A Prayer Gem of Spurgeon

This prayer of Spurgeon was a particular blessing and challenge to me this morning.

O GOD! we would not speak to Thee as from a distance, nor stand like trembling Israel under the law at a distance from the burning mount, for we have not come unto Mount Sinai, but unto Mount Sion, and that is a place for holy joy and thankfulness, and not for terror and bondage. Blessed be Thy name, O Lord! We have learnt to call Thee "Our Father, which art in heaven"; so there is reverence, for Thou art in heaven; but there is sweet familiarity, for Thou art our Father.

We would draw very near to Thee now through Jesus Christ the Mediator, and we would make bold to speak to Thee as a man speaketh with his friend, for hast Thou not said by Thy Spirit, "Let us come boldly unto the throne of the heavenly grace." We might well start away and flee from Thy face if we only remembered our sinfulness. Lord! we do remember it with shame and sorrow; we are grieved to think we should have offended Thee, should have neglected so long Thy sweet love and tender mercy; but we have now returned unto the "shepherd and bishop of our souls." Led by such grace, we look to Him whom we crucified, and we have mourned for
Him and then have mourned for our sin.

Now, Lord, we confess our guilt before Thee with tenderness of heart, and we pray Thee seal home to every believer here that full and free, that perfect and irreversible charter of forgiveness which Thou gavest to all them that put their trust in Jesus Christ. Lord! Thou hast said it: "If we confess our sins, Thou art merciful and just to forgive us our sins and to save us from all unrighteousness." There is the sin confessed: there is the ransom accepted: we therefore know we have peace with God, and we bless that glorious one who hath come "to finish transgression, to make an end of sin," to bring in everlasting righteousness, which righteousness by faith we take unto ourselves and Thou dost impute, unto us.

Now, Lord, wilt Thou be pleased to cause all Thy children's hearts to dance within them for joy? Oh! help Thy people to come to Jesus again today. May we be looking unto Him today as we did at the first. May we never take off our eyes from His Divine person, from His infinite merit, from His finished work, from His living power, or from the expectancy of His speedy coming to "judge the world in righteousness and the peoplewith His truth."

Bless all Thy people with some special gift, and if we might make a choice of one it would be this: "Quicken us, O Lord, according to Thy Word." We have life; give it to us more abundantly. Oh, that we might have so much life that out of the midst of us there might flow rivers of living water. The Lord make us useful. Do, dear Savior, use the very least among us; take the one talent and let it be put out to interest for the great Father. May it please Thee to show each one of us what Thou wouldest have us to do. In our families, in our business, in the walks of ordinary life may we be serving the Lord, and may we often speak a word for His name, and help in some way to scatter the light amongst the ever-growing darkness; and ere we go hence may we have sown some seed which we shall bring with us on our shoulders in the form of sheaves of blessing.

O God! bless our Sunday schools, and give a greater interest in such work, that there may be no lack of men and women who shall be glad and happy in the work of teaching the young. Do impress this, we pray Thee, upon Thy people just now. Move men who have gifts and ability also to preach the Gospel. There are many that live in villages, and there is no gospel preaching near them. Lord! set them preaching themselves. Wilt Thou move some hearts so powerfully that their tongues cannot be quiet any longer, and may they attempt in some way, either personally or by supporting some one, to bring the gospel into dark benighted hamlets that the people may know the truth.

O Lord! stir up the dwellers in this great, great city. Oh! arouse us to the spiritual destitution of the masses O God, help us all by some means, by any means, by every means to get at the ears of men for Christ's sake that so we may reach their hearts. We would send up an exceeding great and bitter cry to Thee on behalf of the millions that: enter no place of worship, but rather violate its sanctity and despise its blessed message. Lord! wake up London, we beseech Thee. Send us another Jonah; send us another John the Baptist. Oh! that the Christ Himself would send forth multitudes of laborers amongst this thick standing corn, for the harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. O God! save this city; save this country; save all countries; and let Thy kingdom come; may every knee bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Our most earnest prayers go up to heaven to Thee now for great sinners, for men and women that are polluted and depraved by the filthiest of sins. With sovereign mercy make a raid amongst them. Come and capture some of these that they may become great lovers of Him that shall forgive them, and may they become great champions for the cross.

Lord, look upon the multitudes of rich people in this city that know nothing about the gospel and do not wish to know. Oh! that somehow the poor rich might be rich with the gospel of Jesus Christ. And then, Lord, look upon the multitude of the poor and the working classes that think religion to be a perfectly unnecessary thing for them. Do, by some means we pray Thee, get them to think and bring them to listen that faith may come by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

Above all, O Holy Spirit, descend more mightily. Would, God, Thou wouldest flood the land till there should be streams of righteousness; for is there not a promise, "I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground." Lord, set Thy people praying; stir up the Church to greater prayerfulness.

Now, as Thou hast bidden 'us, we pray for the people among whom we dwell. We pray for those in authority in the land, asking every blessing for the Sovereign, and Thy guidance and direction to the Parliament, Thy benediction to all judges and rulers as also upon the poorest of the poor and the lowest of the low. Lord, bless the people; let the people praise Thee, O God! yea, let all the people praise Thee, for Jesus Christ's sake.

Amen and Amen.

An Appeal to Both "Sides" of Fundamentalism

I have commented before on the state of fundamentalism in my area, but would like to appeal to the wider movement, as I see it. Of course, I will be seeing much of this through the lens of my particular experience in this area, so it might not all fit. There seems to be great debate and battle lines being drawn between the “young fundamentalists” and the “established fundamentalists.” (I will refrain from using the label “old.”) :-) I’ll refer to the groups as “YFs” and “EFs” from here on. (I recognize the limitations of any designation, so please don’t take me to task over these. If you think about it for a bit, you will probably understand what I mean by them.) This post will be name-free, though some will probably put faces to the stories and examples.

I am getting the impression that many of the “EFs” have the idea that the “YFs” are simply rebellious individuals who are questioning widely held beliefs and opinions just for the sake of questioning them and expressing their disapproval of those matters by doing so. They are also characterized as having done no real thinking on the subjects, and having nothing substantive to add to the matters debated. In short, they are not fundamentalists.

On the other hand, many of the “YFs” see the “EFs” as harsh and inflexible, holding beliefs and practices without completely substantive reasons for doing so, unwilling to truly face the objections and questions to those beliefs and practices.

I have seen examples of both. My advice to YFs is essentially what I have posted before, but…YFs—

• We need to check our attitude out. To claim that you are simply responding in kind is the argument of the second-grader on the playground! “He did it first!” Comments disparaging someone because of their hairpiece really have no place in meaningful discussion. Some of us need to grow up!
• We need to check our argumentation out. Is it really responsible? Do we have valid objections against a particular practice? Are our concerns in a matter grounded?
• We need to check our attentiveness out. Are we really hearing what the other side is saying? Are we seriously considering their points? Don’t fall into the same pattern of dismissiveness you may think you see in others. These men usually have done much thinking about and studying of the issues in question. More than some of us are willing to give them credit for.
• We need to check our application out. Do we only have pot-shots and objections, or do we have some idea of where we are going with what we are saying, how we might implement it, and what potential impact such application may have.

EFs (I am not saying that all of you do these things)—

• Please don’t jump to conclusions about our attitude. There are rebels in our number. Not all of us are, though.
• Please don’t try to intimidate us. Intimidation is the province of bullies. We don’t need your resume each time we discuss something. You have degrees and experience in ministry that we do not. Let’s get to the issues.
• Please don’t dismiss our objections and ideas out of hand. Some of our arguments are stupid and flawed. Point that out. However, some of us have done quite a bit of thinking about the issues, the Biblical texts in question, and the application of those texts.
• Please don’t misrepresent us. As I cite this example, I am not stating my personal stand on music. Most of the “YFs” who advocate a more open view of music do not claim musical styles communicate nothing. They claim that what a style of music communicates can be very subjective and may also change with time. By the way, most of us have never even considered “O That Will Be Glory for Me” as a song better suited to the roller skating rink than the choir loft or angelic hosts! :-)
• Please don’t be too quick to push us out of the fold. Some will leave. That is certain. But many of us are truly committed to an “earnest contention for the faith once for all delivered unto the saints”! In my experience, most of us are fundamentalists.

I close with a final appeal to the “YFs” who are thinking about jumping ship. Carefully consider where you are going. Don’t leave fundamentalism because of some errors you perceive in the movement and then fall for much greater errors that are found outside the movement. I for one am staying, by God’s grace. And those of you who leave fundamentalism as a movement- please do not leave fundamentalism as a philosophy. It is possible to not be associated with any segment of the current movement and still be a fundamentalist, but probably not easy!

(I agonized over publishing this one. It may place me in the middle, taking shots from both sides!) :-)

A Remembrance Meditation

This is a meditation I had the privilege to give on Remembrance Day 2002 during the Township of Innisfil ceremonies.

Remembrance Day is but one day that we set apart to dwell upon those people and events that have given to us that which we enjoy every day of the year. Simply because we set only one day aside specifically for this purpose should not mean that it is only at this time of year that we ever should think upon these matters. Unfortunately, this is the very real situation in many people’s lives today. Many of us can never really remember in any true sense the four great conflicts that this day commemorates (the Boer War, The Great War, The Second World War, and The Korean War). But we must never let this become the excuse for failing to dwell upon the sacrifice that has brought us the peace, freedom, and safety, of the world in which we live.

Remembrance Day is not a day set aside for the glorification of war. We do not relish war. We as Canadians have a reputation as peace-makers and peace-keepers. Yet we as Canadians also understand that there is a peace that can only be found at the end of a sword. It is understood that no war, in fact, no human effort no matter how noble can ever bring about infallible, everlasting peace. But this should not stop us from preserving what freedom and peace that we do have.

Today, we think of those who have done just that. We remember those who have gave of the best years of their lives. We remember those who gave of their health. We remember those who gave of their wealth and time. We think of those who paid the prices of war. Those whose physical health was taken. The strong made weak. Those whose mental health was taken. The stability of the mind left shaken and even in some cases destroyed. Those whose friends were taken. Those whose loved ones were taken. Those who paid the ultimate sacrifice with their very lives.

We humbly bow before Our Holy God, knowing that every good gift, including freedom, is ultimately from His hand. We understand that He, not us, is sovereign over the affairs of this earth. Few passages explore the truth of God’s sovereignty like Psalm 33.

Psalm 33
1 Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.
2 Praise the LORD with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.
3 Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.
4 For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.
5 He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.
6 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.
11 The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.
13 The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.
14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
15 He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works.
16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength.
17 An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.
18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.
22 Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

And so today we stand together in awe, humility, and praise before our Almighty God.

We also stand together with a debt of gratitude to those who gave of themselves that we may be free. To those of you who stand here today as veterans of these conflicts, you are to be honoured. “Thank you.” You stand before us as a link that connects the past with the present. We who gather with you salute you.

Today, may each of us pledge that in God’s providence, we ourselves will become a link that connects the present with the future. May we pass along the memory to the next generation, that in gratefulness to those who have given of themselves so that we may be free, their memory will not be forgotten.

The Challenge of Our Culture- Part 3

The final mindset I will mention is the presence of conspiracy. This is seen in so many areas that mentioning all of them would be next to impossible. Translations and translators, denominations, banks, various ethnic groups, and UFOs are all groups that I have heard blamed for widespread conspiracy to control men and destroy the world or intentionally prepare the world for the Antichrist! If these were just the pet theories of some odd ducks in the back pew, we would face enough of a challenge. However, this is unfortunately not the case. Each of the groups mentioned above has been blamed for these widespread conspiracies by men in positions of teaching and preaching authority in my own hearing!

Conspiracy theories are hard to refute, largely because those believing them will ignore any other possibilities regarding their observations or ideas. For example, a man may believe that the Illuminati have installed the photo monitering at the local intersection so that they can track the movement of independent Baptists. When you tell him that the Department of Transportation did so he narrows his eyes and tells you they are simply pawns in the hands of the Illuminatti. When you state that the cameras are there to catch those who would speed and run traffic lights he marvels at your naive thoughts. After all, any fool could tell you that if they simply wanted to do that they would post a policeman at the intersection. Your reply that the police staff is stretched thin with the growing population and the technology in question allows them to be deployed in other important places of duty is met with disdain. Don't you know that the ratio between crimes committed and policemen in service is two to one? Surely the police can handle that much crime! Your objections that not every officer is on duty at the same time and that not every officer is "on the beat" and that investigating crime is not the only task of the staff go nowhere as well. They have officers which you are not aware of..., etc.

I do not have the answers to dealing with this mindset, except to say that I have noted the churches which have solid expositional preaching are much less likely to harbour these theories in their midst. Perhaps if our worldview is gleaned more from the Bible than the Daily Reporter or National Enquirer...?

Challenge of Our Culture- Part 2

The second cultural myth I wish to address is the inevitability of success. This myth leads many to believe that if certain conditions are met and procedures are followed, success is certain to come. One huge problem with the mindset is how "success" is defined. Unfortunately, it is often seen as something Big. Do you want to have a big church? Follow these steps. Do you want to have a big building? These are the procedures. Big offerings? Here is how it is done. Huge missions budget? This is the way to get it. Big revival? Follow this plan. So the story goes, sprinkled liberally with stories (often embellished) of how Brother Steadfast got to where his ministry is running 2,000 in attendance with 45 buses (or more), 400 saved each week, 30 baptized :-), 500 missionaries supported, etc.

So there is a significant problem with how success is defined. However, the myth states that this is possible to anyone and everyone who will just do x, y, and z. Tremendous pressure is placed on some to live up to expectations that are entirely unreasonable, and possibly undesirable! I remember one famous preacher who spoke at my home church when I was in high school. The occaission was an annual conference hosted by our church. At that time he was being invited every few years. One of those years on the final night of the conference the man spoke about building up a church. Toward the end of the message he looked out at the hearers, many of whom were pastors, and said that he would not come back if my home church was not running a certain number in two years. Now my church was and is one of the largest independent Baptist churches in Canada. Even so, it fell far short of the attendance the visiting speaker desired. I know that nearly every visiting pastor had congregations of far less. What an incredible burden to place upon a servant of God. As though only a church which ran a certain number was worth speaking at! I remember the event vividly. It left a very bad impression upon my mind. Interestingly enough, when the time had elapsed and the man was invited back he came even though we did not meet the numerical standard he had imposed! How many times has a pastor faced serious problems with discouragement that arises from comparing himself and his ministry to another man and that man's ministry? This belief in the inevitability of success encourages these unwise comparisons.

Another monumental problem with this mindset is its view of man and God. You see, this mindset suggests that God's work is really man's work! Those who espouse this mindset almost always have a small view of God and a big view of man.

We must realize that we are called to strive mightily for souls. We are to labour and toil in the work of God. But there is no man-contrived formula which can guarantee this type of "success" suggested by many! Let us return to a Biblical view of success. Let us return to a Biblical view of God and man. Let us cease from foolish comparison. And let us remember the words of Paul, "I planted, Appollos watered, But God gave the increase!"