FAIR SUNSHINE

I now write to commend the LORD on behalf of this young, new believer. A humble grade school teacher who stood on the edge of a decision that would permanently change her course in a life drawn out for her by familial expectations and ambition. For many aspiring teachers like her, the Licensure Exam for Professional Teachers was more than just a test—it was the bridge between her years of study and a future of security. Her parents had placed their hopes in her success, trusting that her career would help carry the weight of the family’s needs. However, something else had been subtly growing inside of her during the year that she had been a student of the Lord: a high regard for the LORD's glory and His commandments. She had repeatedly been reminded that God had made the seventh day specifically His own. The pressure increased steadily in the month before the test. The date of the exam was set. It fell on the Lord's Day. But the Lord has been steadily dealing with her throug...

Again: we have not enough self-denial; and that is one reason why we do not prosper. Far be it from me to say aught against the self-denial of those worthy brethren who have left their country to cross the stormy deep to preach the Word. We hold them to be men who are to be had in honor; but still, I ask, Where is the self-denial of the apostles now-a-days?  I think one of the greatest disgraces that ever was cast upon the church in those days was that last mission to Ireland. Men went over to Ireland; but, like men who have valor's better part, brave, bold men,—they came back again, which is about all we can say of the matter. Why do they not go there again?  Why, they say the Irish "booed" them. Now, don't you think you see Paul taking a microscope out of his pocket, and looking at a little man who should say to him, "I shall not go there to preach, because the Irish booed me!"  "What!" he says, "is this a preacher? What a small edition of...

We have known men who believed Calvinistic doctrines, but who preached Calvinism in the morning and Arminianism in the evening, because they were afraid God's gospel would not convert sinners, so they would manufacture one of their own.  I hold that a man who does not believe his gospel to be able to save men's souls, does not believe it at all. If God's truth will not save men's souls, man's lies cannot. If God's truth will not turn men to repentance, I am sure there is nothing in this world that can.  When we believe the gospel to be powerful, then we shall see it is powerful.  If I walk into this pulpit, and say, "I know what I preach is true," the world says I am an egotist; "The young man is dogmatical." Aye, and the young man means to be; he glories in it; be keeps it to himself as one of his peculiar titles, for he does most firmly believe what he preaches.  God forbid that I should ever come tottering up the pulpit-stairs to teach a...

We have no eyes now like the eyes of the Saviour, which could weep over Jerusalem: we have few voices like that earnest, impassioned voice, which seemed perpetually to cry,  "Come unto me, and I will give you rest."   "O Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have gathered thee as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but ye would not."   If ministers of the gospel were more hearty in their work of preaching; if, instead of giving lectures, and devoting a large part of their time to literary and political pursuits, they would preach the Word of God, and preach it as if they were pleading for their own lives, ah! Then, my brethren, we might expect great success; but we cannot expect it while we go about our work in a half-hearted way, and have not that zeal, that earnestness, that deep purpose, which characterized those men of old.  Then again, I take it, we have not men in our days who can preach like Paul—as to their faith, What did Paul do? He went to Phi...

In the first place, we have not men with Apostolic zeal.  Converted in a most singular way, by a direct interposition from heaven, Paul, from that time forward, became an earnest man. He had always been earnest, in his sin and in his persecutions; but after he heard that voice from heaven, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me ?" and had received the mighty office of an apostle, and had been sent forth a chosen vessel to the Gentiles, you can scarcely conceive the deep, the awful earnestness which he manifested.  Whether he did eat, or drink, or whatsoever be did, he did all for the glory of his God; he never wasted an hour: he was employing his time either in ministering with his own hands unto his necessities, or else lifting up those hands in the synagogue, on Mars Hill, or anywhere where he could command the attention of the multitude.  His zeal was so earnest, and so burning, that he could not (as we unfortunately do) restrain himself within a little sphere; but he p...

King Solomon levied 150,000 workers (2 Chr 2:17) , enlisting 3,300 overseers (1 Kings 5:16)  and 300 commanders over all (2 Chr 2:18) for the building of the temple. Such a monumental undertaking that required careful preparation and careful attention to detail in order to mobilize a large number of men. The task of the ministers of God should be to prepare the people to partake in the advancement of the greater kingdom that is Christ's as He did bid His followers: "Engage in business till I come"   (Lk 19:13). The same business He mentioned when Joseph and Mary found Him amidst teachers in the temple (Lk 2:49) : "to do the will of Him who sent Me"   (Jn 4:34) . What will? "To give His life a ransom for many"   (Mat 20:28) . To what end? " That they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3) . Knowing God opens the gates to gospel action - to its proclamation, just as YHWH was the motivation behind...

Take heed to yourselves lest you should be void of that saving grace of God which you offer to others, and be strangers to the effectual working of that gospel which you preach; and lest, while you proclaim the necessity of a Saviour to the world, your hearts should neglect him, and you should miss of an interest in him and his saving benefits. Take heed to yourselves, lest you perish while you call upon others to take heed of perishing, and lest you famish yourselves while you prepare their food. Though there be a promise of shining as stars to those that turn many to righteousness (Daniel 12:3) , this is but on supposition that they be first turned to it themselves: such promises are made ceteris paribus, et suppositis supponendis. Their own sincerity in the faith is the condition of their glory simply considered, though their great ministerial labours may be a condition of the promise of their greater glory. Many men have warned others that they come not to that place of torment, ...

To emphasize the standard is not to be mean-spirited, nor should it be viewed as censorious. We exercise the same judgement when trusting our health to the diagnosis of a qualified physician, or place ourselves under the knife of a qualified surgeon. But the ministerial office is qualified by God Himself. Theological schooling is very important. But how do you measure education when in our day, every school claims to be truthful while contradicting each other on doctrinal interpretation? And even so, to be proficient theologically, or to confess to a creed, does not necessarily mean one is spiritually born again. When this requirement is set aside, everyone is ministry is legitimately correct, and the line between mere human knowledge and heaven-sent unction is blurred. *************** We are not among those who accept the apostolical succession of young men simply because they assume it; if their college experience has been rather vivacious than spiritual, if their honours have been c...

For years have I sat under emotional and academic yet lifeless preaching about repeated affirmations of basic truths. It merely stunted my growth. But I believed I had to sit through it because it was the program, and I convinced others to do the same. The glaring truth stared me in my face the whole time yet I closed my eyes because the system was set up as such, that I had to be bodily present, never mind if my spirit remained unfed. It was assumed that the Spirit was always present in the external exercises, but the lives of those who sat with me told differently as they remained lethargic and uninterested. In our first church, it was about the grandeur of gifts, achievements and humanism. In our second, comfort, richness, and identity. With our third, which professed to be reformed in doctrine but definitely not in deed, it was timidity and dead religion. There was rampant gossiping, backbiting, and taking sides. The pastor was then in a secret relationship with the youth leader wh...

Grace would have us conclude the church's three day prayer meetings deliberately held at 3AM to inconvenience ourselves and emphasize the dire urgency in petitioning the Lord's hand to bestow greater spiritual blessings upon us, most especially in the area of prayer. It is common to give what time we can spare to prayer but to see how evil these days are is to give the time we allot for rest and instead knock early in the morning on the door of the just Judge who not only does not slumber, but takes great pleasure in answering those who stand confidently at His courts, believing He will. Teaching the children's church, preaching, devotions, reading of Scripture in family worship: all these and more are dependent on God's hand moving. The desire to labor for God and the temptation to achieve it through the arm of the flesh steals from His glory. The work is His. The Christian is His. The power is His. Therefore the glory should be His. All the believer can claim as his i...

Currently seeking Christ, more than public preaching, posting, and social networking.  Before I closed down my Facebook almost a year ago people asked me to keep the posts public because it edifies the saints. Maybe. But it also elevates me, and pulls me into wasting precious time checking people's activities. I began developing a sour taste for its daily noise and overwhelming barrage of repetitive memes, posts, and quotes from famous theological celebrities; people's thoughts on things, on other people, and on God. I found myself checking the site less, and my interest to be socially present and relevant lesser still. So this is the point where I question my own faith, on where and for whom it stands; my very motives for all I do. I am willing and prepared to withdraw from everything I am publicly involved with, (except be the head and priest of my family of course,) detach myself from what has become in my eyes, a circus of dead bones and lifeless programs, elev...

Posting this for record's sake, as the topic is of much importance. Chapter 1 of What is the Church by R.C. Sproul In the seventeenth chapter of John’s gospel, Jesus gives the most extensive prayer that is recorded for us in the New Testament. It is a prayer of intercession in which He prayed for His disciples and for all who would believe through the testimony of the disciples. That prayer is called Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. One of the central themes of that prayer is Christ’s request to the Father that His people might be one. It was a prayer for Christian unity. Yet here we are, in the twenty-first century, and the church is probably more fragmented than at any time in church history.  We've seen a crisis with the question, "What is the church after all?" Historically, via the ancient church council of Nicea, the church has been defined by four key words. It is, 1) one, 2) holy, 3) catholic, and 4) apostolic. As we study the nature of the church, I want to look ...

So keep these words deep in your heart and in your soul, and have them fixed on your hand for a sign and marked on your brow; Teaching them to your children, and talking of them when you are at rest in your house or walking by the way, when you go to sleep and when you get up: Writing them on the pillars of your houses and over the doors of your towns: So that your days, and the days of your children, may be long in the land which the Lord by his oath to your fathers said he would give them, like the days of the eternal heavens. For if you take care to keep all the orders which I give you, and to do them; loving the Lord your God and walking in all his ways and being true to him: Deuteronomy 11:18-22 / 6:7-9 The gift of family worship, was given to us April of last year and has continued non-stop 7 days a week till this day. It also gave birth to the weekly prayer meeting in which the whole gathering participates, all thanks be to God for the great kindness He evidenced through the exa...

I've always wondered why sodomites and feminists are more publicly vocal and insistent in their ideology more than Christians are public with their faith? Why drag queens insist in reading fables to children in schools more than Christian parents commit to reading Scripture to their children daily at home? Why Mormons risk walking under the sun all day to witness to people in behalf of their false god, more than Christians would do the same for the true God? Why extremists blow themselves up believing in a false religion more than Christians would resolve to go everywhere preaching the word as in Acts 8:4? Why  government minions are more purposeful and intentional in brainwashing the populace with false information than the people of the Everlasting Kingdom are in sharing the gospel truth with those in their immediate social circles? Why heathenism is out in the open and Christianity is mixed into the crowd of other heathen churches.  ..for the sons of this world are wiser in...

Some gain the things of this world in the strength of their youth at the cost of the next life, and all they have are rusty memories that die with them. While some set their eyes upon eternal things at the cost of this temporal life, and gain a crown that will never fade away. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first. Matthew 19:29-30 

There is a difference between those who criticize and those who do. Between those who merely affirm there is something wrong, and those are broken before God because of the wrong. Between those who attend church and those who worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Scripture says the wicked surround the righteous, therefore wrong judgements abound (Hab 1:4). A lack of urgency for the advancement of the kingdom also falls under wrong judgment. It falls under complacency. It is against the Lord's command to, "occupy" till He comes (Luke 19:13). Church gatherings are important, but not in the sense that many claim it to be. Many of our brethren in dangerous lands cannot gather for peril to their lives, but it doesn't make them less Christian than those who do so freely. Many gather conveniently, but it doesn't make them any more Christian than those who blaspheme God.  Take for instance this: all believers know baptism cannot save, but the way they vehemently argue for i...

I was provided an audio book of this precious work by William Bridge more than 6 years ago and have acquired the very transcript with which I have printed and bound my own book. It has greatly comforted me in my distress regarding this aspect of my faith time and again, and has served well to emphasize the grace that God has graciously showered upon poor sinners via the merit of Jesus Christ's covenantal work on the cross. And as I seek to help those who are drowning in the same pit of hopelessness, I am awed with the majesty of God's sure election and His faithfulness to the everlasting covenant:  "As godly men shall never be condemned for their sins, so their sins shall never part God and them. What seems to be the reason why some are so discouraged about their sins, but because they think they shall not only lose the face and presence of God by their sins, but that they shall lose God himself.  But now, surely, the sins of the godly shall never part God and them. Their ...

The church does not have the power to save. The church cannot save. In the simplest terms it is the gathering of the saved. It is basically powerless by itself. It is a candle unused. The power to save a soul was never given to assemblies of men. That power comes only from the Holy Spirit empowering the only means of salvation that God has ordained - the Gospel. It is God alone who saves through the Gospel. The Holy Spirit who empowers the Gospel was given to the church through the obedience of the Son. He is the Comforter who stands with the Christian to give him power and enables him for the impossible task of witnessing, against an unbelieving world, for a kingdom that no man alive has ever seen. The kingdom of God does not advance apart from the Holy Spirit empowering the very people who have been redeemed to be a part of it. It is the very purpose of creation and redemption: that these people, whose names have been written in the Lamb's Book of Life even before Genesis 1, woul...

It is with indwelling sin as with a river. Whilst the springs and fountains of it are open, and waters are continually supplied unto its streams, set a dam before it, and it causeth it to rise and swell until it bear down all or overflow the banks about it. Let these waters be abated, dried up in some good measure in the springs of them, and the remainder may be coerced and restrained. But still, as long as there is any running water, it will constantly press upon what stands before it, according to its weight and strength, because it is its nature so to do; and if by any means it make a passage, it will proceed.   So is it with indwelling sin; whilst the springs and fountains of it are open, in vain is it for men to set a dam before it by their convictions, resolutions, vows, and promises. They may check it for a while, but it will increase, rise high, and rage, at one time or another, until it bears down all those convictions and resolutions, or makes itself an under-ground passa...

I can walk without the aid of crutches today but my soles tire easily. Walking zaps me quickly more than pleading with the people. I am pained and humbled in proclaiming the sentences of the Law of God that is impossible with men, yet am also filled with strange joy in courting them with the mercies and goodness of Christ. We have been commanded to Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:19) Indeed, but where is the man who will tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. (Luke 24:49) I truly praise God for bringing me to praying brethren who are fully aware of our poverty of spirit pertaining to the things of the kingdom, but also greatly trust that God hears prayers and will do what is right. This day some of the vendors showed me familiarity and extra kindness.  After hearing that they were indeed somewhat the forgotten of the lot and of the concern I have that God has remembered them in bringing them the good news, th...