The United Kingdom. Going down the tubes?

The recent performance of the British parliament over the most contorversial bills passed in my lifetime is sad to say the least. As one former minister Edward Leigh stated.

“In modern Britain the most dangerous place to be is in your mother’s womb,

The most worrying thing is that most people don’t really seem to care that the majority of our politians are the perverse, dishonest, vehemently anti-christian, bigoted, self-centred. If you want an example see Al Mohler’s post on our Prime Minister here. Our government put simply is immoral, indeed it is amoral.

It is high time that we saw a change of government, though sadly the Conservative Party has become a living oxymoron.

Of course the big point that even Christians miss a lot of the time of course is, that a large part of the responsibility for all of this is the failure of the Church.

So perhaps now it’s time for us to get off our backsides and do something..Adrian Warnock has plenty of suggestions. But then maybe we’re too busy living in our holy huddles?

So just in case you don’t know:

Fathers are not needed in IVF anymore.

Scientist can legally clone animals and humans together

Abortion still continues apace up to 24 weeks.

Makes you proud to be British doesn’t it?

For Northern Ireland readers at least this is something our politians agree with each other on.

Paul

What Scriptures bother you most?

I came across a Mark Twain quote the today…..

“”If you hold a cat by the tail, you learn things you cannot learn any other way.”

You see I find that extermely laugh-out-loud funny, my wife merely smiled.

Anyway, I decided to search out more funny quotes from Twain. And I found some but I also found this quote,

“Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand.”

I don’t know much about Twain’s take on Christianity, but I think he has hit on something important there. It seems to me that far too many Christians get all worked up about when the Tribulation will be, or what the “times” of Daniel’s vision are, or if infralapsariansim or supralapsariansim is correct, or whether the spiritual gifts are still for today or not. All those things are of some importance. But let’s face it people will talk and argue and discuss and think about and read about such subjects for hours and hours. These subjects can be complex.

But what should really “bother” us are texts such as 

Deuteronomy 6 “5 “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.”

Or

1 John 4: “20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?”

And then you have the Ten Commandments.

Those are straightforward and simple.

Paul

The Secret Key to Heaven No.5

No matter what the duty or task of practical christian living, we usually come up with excuses and objections as to why we aren’t doing what we should be doing, or reasons why we shouldn’t do what we know we’re called to do. Of course we won’t commonly admit such things to friends, nor verbalize them at all, indeed we might never even consciously think them through. Nevertheless they are incredibly efficient , no doubt with the help of Satan, in preventing us from living lives that glorify God.

Brooks of course deals such objections in Part 4 of his book sets down for our identification “Six Objections Stated and Answered”.

Number 1 is this,

“We have much business in our hands, and we cannot spare time for private prayer; we have so much to do in our shops, and in our warehouses, and in public with others, that we cannot spare time to wait upon the Lord in our closets.”

Surely this is one of the objection or stumbling-block that our sinful flesh most frequently casts up to us, and is one that likewise most frequently we succumb to. Brooks answers it as some length in 8 points. I shall only give you rough headings or outlines of his answers.

1) Were not Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Daniel, Peter and Cornelius equally as busy, yet all took and found time for secret prayer,

“Now certainly sirs, your great businesses are little more than zeros compared with theirs.”

2) No men’s outward affairs did ever prosper more than theirs, did, who devoted themselves to private prayer, notwithstanding their many and great worldly employments.

“Private Prayer best expedites our temporal affairs. He that prays well in his closet, shall be sure to speed well in his shop, or at his plough, or whatever else he turns his hand to”

3) It is ten to one but that the objector every day fools away, or fritters away, or idles away, or sins away, one hour in a day, and why then should he complain of a lack of time?

“There are none that toil or moil and busy themselves most in their worldly employments but do spend an hour or more a day to little or no purpose, either in gazing about, or dallying, or toying, or courting, or in telling of stories, or in busying themselves in other men’s matters, or in idle visits, or in smoking a pipe, etc. And why then should not these men redeem an hour’s time in a day for private prayer, out of that time which they usually spend so vainly and idly?”

Ouch!

4) No man dares plead this objection before the Lord on the great day of account, so why then should any be so foolish and childish, so ignorant and impudent to plead that before men which is not pleadable before the judgment-seat of Christ?

5) It is our duty to redeem time from all our secular businesses for private prayer.

6) Closet prayer is either a duty or it is not a duty.

” Alas! duty must be done, whatever business is left undone; duty must be done , or the man who neglects it will be undone forever.”

7) God did never appoint or design any man’s ordinary, particular calling to throw private prayer out of doors.

” …. no man’s calling is a calling away from God or godliness”

8 ) The more worldly business lies at your hand, the more need you have to keep close to your closet.

“Much business lays a man open to many sins, and to many snares, and to many temptations. Now the more sins, snares, and temptations a man’s business lays him open to, the more need that man has to be much in private prayer, that his soul may be kept pure from sin, and that his foot may not be taken in the devil’s trap, and that he may stand fast in the hour of temptation.”

That last one I thing is particularly relevant to pastors I think.

Paul

The Secret Key to Heaven No.4

Brooks’ 19th “Argument for Private Prayer” highlights a problem I’m sure all Christians must face -

“When a child of God is on his knees in his secret addresses to God, oh the strange thoughts, the earthly thoughts, the wandering thoughts, the distracted thoughts, the hideous thoughts, the blasphemous thoughts, that Satan often injects into his soul! and all to wean him from secret prayer”

Recognise that? Maybe you’ll also recognize his modus operandi from Brook’s description,

“Sometimes he tells the soul, that it is is vain to seek God in secret, and at other times he tells the soul it is too late to seek God in secret;for the door of mercy is shut, and there is no hope, no help for the soul. Sometimes he tells the soul that it is enough to seek God in public; and at other times he tells the soul, that it is but a precise trick to seek the Lord in private. Sometimes he tells the soul, that it is not elected and therefore all his secret prayers shall be rejected; at other times he tells the soul. that it is sealed up unto the day of wrath, and therefore a secret prayer can never reverse that seal; all this to dishearten and discourage a poor Christian in his secret retirements”.

Brooks as he shows himself in his other excellent work “Precious Remedies against Satan’s Devices” is a master at exposing the operations of Satan in the soul, and one is left feeling somewhat, uneasy at how influential Satan is one’s life, even as a Christian.

How is all this an argument FOR secret prayer? Brooks gives 5 conclusions. Satan’s focussed and intensive oppression of the Christian is secret prayer proves:

1) The excellency of secret prayer - it is of excellent use to us, otherwise Satan would not waste his time.

2) The necessity of secret prayer - that which is most necessary for us, is that which is most attacked by Satan.

3) The profitableness of secret prayer - “Where we are like to gain most, there Satan loves to oppose most”.

4) The prevalency of secret prayer - “If there were not a kind of omnipotency about it….Satan would never have such an aching tooth about it as he has”

5) God is highly honoured in secret prayer - that which most honours God likewise enrages Satan.

Again I feel this is all extremely helpful stuff from Brooks. It is transparently personal in that the man has obviously been in these battles himself and is not afraid to reveal his experience both of the struggle and the course of victory.

Paul

The Secret Key to Heaven No. 3

One of the elements of this little book (The Secret Key to Heaven) that I have found most helpful is Thomas Brooks’ style of writing. It is very sermonic and he questions us the reader frequently, challenges us directly, and especially effective I think is his use of repetition. The quote I give today will illustrate this well.

In his 17th Argument for Private Prayer “Those Near to God Should Engage in Secret Prayer” he writes the following;

“…..Christ may say to many in our day; How can you say you love me, when you never acquaint me with your secrets? How can you say you love me, when you never bestow any private visits upon me? How can you say you are my friends, my faithful friends, my dearest friends, when you never in private unburden yourselves to me? How can you say you are my favourites, when you can spend one month after another, one quarter of a year after another and yet not let me know one of all your secrets, when every day you might have my ear in secret if you so pleased? How can you say you are my children, and yet be so close [he means closed] and reserved as you are? How can you say you are my spouse, and that you lie in my bosom, and yet never take any delight to open your hearts, your secrets to me when I am alone?”

He follows this series of questions up with a penetrating application,

“What Alexander said to one that was of his name, but a coward “Either lay down the name Alexander, of fight like Alexander”, that I say to you, Either be frequent in closet duties as becomes a Christian, or else lay down the name Christian: either open yourselves up in secret to Christ, as friends, favourites, children, spouses, or else lay down these names.”

The Secret Key to Heaven No.2

“O my friends, look, as the tender dew that falls in the silent night makes the grass and herbs and flowers to flourish and grow more abundantly than the great showers of rain that fall in the day, so secret prayer will more abundantly cause the sweet herbs of grace and holiness to grow and flourish in the soul, than all those more open, public, and visible duties of religion, which too often are mixed with the sun and wind of pride and hypocrisy”

Another superb analogy from, The Secret Key to Heaven, Thomas Brooks, Banner of Truth.

The Secret Key to Heaven

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that perhaps behind reading the Bible, private prayer is the discipline I am weakest in. Read a book? of course, write a sermon? no problem, waste time writing a blog post?occasionally, enter into private prayer? well yes, but not often enough, not fervently enough, not focused enough, etc.

While I was over in the USA recently a dear brother gave me this book as a gift, published by Banner of Truth it is one of the more recently published works in the excellent Puritan Paperbacks series. “The Secret Key to Heaven“, by Thomas Brooks, subtitled “The Vital Importance of Private Prayer.

Sometimes when I read a book I like to underline and mark it up, but my wife doesn’t like me doing that because then if she wants to read it, it can be a distraction. Fair comment. So sometimes I decide to write out quotes and notes etc. in a notebook. This is what I decided to do with this book. Bad mistake, well not really, because this is such a good book and Brooks is such a wonderful read that I am going to expend a lot of ink on this one!

To start off he states the doctrine; that secret prayer is a indispensable Christian duty the lack of which is evidence of hypocrisy, and he then sets down 5 proofs as to why this is so..and a couple of them in particular are extremely insightful and discomforting.

“If secret prayer be not an indispensable duty that lies upon you, by what authority does conscience so upbraid you, and so accuse you, and so condemn you, and so terrify you, as it often does for the neglect of this duty”?

And again,

“If secret prayer be not an indispensable duty that Christ has laid upon all his people, why does Satan so much oppose it? Why does he so industriously and so unweariedly labour to discourage Christians in it, and to take Christians from it? Certainly, Satan would never make such a fierce and constant war upon private prayer, were it not a necessary duty, a real duty, and a soul-enriching duty.”

Then in Part 2 he sets down 20 arguments for private prayer. I’ve read six, and again Brooks’ writing is very entralling, with many illustrations. If anything this book is even easier to read that Thomas Watson.

Particularly interesting and insightful was Argument 6: God Most Manifests Himself In Secret. Here Brooks takes Daniel’s prayer and God’s response (Daniel 9), Cornelius’ and Peter’s prayers and God’s response (Acts 10) and the Apostle John’s prayer and God’s response (Revelation) as examples of God specially ministering to the saints as they have secretly communed with Him.

“Private Prayer is the golden key to unlock the mysteries of the Word to us. The knowledge of many choice and blessed truths is by the outcome of private prayer. The Word most dwells richly in their hearts who are most in pouring out their hearts before God in their closets.”

“….that Christian or that minister that in private prayer lies most at the feet of Jesus Christ, he shall understand most of the mind of Christ in the Gospel, and he shall have most of heaven and the things of his own peace brought down into his heart.”

Excellent little book, so far, and with no expectation of a change of mind - Highly Reccomended.

Paul

More Reviews of “The Divine Spiration of Scripture”

Just as an addendum to my previous post (Theological Iconoclasm Again) please see here for two more reviews of A.T.B. McGowan’s new book “The Divine Spiration of Scripture”.

First of all Dr. J.R. de Witt reviews it for the Banner of Truth here.

And over at both Reformation 21 and at at his own blog Against Heresies you can read Martin Downes’ assessment of the book.

I think Martin hits the nail on the head with this concluding comment,

McGowan’s reasons for rejecting inerrancy are bound up with his doctrine of God. Ultimately the burden of his argument does not rest upon the textual details that errantists and inerrantists seek to account for in formulating their respective views of Scripture. It is the relationship between the divine spiration of Scripture and the character and will of God that differentiates McGowan’s approach from that of the Hodges, Warfield, and Packer. McGowan operates from the basis that the truthfulness of the autographs should not be inferred from God’s unchangeable nature and attribute of truthfulness. Rather he is “free to act according to his will” and must not be assumed to be bound to breathing out only inerrant autographs. 

Dr. de Witt concludes with this observation,

From The Divine Spiration of Scripture we may draw a solemn warning. It is, I suppose, in the nature of the case that good men succumb to the yearning for intellectual respectability and acceptance. I am certainly very far from casting aspersions on scholarship. The church deserves and the church must have ministers and leaders as learned as the circumstances allow. But that learning is always to be governed by obedience to the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures. When the theological enterprise falls prey to worldly philosophy or some sort of what is considered to be ‘new knowledge’, the consequences are inevitably disastrous.

Precisely.

Paul

Where is my Joy?

There can be little doubt that as Christians we have plenty of reasons to be joyful, our sins are forgiven, our inheritance in heaven is assured through the substitutionary, atoning death of Christ, we have been born again of the Spirit of God, we can daily commune with the Most High God….and live!

There can be no doubt that all these things are indeed blessings, and real sources of joy that are covered pretty comprehensively in the Bible. But as I was reading in the New Testament recently something jumped out of the page at me that perhaps I have never noticed before, or certainly something that has not received my attention as much as it should have. If we were to say that God Himself is our chief source of Joy, and our personal salvation is our second source of Christian joy, as I read this text it became clear to me that there is a third source of joy and it is one that I have not experienced much,

1 Thessalonians 2:19, 20 “19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy.”

As Paul considered the Thessalonians he received joy from thinking of two things: 1) The converts in Thessalonica entering into eternal glory on judgement day and 2) His own small but important part in that work.

He says the same concerning the Philippians,

Philippians 4:1 “1 Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.”

There are to my mind two implications to be drawn from these texts.

Firstly, if we cannot look around and see new converts and think of them entering into glory, and we can say that we were a means in God’s hands to see them won for Christ - then we are missing out on a major source of Christian joy. True it is God who saves and He does so sovereignly, and so He may withold both that saving power and therefore we will not receive that joy…..so be it, we still have our joy in Him and in our own salvation.

But God is a God who uses means to establish His purposes and since the Church of Christ is the ordinary means of evangelising the lost and seeing them saved through their ministries then the second implication of this text is that if we are not working towards seeing sinners saved and not praying to that end then we are depriving ourselves of this third source of joy!…Sure enough, God may withold the joy from us, but one thing is certain, if we do not work and if we do not pray…we will never experience this kind of joy.

Paul worked and laboured and prayed and he rejoiced! Ought we not to do likewise with faith that the Gospel we preach will never fail in its God-appointed purpose?

Too often we engage in evangelism with little faith and really only do it because God tells us to in the Great Commission, too often we thing we will be happier doing our own thing, indeed in our minds anything would be a happier and more joyful occupation that evangelising, yet nothing could be further from the truth, here is a kind of joy that can be found nowhere else!

So perhaps if we frequently lack Christian joy it could be because we have been depriving ourselves of it by neglecting the joyful duty of evangelising the lost.

JP

And While I’m at it….

If you haven’t listened to these you really should - Together for the Gospel 2006 & 2008.

2008 panel discussions are not posted yet, but probably will be soon. The panels are extremely helpful especially if you are a pastor.

Together for the Gospel 2006 & now 2008

JP