Dwarf or Giant?
\nThe following is from Spurgeon’s sermon,
\n“The Former and the Latter Rain” #880 Jer.5:24.
\nThe plan Satan seems to have adopted is that
\nof preventing, as far as he can, our raising in
\nour midst a race of eminent and advanced
\nChristians.
\nWe have in this age but few giants in grace
\nwho rise head and shoulders above the common
\nheight, men to lead us on in deeds of heroism
\nand efforts of unstaggering faith.
\nWe have come to be a race of dwarfs, and
\nare content, to a great extent, to have it so.
\nThere was once in London a club of dwarfs,
\nwhose qualification for membership lay in
\ntheir not exceeding five feet in height.
\nSuch a club of dwarfish Christians might
\nbe established in London, and without any
\ndifficulty might attain to an enormously
\nnumerous membership; for the notion is
\ncommon that our dwarfish Christianity
\nis after all the standard, and many even
\nimagine that nobler Christians are enthusiasts,
\nfanatical, and hot blooded; while we are cool
\nbecause we are wise and intelligent.
\nWe must get rid of all this nonsense.
\nThe fact is, the most of us are vastly inferior
\nto the early Christians, who, as I take it, were
\npersecuted because they were thoroughly
\nChristians. We are not persecuted because
\nwe hardly are Christians at all.
\nThey were so earnest in the propagation of the
\nRedeemer’s kingdom, that they became the
\nnuisance of the age in which they lived.
\nThey would not let errors alone.
\nThey had not conceived the opinion that they
\nwere to hold the truth, and leave other people
\nto hold error without trying to intrude their
\nopinions upon them. But they preached Jesus
\nright and left, and delivered their testimony
\nagainst every sin.
\nThey denounced the idols, and cried out against
\nsuperstition, until the world, fearful of being
\nturned upside down, demanded of them, “Is that
\nwhat you really mean? Then we will burn you,
\nlock you up in prison, and exterminate you.”
\nTo which the church replied, “We will accept
\nthe challenge, and will not depart from our
\nresolve to conquer the world for Christ.”
\nBut we are so gentle and quiet, we
\ndo not use strong language about other
\npeople’s opinions; but let men go to
\nhell out of charity to them.
\nWe are not at all fanatical. We would not
\nwish to save any sinner who does not
\nparticularly wish to be saved. We do not
\nspeak with tears streaming down our cheeks,
\ngroaning and agonizing with God for them.
\nNeither would we thrust our opinions upon
\nthem, though we know they are being lost
\nfor lack of the knowledge of Christ crucified.
\nDo not drivel away your existence upon baser
\nends, but count the glory of Christ to be the
\nonly object worthy of your manhood’s strength,
\nthe spread of the truth the only pursuit worthy
\nof your mental powers.
\nSpend and be spent in your Master’s service.
\nDwarf or Giant?
\n
\n
\n
\nThe soul melts at the sight!
\n“We love Him, because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19
\n
\nOur affections never flow unto Jesus, until we have had some divine
\ndiscovery of Him to our heart and conscience. We may try to love Him\u2014we
\nmay think it our duty to do so\u2014we may be secretly ashamed of our
\nmiserable coldness, and may lament our barrenness in love to Jesus. But
\nno power of our own can raise up true love to Jesus. We cannot love the
\nLord until we know that the Lord loves us\u2014nor can we love Him with all
\nour heart and soul, until He tells us that He loves us with all His.
\nWhen He says “I have loved you with an everlasting love,” and sheds
\nabroad His love in the soul\u2014this gives power to love Him. When, too, He
\nsets Himself before our eyes in His divine beauty and blessedness\u2014this
\nmakes us fall in love with Him. For beauty kindles love. It is so often
\nin natural love\u2014and always so in divine love. Jesus has but to touch the
\nheart and it softens. He has but to appear\u2014and the soul melts at the
\nsight! J.C.Philpot
\n
\n
\n
\n
\nThe cross has not become obsolete!
\n
\n(Horatius Bonar, “The Surety’s Cross”)
\n
\n“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing;
\nbut to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18
\n
\nThe whole world looked with contempt\u2014indignant at the audacity of a few
\nhumble Christians, thus . . .
\naffronting and defying the “public opinion” of nations and ages;
\nassailing the religions of earth with the cross as their only sword;
\nstriking down their idols with this as their only hammer; and
\nwith this, as their one lever, proposing to turn the world upside down!
\n From that day the cross became “a power” in the earth; a power\nwhich
\nwent forth, like the light\u2014noiselessly yet irresistibly\u2014smiting down all
\nreligions alike, all shrines alike, all altars alike\u2014sparing no
\nsuperstition nor philosophy.
\n
\nThis power remains\u2014in its mystery, its silence, its influence, it
\nremains. The cross has not become obsolete! The preaching of the cross
\nhas not ceased to be powerful and effectual!
\n
\nThere are those who would persuade us that, in this modern age\u2014the cross
\nis out of date and out of fashion, time-worn. But this does not shake
\nus. It only leads us to clasp the cross more fervently, and to study it
\nmore profoundly, as embodying in itself that gospel which is at once the
\nwisdom and the power of God.
\n
\nYet the cross is not without its mysteries:
\n
\nIt illuminates\u2014yet it darkens.
\n
\nIt is life\u2014yet it is death.
\n
\nIt is honor\u2014yet it is shame.
\n
\nIt is wisdom\u2014but also foolishness.
\n
\nThe cross is . . .
\nboth pardon, and condemnation;
\nboth strength, and weakness;
\nboth joy, and sorrow;
\nboth love, and hatred;
\nboth medicine, and poison;
\nboth hope, and despair.
\n
\nThe cross is Christ’s humiliation\u2014yet it is His exaltation!
\n
\nThe cross is Satan’s victory\u2014yet it is Satan’s defeat!
\n
\nThe cross is the gate of Heaven\u2014and the gate of Hell!
\n
\nThe cross is the key . . .
\nto God’s character,
\nto God’s Word,
\nto God’s ways,
\nto God’s purposes.
\n
\nThe cross is the summary of all the Bible\u2014the epitome of Scripture
\nRevelation!
\n
\n
\n
\nThey love to be deceived
\nWe are surrounded with error\u2014the carnal heart is full of it. For
\nwherever truth is not\u2014there error must be. A veil of ignorance is by
\nnature spread thickly over the mind, through which not one ray of divine
\nlight penetrates. Men love error\u2014religious error\u2014for God’s own testimony
\nis that they love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are
\nevil. They love to be deceived\u2014they hate the hand which would tear the
\ndelusion away. While then they are encompassed with the mists of error,
\nhow can they find the way to truth? The Spirit alone can dissipate these
\nclouds, disperse these mists, and take away this veil of unbelief and
\nignorance spread over the heart\u2014and this it is His sacred office to
\nperform, for He is the “Spirit of truth.” J.C.Phipot
\n
\n
\nWe need the teaching of the Great Expositor!
\n
\n(“Every Day!” Author unknown, 1872)
\n
\n“Lead me in Your truth\u2014and teach me!” Psalm 25:5
\n
\nWhat a mercy it is, in the midst of prevailing errors, to possess the
\ntruth of God\u2014the sure word of His testimony\u2014the Holy Scriptures, which
\nare able to make us wise unto salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus
\nChrist. May we read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the truth\u2014that we
\nmay find it profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and
\ninstruction in righteousness.
\n
\nToo frequently the Word of God is read with little profit, because it is
\nread with little prayer. We need Divine illumination! We need the
\nteaching of the Great Expositor, in order rightly to understand the Word
\nof God, and to receive it in the love of it.
\n
\nMay the prayer of the psalmist be my prayer: “Lead me in Your truth\u2014and
\nteach me!”
\n
\nLead me into the knowledge and experience of it\u2014let it dwell in my
\nheart, and influence my life.
\n
\nLead me into the enjoyment of it\u2014may I find Your Word, and eat it; may
\nit be sweet to my taste, yes, sweeter than honey\u2014than honey from the comb.
\n
\nAnd lead me into the practice of it\u2014may my ways be directed to keep Your
\nstatutes, and may I be a living epistle, read and known by all men.
\n
\nMay Your Word come to me with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep
\nconviction!
\n
\n“When He, the Spirit of truth, comes\u2014He will guide you into all\ntruth.”
\nJohn 16:13
\n
\n
\n
\nFeeding Sheep or Amusing Goats?
\nby Charles Spurgeon (edited)
\nAn evil is in the ‘professed’ camp of the Lord, so gross in its
\nimpudence, that the most
\nshortsighted Christian can hardly fail to notice it. During the past few
\nyears this evil has
\ndeveloped at an alarming rate. It has worked like leaven until the whole
\nlump ferments!
\nThe devil has seldom done a more clever thing, than hinting to the
\nChurch that part of
\ntheir mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to
\nwinning them.
\n From speaking out the gospel, the Church has gradually toned down her
\ntestimony, then
\nwinked at and excused the frivolities of the day. Then she tolerated
\nthem in her borders.
\nNow she has adopted them under the plea of reaching the masses!
\nMy first contention is that providing amusement for the people is
\nnowhere spoken of in the
\nScriptures as a function of the Church. If it is a Christian work why
\ndid not Christ speak of
\nit? ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, and
\nprovide amusement
\nfor those who do not relish the gospel’.
\nNo such words, however, are to be found. It did not seem to occur to
\nHim. Where do
\nentertainers come in? The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them. Were
\nthe prophets
\npersecuted because they amused the people, or because they confronted
\nthem? The
\n‘concert’ has no martyr roll.
\nAgain, providing amusement is in direct antagonism to the teaching and
\nlife of Christ and
\nall His apostles. What was the attitude of the apostolic Church to the
\nworld? “You are the
\nsalt of the world”, not the sugar candy; something the world will spit
\nout, not swallow.
\nHad Jesus introduced more of the bright and pleasant elements into His
\nteaching, He would
\nhave been more popular. When “many of His disciples turned back and no
\nlonger followed
\nHim,” I do not hear Him say, ‘Run after these people, Peter, and tell
\nthem we will have a
\ndifferent style of service tomorrow; something short and attractive with
\nlittle preaching. We
\nwill have a pleasant evening for the people. Tell them they will be sure
\nto enjoy it! Be
\nquick, Peter, we must get the people somehow!’
\nNo! Jesus pitied sinners, sighed and wept over them, but never sought to
\namuse them!
\nIn vain will the epistles be searched to find any trace of the ‘gospel
\nof amusement’. Their
\nmessage is, “Therefore, come out from them and separate yourselves from
\nthem… Don’t
\ntouch their filthy things…” Anything approaching amusement is
\nconspicuous by its absence.
\nThey had boundless confidence in the gospel and employed no other weapon.
\nAfter Peter and John were locked up for preaching, the Church had a
\nprayer meeting, but
\nthey did not pray, ‘Lord, grant unto your servants that by a wise and
\ndiscriminating use of
\ninnocent recreation we may show these people how happy we are’.
\nNo! They did not cease from preaching Christ. They had no time for
\narranging
\nentertainments. Scattered by persecution they went everywhere preaching
\nthe gospel. They
\nturned the world upside down; that is the only difference from today’s
\nchurch.
\nLastly, amusement fails to effect the end desired. Let the heavy laden
\nwho found peace
\nthrough the concert not keep silent! Let the drunkard to whom the
\ndramatic entertainment
\nhad been God’s link in the chain of their conversion, stand up! There
\nare none to answer!
\nThe mission of amusement produces no converts!
\nThe need of the hour for today’s ministry is earnest spirituality joined
\nwith Biblical doctrine,
\nso understood and felt, that it sets men on fire.
\nLord, clear the Church of all the rot and rubbish the devil has imposed
\non her, and
\nbring us back to apostolic methods!
\n
\n
\n
\n
\nThe best and the only sufficient expositors of Scripture!
\n(Letters of John Newton)
\n
\n“When the Spirit of truth comes \u2014 He will guide you into all the\ntruth.”
\nJohn 16:13
\nPsalm 25:14, “The secret counsel of the LORD is for those who fear Him,
\nand He reveals His covenant to them” \u2014 not notionally, but experimentally.
\n
\nA few minutes of the Spirit’s teaching will furnish us with more real,
\nuseful and experimental knowledge \u2014 than toiling through whole folios of
\ncommentators! It will be our wisdom to deal less with the streams \u2014 and
\nbe more close in applying to the fountain-head. The Scripture itself,
\nand the Spirit of God \u2014 are the best and the only sufficient expositors
\nof Scripture. Whatever men have valuable in their writings \u2014 they got it
\nfrom Scripture; and the Scripture is as open to us \u2014 as to any of them.
\nThere is nothing required but a teachable, humble spirit; and academic
\nlearning, as it is commonly called, is not necessary in order for this.
\nWe learn more, and more effectually, by one minute’s communication with
\nGod through the medium of His written Word, than we could from an
\nassembly of theologians, or a library of books!
\n“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law!”\nPsalm
\n119:18
\n“Teach me Your statutes!” Psalm 119:12<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dwarf or Giant? The following is from Spurgeon’s sermon, “The Former and the Latter Rain” #880 Jer.5:24. The plan Satan seems to have adopted is that of preventing, as far as he can, our raising in our midst a race of eminent and advanced Christians. We have in this age but few giants in grace […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bulletin-editions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5415"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5415\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5416,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5415\/revisions\/5416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}