False Christian teachings, trends….
I am preparing a post on backsliding that mentions ‘exercising faith’ and thought I would post this article beforehand. Pastor Colin Smith explains that it is not enough to just possess faith, as those who are born again possess. One must learn to exercise it. He explains what that means. Extremely valuable information to all Christians that may not have looked into the matter; as exercising it is necessary in the Christian fight of faith.
Which books should every Christian bookstore remove immediately? Which ones should they make sure and stock up on? Author, blogger, and book reviewer Tim Challies joins the podcast today to give his opinion on the best 3 and worst 4 books every church book store should be aware of. We also talk about his new book, Seasons of Sorrow, about the tragic and sudden passing of his son, Nick and how Tim and his family have navigated that loss. Tim reflects on the goodness of God, the problem of suffering and evil, and whether or not his opinion on certain “bad books” has changed in light of his personal season of sorrow.
This post contains one commentary explanation of poverty of spirit from Matthew 5:3; it also contains a brief excerpt from two other posts about Jonathan Edwards, the excerpts are extremely relevant to the Matthew 5:3. One of those posts gave glimpses into his struggle for obedience; the other into his analysis of what constituted a truly born again person as opposed to a false convert.
The 11-minute video of this post covers 3 points: the confrontation of a street preacher by 5 police; the disparity of treatment between UK citizenry and Christians compared to Muslims and non-citizens; and the street music ministry of a 20-year old that was also threatened by police. The purpose of this post is to help Americans see what is coming soon; it is already in Europe and Canada. Furthermore, the pressures that are causing legislators to bow down to activists of LGBTQ and Cultural Marxism, are also causing pastors to bow down. That is, the gospel is also being hindered by pastors and congregants that support these two anti-Christian forces….
C H Spurgeon’s three sermon points were: the outward appearance of our trials; blessed fruitfulness of trials; and those exercised by trials. It is a 45-minute sermon that mentioned points I had never heard on this topic. The section about being exercised is very beneficial to know if you are in the midst of trials. All Christians will eventually be there. There are sermon highlights, and several term definitions.
This post contains a sermon from James 1: 2-11 on God’s purpose in sending trials and how to deal with them such that you might begin to know Christian maturity, fullness… being made perfect. Since all Christians will encounter trials from God to grow their faith, it is critical that you know how to go through these trials; upon what you should focus and why that ought to be your focus. This sermon makes those things very clear.
This post contains a contemporary Christian song by Hillary Scott. There is a second very brief wherein she talks kind of vaguely about the tragic experience that moved her to write and sing the song. If you have ever struggled through any affliction or trial, then the song will probably speak to you. That is certainly why it speaks to me and I am deeply moved by the emotions she seems to be reliving as she sings.
Murray notes that it is a chief goal of Satan to cause a falling out between Christians. To illustrate that one of the chief sources of scripture he uses is from the book of Job. Murray clarifies what was wrong with the advice of Job’s friends, even though it was biblical: their application. Murray’s 3 points: what was wrong with the advice of Job’s friends; 2, what had to be done to end the breakdown in their relationships; 3, what did each person have to do?
This post contains an 8-minute excerpt from Dr James Boice’s 35-minute sermon. The excerpt speaks to how believers must deal with the world if they would follow Christ. In that portion, Dr. Boice spoke of how Alexander Solzhenitsyn wrote of facing such trials when he was placed in the Soviet prison system. Boice’s quote came from Solzhenitsyn’s work, The Gulag Archipelago; he framed it as the correct perspective of a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. The quote actually explains Jesus’ words: deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow Me. [Highlight points are below video for those who would rather read]
This post contains an encouraging and instructive 23-minute video by R C Sproul on prayer. Highlight points follow the video.