesians 3:18-19], and the unsearchable riches of his grace. He instructs them in the mysterious conduct of his providence, the reasons and ends of all his dispensations in which they are concerned; and solves a thousand hard questions to their satisfaction, which are inexplicable to the natural wisdom of man [1Corinthians 2:12-14].” –from The Works of John Newton: Volume 1 (p.310-311).

June 22, 2006

Two Old Testament Pillars – According to the Puritan Thomas Goodwin, “there were two grand pillars in the Old Testament: one, God’s promise of Christ; and the other, this manifesto of God’s gracious nature [in Exodus 34:6-7]: and lo, the advantage God took for both, upon the commission of the most heinous sins; the one upon occasion of the first and greatest sin, and of the largest extent of mischief in the consequence that ever was committed, viz., our first parents’ fall, by which all mankind were undone; and it was upon that occasion he let fall that promise of Christ [Genesis 3:15], which was the first foundation of Old Testament faith, and continues such to the end: and now again upon the first greatest sin this people did commit after their having received the law [the making of the golden calf in Exodus 32], and heard God’s voice, it was that he publisheth this other [the declaration of His mercy in Exodus 34:6-7].” –from Justifying Faith by Thomas Goodwin (p. 18).

June 21, 2006

Frequent Thoughts of Jesus Christ – “Generally Christ is nigh unto believers, and of a ready access; and the principal actings of the life of faith consist in the frequency of our thoughts concerning him; for hereby ‘Christ liveth’ in us, as he is said to do. Galatians 2:20. This we cannot do, unless we have frequent thoughts on him, and converse with him. It is often said among men that one lives in another. This cannot be but where the affections of one are so engaged unto another that night and day he thinks of him, and is thereby, as it were, present with him. So ought it to be between Christ and believers. He dwells in them by faith; but the actings of this life in them (as, wherever life is, it will be in act and exercise) are proportionable unto their thoughts of him, and delight in him.” –The Glory of Christ by John Owen (p. 80-81).

June 20, 2006

God Governs in the Affairs of Men – In 1787 at the Federal Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at a critical juncture in the writing of the U.S. Constitution, Benjamin Franklin addressed the President of the Convention: “I have lived, Sir, a long time; and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, That God governs in the affairs of men! We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that ‘except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it!’ [Psalm 127:1] I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel; we shall be divided by our little partial local interests, our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a by-word down to future ages. And, what is worse, mankind may hereafter, from this unfortunate instance despair of establishing government by human wisdom, and leave it to chance, war and conquest.

“I therefore beg leave to move, that henceforth prayers, imploring the assistance of heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning and that one of more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service.” –quoted from History of the United States by J. A. Spencer in The Seven Laws of the Harvest by John W. Lawrence (p.31).

June 19, 2006

Faith Defined as Commitment – “O fools, and slow of heart to believe…” (Luke 24:25). Of this verse, Oswald Chambers said, “To believe is literally to commit. Belief is a moral act, and Jesus makes an enormous demand of a man when He asks him to believe in Him. To be ‘a believer in Jesus’ means to bank our confidence in Him, to stake our soul upon His honor—‘I know whom I have believed…” [2Timothy 2:12] We pray, ‘Lord, increase our faith,’ and we try to pump up faith, but it does not come. What is wrong? The moral surrender to Jesus has not taken place. Will I surrender to Jesus from the real center of my life, and deliberately and willfully stake my confidence in what He says? Many of us use religious jargon; we talk about believing in God, but our actual life proves that we do not really believe one tenth of what we profess.” –from The Place of Help by Oswald Chambers (p. 227).

A Drunkard Brought to God – A. W. Tozer told this story: “I knew a godly, praying woman whose husband, God bless him, was a drunkard. His stomach wouldn’t hold down his food, so he used to come home with his clothes dirty clear to his feet. I’m afraid I know what I would have done to him, but she didn’t. She prayed, cleaned him off and put him to bed. When he woke up the next morning with a hangover, he’d promise her anything, but then he’d go out again with the boys and come home swaying from side to side, covered with filth. And she’d go through the same thing all over again. She prayed for years for that man. I don’t know how the poor woman ever endured it. But she prayed on. She was one of those happy Christians, a little wisp of a woman.

“One day her drunken husband came to church, came down front, got down on his knees and bawled like a drunkard bawls—half self-pity, half something else. But God saved him. He became a model Christian and lived for God for some years afterward. And she walked around just as proud of him as an eagle that had hatched another. She’d brought him to God—hatched that fellow out by prayer and patience.

June 16, 2006

Faith Staggers Not – “Faith staggers not: it is the voice of God, and must therefore be received and honored. Hard things and wonderful things were proclaimed to Noah; yet did he believe the future unseen things proclaimed, and ‘moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house’ (Hebrews 11:7). Hard things and wonderful things were proclaimed to Abraham; and yet how sublimely did his faith master the difficulty! ‘He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God’ (Romans 4:20). To assail the everlasting ramparts of heathenism in India, was deemed, some sixty years ago, an enterprise of stupendous folly; but by faith Carey and his associates went down into the dark well of pagan wretchedness with the torch of salvation; by faith [Andrew] Fuller and his associates held the rope at the mouth: it was enough for their guidance that Christ had commanded, ‘Go ye into all the world’ (Mark 16:15); enough for their solace that He had promised, ‘Lo, I am with you alway’ (Matthew 28:20).” –from Soul Prosperity by Charles Mallary (p. 28).

June 15, 2006

Early Baptist Outreach to the Jews – Henry Jessey (1601-1663) served as an English Baptist pastor. “The year 1657 afforded Mr. Jessey a favourable opportunity of displaying his benevolence. The Swedes and Poles being engaged in war, the poor Jews at Jerusalem were in a most distressed state; all supplies from their rich brethren in other countries, upon whom they depended for subsistence, being cut off. This induced Mr. Jessey to raise a collection for their relief; and he sent them £300, with letters, strongly persuading them to embrace Christianity.” –from The History and Antiquities of the Dissenting Churches: Volume 1 by Walter Wilson (p. 44).

June 14, 2006

Titles to be Ridiculed – Today, the English Baptist pastor Robert Robinson (1735-1790) is best known as the author of the hymn, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. Though he was loved by many, his teachings and ways were considered strange to many others. The “gravity and even pomposity assumed by many of his ministerial colleagues was abhorred by him. He disliked and ridiculed the titles which they gave to themselves. ‘I wonder,’ he once said, ‘any man should be so silly as to call me Reverend.’ To him this was an epithet which could be ascribed only to deity.” [Psalm 111:9 – “He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.”] –from With Freedom Fired by Graham W. Hughes (p.81).

From Martyrdom to Idolatry – James Landrum Holmes served as one of the first Baptist missionaries in North China. In 1861, when he was only 23 years old, Mr. Holmes went out with another missionary to meet advancing forces of the Taiping Rebellion in an effort to make peace. The two men were killed by the rebels and their bodies were later found and buried. But this sad story does not end here.

“Once, in time of drought the people of Chuki village were begging their gods for much-needed rain. Butchers’ shops were closed. Every one abstained from meat and from the sin of taking life. Boys and girls went about wearing willow wreaths and waving willow branches crying out, ‘Heavenly Mandarin, send rain, send rain.’ A village elder called the leading men together and said, ‘How can you expect Heaven to hear your prayers when you have failed to worship the spirit of the man who gave his life to save you from being butchered?’

June 13, 2006

Blessing of Unanswered Prayers – James Fraser (1886-1938), missionary to the Lisu people in China, gave this testimony about prayer: “I read a testimony of Dr. Stuart Holden’s, not long ago, in which he said that one of the greatest blessings of his life had been his unanswered prayers. And I can say the same in my measure. Unanswered prayers have taught me to seek the Lord’s will instead of my own. I suppose we have most of us had such experiences. We have prayed and prayed and prayed, and no answer has come. The heavens above us have been as brass. Yea, blessed brass, if it has taught us to sink a little more of this ever-present self of ours into the Cross of Christ. Sometimes our petition has been such a good one, to all appearances, but that does not insure it being of God. Many ‘good desires’ proceed from our uncrucified selves.

“Scripture and experience certainly agree that those who live nearest to God are the most likely to know His will. We are called to be ‘filled with the knowledge of his will’ (Colossians 1:9). The ‘secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant’. [Psalm 25:14] We need to know more of the fellowship of Christ’s death. We need to feed on the Word of God more than we do. We need more holiness, more prayer. We shall not, then, be in so much danger of mistaking His will.” –from Behind the Ranges by Mrs. Howard Taylor (p.110-111).

Trinity Beyond Reason – “That three beings should be one being, is a proposition which contradicts reason, that is, our reason; but it does not from thence follow, that it cannot be true; for there are many propositions which contradict our reason, and yet they are demonstrably true. One is, that very first principle of all religion, the being of God. For, that any thing should exist without a cause, or that any thing should be the cause of its own existence, are propositions equally contradictory to our reason; yet one of them must be true, or nothing could have existed.

June 12, 2006

Shame of the Cross – “The Roman Orator, Cicero, summarized the attitude of the ancient world to the cross when he said: ‘Not only let the cross be absent from the person of Roman citizens, but its very name from their thoughts, eyes and ears.’ Two thousand years ago we find no halo of glory, no beautiful associations of history, no nobility, and no thought of heroic sacrifice attached to the cross. How cluttered up is the cross at the present time! Even the unbelieving world now says: ‘The Cross stands for all that is noblest in manhood.’ But is was not so in the beginning. It is not so for us today. As soon as the Cross ceases to be to us, first of all, the place of utmost shame and contempt, we make the Cross of Christ of none effect.” [1Corinthians 1:17] –from Born Crucified by L. E. Maxwell (p.31).

Passing of the Law – “John 15:25. ‘But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law.’ This one and only reference in the upper-room discourse to the law of Moses is most significant. At has been shown, Christ, in this discourse, has taken His followers beyond the cross and is unfolding to them the very foundations of the new teachings of grace. These men were Jews; but in this teaching Christ does not speak to them as though the law of Moses was binding on them. He says, ‘their law’; not ‘your law,’ thus indicating that these Jews who had come under grace were no longer under the reign of the law of Moses.

June 9, 2006

At the Feet of Jesus – From the invitation of George Whitefield’s sermon on “The Kingdom of God” (Roman 14:17), we read: “My dear friends, I would preach with all my heart till midnight, to do you good, till I could preach no more. O that this body might hold out to speak more for my dear Redeemer! Had I a thousand lives, had I a thousand tongues, they should be employed in inviting sinners to come to Jesus Christ! Come, then, let me prevail with some of you to come along with me. Come poor, lost, undone sinner, come just as you are to Christ, and say, If I be damned, I will perish at the feet of Jesus Christ, where never one perished yet. He will receive you with open arms; the dear Redeemer is willing to receive you all.” –from George Whitefield: Sermons: Volume I (p.24).

Bible Unmolested – During the American Civil War, one of the Baptist church buildings in northeast Tennessee, Mossy Creek, was “irreparably damaged. Troops were quartered near this church at different times during the war. A soldier in the Eleventh New Hampshire Regiment, who was at Mossy Creek during February, 1864, recorded the treatment that had been given the church’s facilities by the invading armies. He wrote:

At this place there was a low, one-story brick church, of the Baptist faith, and upon the desk there lay a large old-fashioned Bible, upon the fly leaf of which was written, ‘The Property of the Mossy Creek Baptist Church.’ Although the building had been deprived of everything combustible, yet within its walls were that desk and that Bible. The doors and windows were gone, but the Bible remained unmolested by both the armies which had passed through the little village. It was kept in a little box with a cover to it.”

--from Bi-Centennial Holston: Tennessee’s First Baptist Association by Glenn A. Toomey (p.100-101)

June 8, 2006

Easy Believism Reigns – In Beyond Easy Believism, Gary Collins says: “Throughout this land there are churches pastored by dynamic communicators who avoid references to sin or failure, and who build their popular sermons around inspiring stories of personal triumph and the value of a positive mental attitude. These churches preach a religion which is easy, convenient, and comfortable. The idea of ‘sin’ has vanquished, and with it, words like ‘self-discipline,’ ‘commitment,’ ‘repentance,’ and ‘sacrifice’ have disappeared from the vocabulary and thinking of many modern worshippers and their leaders. When there is no emphasis on repentance, and little emphasis on holiness and the Word of God, there is no true religion. Easy believism reigns instead.” –quoted from Lordship: What Does it Mean? By R. Alan Day (p.11). See Amos 6:1; 1Timothy 6:5.

Topics: Easy Believism, Repentance

Human Responsibility – “G. Campbell Morgan, in a sermon on Hebrews 3:7-8, firmly spoke out: ‘Two things are assumed by the Holy Spirit in this text: first, that human responsibility begins with the hearing of the voice, “today if ye shall hear His voice, harden not your hearts”; and, secondly, that when the voice is heard man is left free to obey or to disobey… We cannot study this Bible without being brought face to face with personal responsibility… A man in his choosing must choose definitely between right and wrong, light and darkness, good and evil…

The second assumption of this text is that of the freedom of the will when the voice speaks, “Today if ye shall hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” This assuredly means that we can harden them if we will; we can disobey, we can see the light and choose the darkness; we can gaze on the high and admire it, and then turn our face to the depths. It is equally true that the heart can yield, that there can be obedience… Responsibility is created by the voice of God; when the voice of God speaks, man’s will is free to obey or to disobey.’ ” –from Divine Sovereignty and Human Freedom by Samuel Fisk (p.12-13).

June 7, 2006

Holy Kiss or Not? – “My objection to the kiss, is not that it is become so obsolete that people would not understand it as a token of affection, but being confined in England to express the affection of relations, or of the sexes, it would be understood accordingly. Several Frenchmen, lately meeting with some of their old friends, gave them the fraternal embrace, and a company of English sailors, standing by, judged them to be [sodomites] and began to stone them. If our brethren were thus to salute the sisters, their husbands, who might be unbelievers, would feel jealous and many reproaches and scandals would be raised. Let such salutations therefore be ever so pure in themselves, we should not be able to ‘abstain from the appearance of evil.’ ” [1Thessalonians 5:22] –from The Armies of the Lamb: The Spirituality of Andrew Fuller (p.152-153); from a letter written in 1796.

Topics: Holy Kiss, Appearance of Evil

When God is Displeased – 2Samuel chapter eleven tells the story of David’s sin with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband Uriah. The chapter closes with this phrase from 2Samuel 11:27 – “But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.” “Did it displease David? It is foolish to suppose that David never had a moment of remorse or misgiving. Too many Psalms written and too many hours spent with God for that. The savage and atrocious vengeance that he took upon the conquered Ammonite stronghold, causing the inhabitants to be dragged under harrows, and to be driven through the furnaces, shows an irritability fed by the fuel of an uneasy conscience. [2Samuel 12:31] When people are mean and ugly and irritable, the causes are not always physical and gastronomical; they may lie far hidden in the recesses of a disturbed conscience.” –from The Parables of the Old Testament by Clarence E. Macartney (p.35).

June 6, 2006

Growing in the Knowledge of Christ – “The further the believer advances in the divine life, the more he must necessarily become acquainted with Christ; for his religious progress is the measure of his growing knowledge of the Lord Jesus. We can only really advance in grace, truth, and holiness, as we have close relations with Jesus, constant transactions with the Saviour. Christ is our life; and our growth in spiritual life is Christ increasing within us. It is as utterly impossible to cherish a holy desire, to conceive a heavenly thought, to perform a good action, to conquer a single infirmity, or to baffle a solitary temptation, apart from a direct communication with Christ, as for the lungs to expand without air, or light to exist without the sun.” –from The Precious Things of God by Octavius Winslow (p.26-27). See Ephesians 1:17; Philippians 3:8; 2Peter 3:18.

Topics: Sanctification, Knowledge of Christ, Spiritual Growth

Two-Fold Union with Christ – “Is there not a deep significance in that expression of two-fold union which our Lord so often uses, ‘Ye and me and I in you’? [John 15:4-7] The branch that is in the vine has its position; but only as the vine is in it, constantly penetrating it with its sap and substances, does it have power for fruitfulness. ‘If any man be in Christ he is a new creature,’ [2Corinthians 5:17] he is regenerated, he is justified. But what, let us inquire, can the apostle’s words mean when in referring to such regenerated ones he says, ‘My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you’? [Galatians 4:19] This later travail—these second birth-pangs for those who had already been born of the Spirit—what can they signify? Is it metaphor or is it a hint of some deeper work of divine renewing for those who having begun in the Spirit are in danger of seeking to be made perfect in the flesh? [Galatians 3:3] –from The Two-Fold Life by A. J. Gordon (p.11).

June 5, 2006

Failure of Prophecy Preaching – “The doctrine of Christ’s return has fallen into neglect, on the North American continent at least, and as far as I can detect, today exercises no power whatever over the rank and file of Bible-believing Christians. For this there may be a number of contributing factors; but the chief one is, I believe, the misfortune suffered by prophetic truth between the two world wars when men without tears undertook to instruct us in the writings of the tear-stained prophets. Big crowds and big offerings resulted until events proved the teachers wrong on too many points; then the reaction set in and prophecy lost favor with the masses. This was a neat trick of the devil and it worked too well. We should and must learn that we cannot handle holy things carelessly without suffering serious consequences.” –from God Tells the Man Who Cares by A. W. Tozer (p.10). See 2Peter 3:10-14.

Topics: Prophecy, Second Coming

Victory over Sin by Crucifixion – “God’s way of victory over sin is not through the suppression of sinful desires, nor through the eradication of the old nature, nor yet through the cleansing of inbred sin. God’s way of victory is through crucifixion—deliverance is only through death… Each time I come up against some particular sin, let me there say: I died to that in Christ. If it be a worldly attraction: I am crucified to the world and the world unto me [Galatians 6:16]. If it be proud, haughty self, again let me reckon: One died for all, all died. Then I should not, and need not, live unto myself—I am dead to my selfish pride and conceit and haughtiness [2Corinthians 5:14-15]. Let me do as the two young women who replied to an invitation to attend a ball: ‘We are very sorry, but it will be impossible for us to attend. We died last week. We are Christians.’ They had declared their testimony in baptism the previous week, as dead, buried, risen, and henceforth Christ-ones only.” –from Born Crucified by L. E. Maxwell.

June 2, 2006

Descent of Christ into Hell – In England in 1597, “a controversy arose concerning the true interpretation of that article in the Apostle’s Creed [and in the Bible statements of Acts 2:27, 31] which related to the descent of Christ into hell. Bishop Bilson, in some sermons at Paul’s Cross, maintained the literal sense of the passage; and affirmed that he went thither not to suffer, but to wrest the keys of hell and death out of the hands of the devil. This seems to have been the prevailing doctrine of the times.” –from The History and Antiquities of the Dissenting Churches: Volume One by Walter Wilson (p.37).

Topics: Sufferings of Christ, Christ Descending to Hell, Keys of Death and Hell

All God’s Promises Wrapped up in One – “The promise made to Abraham in Genesis 17:7 (‘And I will establish my covenant between me and thee…to be a God unto thee’) has been frequently exemplified in later times. 2Corinthians 6:16: ‘I will be their God.’ And it includes all that God can promise, all that the soul can ask or receive. As it is great folly to sit down with any promise of God that is short of Himself, so it is as great a folly to aspire after anything beyond Him. As a little piece of gold may be beaten out to a great breadth, or drawn out to an incredible length, yet it is still the same gold for weight and substance, though it be more for use. So may this comprehensive promise be drawn out into infinite particulars, but still all of them are but this one: ‘I will be thy God.’ The Almighty God will be your strength, the all-wise God you conduct, and the everliving God your life.” –from Practical Godliness: The Ornament of All Religion by Vincent Alsop (p.52-53).

June 1, 2006

Two Arms of God’s Authority – “Power and wisdom are the two arms of authority; wisdom knows the end, and directs the means; power executes the means designed for such an end. The more splendid and strong those are in any, the more authority results from thence, for the conduct of others that are of an inferior orb; now God being infinitely excellent in both, his ability and right to management of the world cannot be suspected; the whole world is but one commonwealth, whereof God is the monarch.” –from Existence and Attributes of God: Volume One by Stephen Charnock (p.581). See 1Corinthians 1:24.