Quote of the Day - Cowper on Pastor as Life-Example

Cowper on Pastor’s as life-examples:

“If parsons fiddle, why may’nt laymen dance?”

- Unsourced

Quote of the Day - Spurgeon on Holiness

Spurgeon on Holiness:

“If I had my choice of all the blessings I can conceive of, I would chose perfect conformity to the Lord Jesus, or, in a word, holiness.”

Quoted in Warren Wiersbe, Be Holy (Wheaton: Victor, 1979), p 10.

Quote of the Day - Bridges on Knowledge

Charles Bridges on knowledge

“It is far more easy to furnish our library than our understanding.”

- The Christian Ministry (Banner of Truth, 2001 reprint), p 46.

Quote of the Day - McGrath on Atheism

Alister McGrath on Atheism:

“The 20^th century gave rise to one of the greatest and most distressing paradoxes of human history: that the greatest intolerance and violence of that century were practiced by those who believed that religion caused intolerance and violence.”

Alister McGrath, The Twilight of Atheism: The Rise and Fall of Disbelief
in the Modern World (Oxford University Press, 2004), p 230.

Quote of the Day - Newton on the making of a Minister

John Newton on the making of a Minister

“None but he who made the world can make a minister of the Gospel. If a young man has capacity, culture and application may make him a scholar, a philosopher, or an orator; but a true Minister must have certain principles, motives, feelings, and aims, which no industry or endeavors of men can either acquire or communicate. They must be given from above, or they cannot be received.”

- Newton’s Works, Vol. V. p. 62

Quote of the Day - Didache on Discipleship

The Didache on Discipleship:

There are two paths, one of life and one of death, and the difference is great between the two paths.

- Didache 1:1 (the Didache is an early Christian document.
Though never considered to be the authoritative word of God,
it is one of the earliest writings produced by growing Christian community).

Quote of the Day: Spurgeon on Preaching to the Elect

Spurgeon responding to why his belief in election did not move him to preach only to the elect:

“If you’ll go around and pull up their shirttails so I can see if they have an E stamped on their back, I will.”

- Taken from: John MacArthur, Nothing but the Truth:
Upholding the Gospel in a Doubting Age
(Wheaton: Good News Publishers, 1999), pg. 151-152.

Quote of the Day - Keller on the Resurrection

Tim Keller on the Resurrection:

“If Jesus rose from the dead, they you have to accept all he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teachings but whether or not he rose from the dead.”

Tim Keller, The Reason for God (Dutton Press, 2008), p 202.

Daily Devo - Monday, June 23, 2008

“…I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required…”
Philemon 1:8b

Some time ago I had a conversation with a young man regarding his friend. During the course of the conversation he shared his disappointment in his friend’s recent behavior. Apparently, he had begun to engage in conduct clearly outside the bounds of the Christian faith. Sitting in my office, the young man announced quite strongly his exasperation and annoyance with the situation. When I asked if he had confronted his friend, he looked surprised and said, ‘why would I do that?”

The term translated “bold” in the above passage literally means “all speech”. It was used originally in the sphere of politics to signify the democratic right of a full citizen of a Greek city-state to speak out one’s opinion freely. Later, it was used to characterize the relations between two friends. In the ancient Greek and Roman world, true friendship was marked by the willingness to speak truth to the other person—even if that truth hurt. A friendship that couldn’t withstand truth wasn’t considered a true friendship at all. False friendships, by contrast, were relationships that were so shallow that truth wasn’t allowed in.

Paul intentionally used this term to indicate the type of friendship he had with Philemon. He was open and frank with his brother in Christ, and chose to freely speak truth into the situation. Interestingly, Paul indicates that he had the right—both as apostle and as a friend—to command Philemon to submit to this truth. He chose, however, to appeal to him with love (see verse 9). Yet, while he gave up his boldness to command, he retained his boldness to speak truth.

By refusing to speak truth to our friends, we deny the very friendship we claim. A real friend is someone who is willing to speak the truth in love. Anything less is simply the deceptive soothings of a flatterer.

Wounds from a friend can be trusted
Proverbs 27:6a

A blogging sabbatical

I haven't died (though as far as sin is concerned I am trying).
I haven't gotten a disease (insofar as I am aware).
I haven't become an apostate (though that depends on who you ask)
I haven't succumbed to depression (it's Summer, man!)
I haven't been golfing (just ask my golfing buddy Joe)

Frankly, I super busy and decided blogging needed to be shelved for a week or two. I'm still writing, but won't post for the next several days.

Blessings.