Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Martyn Lloyd-Jones on what the church is for:
The primary task of the Church is not to educate man, is not to heal him physically or psychologically…. I will go further; it is not even to make him good. These are things that accompany salvation; and when the Church performs her true task she does incidentally educate men and give them knowledge and information…she does make them good and better than they were. But my point is that those are not her primary objectives. Her primary purpose is not any of these; it is rather to put man into the right relationship with God, to reconcile man to God. (Preaching & Preachers, 30)
I’ll never forget those grief-stricken eyes – sad, hollow, distant. She watched helplessly as her husband’s life withered away. He was a good man in his early forties, the father of two children, and committed to Christ, family, and ministry. Her husband’s dying pushed her to the borders of her faith. What good, what love, what meaning could she find in the death of this young husband and father? How could God let this happen?
To read the rest of this article by Paul David Tripp, click here
Pray -
1. That your minister would know and love the living God, would have a saving interest in Christ, being purchased by His blood, and thus would be bound to the Lord by the indissoluble bond of the Holy Spirit.
2. That your minister would know, embrace and ever more deeply understand the Gospel and be shaped by it in life and ministry.
3. That your minister would be useful servant of the Lord, that he would know and love God’s word, God’s people, and God’s kingdom; that he would be used to build it up and so that it prevails even against Hell’s gates.
4. That your minister would study, practice and teach the Word of the Lord, by the grace of the Holy Spirit.
5. That your minister would love to pray, because he loves to commune with his God, and that he would be a man of prayer, characteristically.
6. That your minister would be ever dependent upon and filled with the Spirit; and that he would possess true Spiritual wisdom.
7. That your minister would be holy unto the Lord. That his tongue and heart would be wholly God’s.
8. That your minister would be kept from pride, and especially spiritual pride. That the Lord himself would be gracious to slay pride in him, and that your pastor would endeavor to always be putting pride to death, by the grace of the Holy Spirit.
9. That God would give your minister guidance as to where to focus his efforts in ministry.
10. That He would protect your minister from himself, from the enemy of his soul, and from all earthly enemies.
11. That no decision which your minister ever makes or desire that your minister ever pursues would restrict his ability to pour his whole soul into the Gospel ministry.
12.That many would be converted and many built up under your minister’s ministry, to God’s glory alone.
13. That the Lord would bless your minister’s wife, with holiness and happiness, Gospel assurance and Gospel rest.
14. That God would make your minister a decent husband and father.
15. That your minister would be a good friend to his wife, and love her self-sacrificially,
16. That your minister would be a good daddy to his children. That they would love God, their parents and the church.
17. That your minister would be a testimony in the home so that his wife might be able to respect him when he is in the pulpit, and so that your minister will be able to feed her soul, along with the rest of the congregation
J. Ligon Duncan III (born 1960) is a Reformed theologian, professor, author, and minister of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). He is currently the senior minister of the historic First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi
the difference between truth and error is not a chasm but a razor’s edge.
John Murray
Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between what is right and wrong; rather, it is the difference between right and almost right.
Charles H Spurgeon
5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow is a book about Christians and farming. R.C. Sproul suggests five things that every Christian needs to grow–barley, wheat, corn… OK, I’m just kidding. But don’t you think the strangely ambiguous title could fit such a book? In reality, 5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow is a reprint of a small book published in 2002 by Thomas Nelson. Revised, expanded and given a great new cover, the book has been republished by Reformation Trust, the publishing division of Ligonier Ministries.
Just as any living organism has requirements if it is to grow and thrive, in the same way Christians have God-given requirements that are necessary elements if there is to be any growth in grace and godliness. In this book R.C. Sproul describes five spiritual “nutrients” crucial to spiritual maturity: Bible study, prayer, worship, service and stewardship. In the Introduction Sproul borrows the biblical metaphor of athletics and writes, “Christians are called upon to train, to make sacrifices, and to embrace certain disciplines in order to give God ‘our utmost for His highest.’ This book deals with five of those disciplines: Bible study, prayer, worship, service and stewardship. Just as Olympic athletes work hard to achieve their best performances, our diligence in attending to these aspects of the Christian life will help determine our effectiveness in serving our Lord.”
Sproul teaches that the Word of God is God’s instrument for both conversion and spiritual growth. “By immersing ourselves in the Word of God, we begin to gain the mind of Christ and learn what discipleship is.” He offers advice on getting started in reading the Bible suggesting both methods and resources that will assist the new believer. When it comes to prayer, Sproul distinguishes between prayer as a duty, a privilege and a means of grace before offering practical tips on praying effectively. The chapter dealing with worship speaks of God’s regulations in worship, of the importance of worshiping in both spirit and truth and of the importance of preparation for times of worship. He then writes about service, saying that it is a practice essential to a vibrant faith and discussing the nature of servanthood. In the book’s fifth chapter he looks at sacrificial stewardship, discussing the tithe and the value of investing in the kingdom of God. And finally, in chapter six Sproul addresses a variety of relevant questions and answers (”Does God hear, act on, or grant the prayers of unbelievers?” “Should worship services have any focus on unbelievers?” “How often should a church celebrate the Lord’s Supper?”).
This is a small book, gift-sized really, and one that is very easy to read and digest. It is an ideal book to hand out as a gift or to give to a new believer. It offers introductory wisdom on disciplines that are crucial to the Christian life. Yet there is enough here that even a long-time believer will find biblical wisdom to challenge his Christian walk.
Review by Tim Challies – www.challies.com
To buy this book, click here
