Category: Spiritual Disciplines

Physical – Psychological – Spiritual – Martyn Lloyd-Jones

In this sermon on Ephesians 6.10–13 titled “Physical, Psychological, Spiritual,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that the Bible teaches that people are body, mind, and soul. They are more than the matter that they are made of, but the human body also affects its spirit. There is a great danger to turn all sin issues into problems of psychology. They say that a person’s problems are never a result of their sin but are a result of their circumstances. The Bible tells something different. [MLJ says much to help a Christian better assess the difficulties that he/she is encountering in terms of where they are coming from; and he also recommends and illustrates a biblical solution.]

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Cults – Martyn Lloyd-Jones

This post contains a sermon by MLJ on Cults. Therein, he continued his series on the phrase from Ephesians 6:11, “wiles of the Devil.” The crux of the sermon is the distinguishing between a cult and the Christian faith. In the process, several other terms are defined in a user-friendly manner: heretic; apostate; and mystic. After MLJTrust’s points, I added some additional material.

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Feelings – A Sermon on 2 Timothy – Martyn Lloyd-Jones

The scripture verse being discussed is 2 Timothy 1:6 which exhorts Timothy to “stir up the gift of God” within him. …The overall topic of the sermon series is “spiritual depression” and how to diagnose and treat it. …Everyone desires to be happy, but happiness depends on many factors like temperament, physical condition, etc. Our feelings tend to be variable and unstable. …The greatest danger is allowing our changeable feelings to control and dominate us. …We must not be ruled by our feelings and moods. …To find joy and happiness, we must seek righteousness and the Lord Jesus Christ himself – not thrills, experiences or good feelings. Seeking him leads to joy, peace and happiness as a byproduct.

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False Teaching – Galatians 4:15 – Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Christians can suffer from bouts of unhappiness in their faith. One contributing factor may be conflict and confusion due to false teaching within the Christian church. The main problem of spiritual depression lies within the church, not outside. …Today, false teaching can be very subtle and creep its way into the believer’s life. Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out that false teaching sometimes detracts from the Christian message. Other times, as in the case of the Galatians, it adds to the Christian message. Either way, false teaching leaves the believer conflicted and confused.

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Schism in the Church Part 2 – Martyn Lloyd-Jones

The Protestant Reformation created a monumental break within the Western church. It is difficult to deny the necessity of Luther and the Reformers’ break from the Roman Catholic Church whose leaders were unwilling to address heresy and apostasy within the church. But what about the subsequent divisions following the Reformation? Do they carry the same legitimacy as the magisterial Reformers’ break with Rome? Can one know if a division is justified or not? [MLJ provided criteria for when division is justifiable and not, in this sermon. If you’re interested in living by scripture, then his sermon will be of value to you.]

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Christmas; an Event in History – Martyn Lloyd-Jones

In the sermon of this post, MLJ talks about numerous futile ways of viewing Christmas. Such ways have been tried by even advanced civilizations like the Greeks; today also, when Christians attempt to forward Christianity via a focus on moralism; or via politics, legislation… they err. We must look to Christ alone for salvation. [I usually watch a dozen or more Christmas movies every year and it is a very rare thing to hear the name of Jesus mentioned, or, for example, to hear a prayer to God. Everybody is always talking about the spirit, or the magic of Christmas, about the goodness of being near family and being kind…. MLJ’s message shows that such things miss the point in that they are secondary matters. If one’s heart is changed by Christ, then such things will ensue, but without Christ, such are meaningless, as He is the foundation….]

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8 Things Christians Shouldn’t Own – Doreen Virtue

The following verses agree with the points that Doreen Virtue makes in the 10-minute video of this post: Acts 19:18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. [Highlights: Doreen’s first point is part of the intro narrative to give readers an idea of how she addresses the problem of seeking guidance in other than God]

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Non-Yoga Stretching for Christians – Doreen Virtue

Are you considering an exercise program for the New Year? The video of this post is by Doreen Virtue, former New Age guru who was born again several years ago. Thereafter, she threw away her New Age books, Tarot cards…., Furthermore, she had practiced yoga for many years. She later found various other ways to exercise, as doing yoga is worshiping Hindu deities, despite what trendy Christian pastors and congregants say about “Christian Yoga;” yoga cannot be Christianized. 

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Romans 7 Spiritual Struggle Portrayed via Music and Lyrics: Ren- “Hi Ren”

The music video of this post is a great portrayal of the spiritual struggle that the apostle Paul describes in Romans 7. The artist, Ren, portrays the internal spiritual warfare; he even portrays the voice of the Tempter about half way through the video. A couple of reviews of the song are linked. [12-28-24 I edited this post: added a video that edits out the foul language and provides a critique by a pastor; added my own comments at the end.]

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