This post contains a biblical critique on the John Newton hymn, I Asked The Lord That I Might Grow. The critique was copied and pasted from, The Berean Test (Vince Wright), which I discovered today as I was looking for lyrics to this hymn, set to music. I’d been listening to the hymn a lot lately and pondering its significance in light of spiritual growth, and was pleased to find a biblical critique of the hymn. Also, in this post is a link to the many contemporary songs Vince Wright has critiqued.
Category: Christian Meditation
Brother Lawrence dangerous contemplative mysticism warnings / The Chosen / Joni Eareckson Tada
This post contains a 16-minute video by Doreen Virtue, former New Age guru, converted to Jesus Christ. It warns of the dangers of Joni Eareckson Tada’s new book, “Practicing the Presence of Jesus.’ That is a mystical practice. Doreen also warns the The Chosen is using mystical ideas. Erroneous ideas from Rick Warren, Sid Roth and Sarah Young are also discussed. Summary points of Doreen’s video are provided; also explanations of two forms of meditation are noted below summary points for those who want more.
Contemplative Prayer – Mysticism – by GoodFight Ministries
The 7-minute video of this post opens by mentioning Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who brought transcendental (TM) meditation to the west, via the influence of the Beach Boys and the Beatles. Pastor Joe Schimmel, who created the video, then moves to the topic of church leaders who are encouraging TM: Rick Warren and Rob Bell, two of many. Then Pastor Joe S. discussed mantras: their unbiblical nature, even if these are words from the Bible. Lastly, true biblical meditation was succinctly explained…. [Even though this video is a decade old, Hindu meditation and Hindu yoga are still a problem in the church, find out how that is so]
Sustenance for living the Sacrificial Life of Romans 12:1-2
The purpose of this post is to clarify the prerequisites for dying to self and living to God, as in Romans 12: 1-2. The next post will cover some specific ways of dying to self and living to God.
Dying We Live – Pastor James Boice
In this sermon, Dr. Boice delves into the paradox that as a Christian, we must die in order to live. His sermon text was Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. [Dr. James Boice was a contemporary and a friend of R C Sproul; they were born in the late 1930’s; Boice died of cancer in 2000, 17 years before Sproul.]
Give Sin a Name: Things Unseen with Sinclair B Ferguson
Pastor Sinclair Ferguson began a new podcast titled, Things Unseen in 2024. Each episode is 4-6 minutes in length. This post contains the episode of 1-19-24 and a link to the other 14 messages he has thus far aired. I got my post of yesterday, John Newton’s hymn, via a reference he made to search the hymn. Ferguson’s most recent several podcasts have been about character types of Christians that Newton identified in a little book he wrote. Each character flaw will remind you of Christians you are in the midst of, perhaps, yourself. Ferguson’s purpose seems to help Christians identify their own flaws for future prayer….
I Asked the Lord That I Might Grow Words: John Newton [song and lyrics]
This John Newton song is introduced by one of the singers via relevant history of Newton that led him to write it and his most famous hymn, Amazing Grace. The lyrics contradict a lot of 20th and 21st century evangelicalism, as does the Bible, especially in light of Paul’s epistles.
Celebrities who died in 2023 – Contemplation: Hebrews 9:27 …as it is appointed for man to die…
The video of this post announces the names of 63 well-known people who died in 2023: 11 musicians / singers; many actors; a few football greats; and a few wrestlers. The purpose of this post is to remind readers that life is very fragile and short; and that it is essential to put some time into considering what happens after you leave this world. The welfare of your eternal soul depends upon knowing what God wants from you; being trendy; socially acceptable in your faith will certainly cause you spiritual ‘ship wreck.’
R C Sproul: How Much Time Do You Spend Studying The Bible?
In the following 2-minute video, R C Sproul clarifies what ‘studying the Bible’ actually means. He gently confronts those who do their ‘devotions’ in order to check it off their list for the day. His words provide necessary instruction to all those who would make it on to the ‘narrow way.’