Spurgeon on Visiting with a Man from Heaven

Listen to Charles Spurgeon, from his sermon #1778, entitled “A Heavenly Pattern for our Earthly Life,” preached on April 30, 1884 at Exeter Hall, where he addressed the Baptist Missionary Society:

Suppose any one of you had come from Heaven…Some would be curious to see what his bodily form would be like. They would expect to be dazzled by the radiance of his countenance.

However, we will let that pass. We want to see how he would live. Coming newly from Heaven, how would he act? Oh, sirs, if he came here to do the same as all men do on Earth, only after a heavenly sort, what a father he would be, what a husband, what a brother, what a friend! I would sit down and let him preach this morning, most assuredly; and when he had done preaching, I would go home with him, and have a chat.

I should be very careful to observe what he would do with his wealth. His first thought would be, if he had a shilling, to lay it out for God’s glory. “But,” says one, “I have necessities to buy with my shilling.” So be it, but when you go pray this: “Oh! Lord, help me to lay it out to your glory.” There should be as much piety in buying your necessaries as in going to a place of worship.

I do not think this man coming fresh from Heaven would say, “I must have this luxury; I must have this nice outfit; I must have this grand house.” But he would say, “How much can I save for the God of Heaven? How much can I invest in the country I came from?”

I am sure he would be pinching pennies to save money to serve God with; and he himself, as he went about the streets, and mingled with ungodly men and women, would be sure to find out ways of getting at their consciences and hearts; he would be always trying to bring others to the bliss he had enjoyed.

Think that over, and live so—so as he did who really did come down from Heaven. For after all, the best rule of life is, what would Jesus do if he were here today, and the world still lying in the wicked one? If Jesus were in your business, if he had your money, how would he spend it? For that is how youought to spend it.

Now think, my brother, you will be in Heaven very soon. Since last year a great number have gone home: before next year many more will have ascended to glory. Sitting up in those celestial seats, how shall we wish that we had lived below?

It will not give any man in Heaven even a moment’s joy to think that he gratified himself while here. It will give him no reflections suitable to the place to remember how much he amassed, how much he left behind to be quarreled over after he was gone; he will say to himself, “I wish I had saved more of my capital by sending it on before me, for what I saved on Earth was lost, but what I spent for God was really laid up where thieves do not break through and steal.”

via: epm.org

“Lost”

 

The following is from the devotional book Awake My Heart by J. Sidlow Baxter (today’s entry):

“For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10

Let the breezy unconcern and jaunty sarcasms of Christ-rejecting worldlings be what they may, apart from Christ they are lost souls. That word “lost”, usually excites pity or alarm or grief. Even a lost dog gains out ready pity. A lost child stirs us up to deep concern. If we hear that a ship has been lost with all on board, or that lives have been lost in a mine disaster, instantly we feel alarm and grief. Yet what are the greatest physical losses compared with the loss of the soul? Think what it means to be a lost soul.

Lost to Fellowship with God

Does someone exclaim, “Why, fellowship with God is something far removed from most people’s minds”? Well, could anything more sadly prove their lost condition? Is it not surprisingly strange that human beings should shiftily evade all thought of the very One who gives them life, who sustains them, gives them the breath they breathe, and the light in which they see, and the food which they eat? Is it not stranger still that men in general prefer any philosophic or scientific theory to the Bible, whether pantheistic, fatalistic or evolutionary, so long as it assures them that God does not even exist? How strange we should think
it if growing children who had been well fed, well clothed, well cared-for in every way, and surrounded by sympathetic parental love, should all the while be shiftily evading their parents, and at the earliest opportunity hive away from them and push them entirely out of thought! Yet that is how human beings in general treat the great heavenly Parent; and does it not indicate the strangest alienation?

Lost to Life’s Highest Purpose

Did God allow any of us to be born without some special purpose in view? Has God endowed our nature with intellect, conscience, and free will, only to have leave us as wisps of meaningless conscience blown about by blind chance? “No,” say the birds of the heaven and stars of the sky. “No,” says the whole of the well-ordered universe. “No,” says the written Word of God; there is a purpose for each of us as truly as for Jeremiah (Jer. 1:5). But sin has driven a deep, wide wedge between
God’s will and man’s; so that instead of finding heart-satisfying consummation of our human personalities, we spend ourselves on the merely temporal, and then die saying, “Vanity of vanities; all is vanity!” Life has no real purpose apart from God. To be “lost” is therefore to be lost to life’s highest purpose.

Lost to Life’s Purest Joys

It is difficult for worldly minded people to think this, especially the younger among them; but that is simply because there is one part of their nature torpid, atrophied, dead. It is difficult for the sensual and voluptuous to think that the pleasures of the mind are more enjoyable than those of the body; yet the poet, the philosopher, the intellectual, will tell them that mere animal indulgences are crude compared with mental pleasures. And the prayerful Christian knows that
even mental pleasures are far below the pure spiritual joys which are ours in Christ. Oh, the sad, sad tragedy, “Lost”!-lost to fellowship with God; lost to life’s highest purpose; lost to life’s purest joys; and lost to all these for ever! May we who know the Saviour do all we can to arouse them, and bring them to the Saviour!

Does God Honor Flawed Men?

A couple of events caused me to ask this question recently. First, I attended a conference where several flawed men were honored. This was even acknowledged immediately after the presentation. Next, I have been studying Christian history intensely over the past few months. Many men of the past who are honored probably wouldn’t receive an invitation to preach at my church if they ministered in this age.  Most leaders have had imperfections and faults, but we generally remember them based on their embrace of certain truths. So, does God honor flawed men?

Unequivocally, the answer is yes. He even inducts them into the “hall of faith” and presumably showers them with eternal rewards. How do I know? Hebrews 11 mentions several examples of individuals who personify living by faith. There’s Noah who blighted his testimony forever with drunkenness. Next in the list is a habitual liar (Abraham). Jacob is a man who is perhaps better known for his scheming than his faith in God. Yet the worship offered at the end of his life draws God’s commendation. An angry man who committed murder is lifted up (Moses). Gideon temporarily was an idolater. David, a man after God’s own heart, was an adulterer and murderer. Many of these men had multiple wives.

If your church was going to make a hall of faith, would you like to see murderers, adulterers, and idolaters lifted up as heroes to your congregation? What does this example mean for us today?

1. It doesn’t mean pastors who violate the qualifications in Scripture should be allowed to remain in their office. OT heroes do not equal NT pastors. NT believers have clear guidelines in order to qualify for the office of pastor. Pastors who violate these make themselves ineligible for the position.

2. It doesn’t mean unrepentant sinners should be embraced and honored. The individuals mentioned  in Hebrews 11 did not persist in rebellion and unbelief. Members of the church who persist in sin are to be confronted and removed from fellowship; embracing the sinner runs contrary to God’s plan (1 Cor. 5).

3. It does mean God uses imperfect saints. The imperfections of leaders will not cause everyone to embrace their faults. Great failures do not negate great faith. The frailty of men actually reveals the glory and majesty of Christ (1 Cor. 1:26-31). We must not be afraid to hold flawed men up as examples to others of great faith and victory.

4. It does mean we should deal graciously with imperfect saints. When rejoicing over the triumphs of others and not their failures, we demonstrate love (1 Cor. 13:6) and God’s gracious spirit (Hebrews 11). The Holy Spirit didn’t even feel the need to qualify every statement about these flawed men with disclaimers about their failures.

None of this is to say God does not recognize and judge sin – ask the saints of Hebrews 11 and they will heartily agree that God is holy and despises sin. However, these truths do challenge my thinking.

I’d like to have your assistance. Could you comment on this article to help refine my thinking? Is there something obvious that I’m missing? What additional lessons can we take from God honoring flawed men? What warnings would you give?

How Should Men Train for Ministry?

Could you ever contemplate a pastor sending his latest converts off to another church or organization to have then discipled, grounded, and matured in the faith? Your response to that notion would surely be, “Never! That’s unthinkable … ridiculous!” Why is it, then, that pastors who (rightfully) see the discipling of new believers to be one of their primary duties will send those from their congregation whom God has called into the ministry to someone else for training — often to a place far away, and often with results that are less than satisfactory?

The responsibility for equipping men for the ministry rests scripturally and squarely upon every Bible-believing Baptist church, and upon those whom God has placed in leadership, the pastors. This fact is made clear from Ephesians 4:11,12 — “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” There is no other organization or individual — outside of a church of the Lord Jesus Christ — that has the Biblical mandate to engage in the training and preparing of men and women for the Lord’s work.

Among Bible-believing Baptists there is general agreement that the “Great Commission” of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ,was given to His churches, and that this involves the evangelizing, baptizing, and discipling of individuals. It is also generally agreed that only New Testament (Baptist) churches have the scriptural authority to ordain God-called men as pastors — and to send out evangelists whose objective it is to establish other churches of like faith and order. This being the case, there really is NO Biblical basis or rationale for the training of such men to be received in any other setting or under any other authority than the institution the Lord established for that purpose.

From a SCRIPTURAL standpoint, a pastor must be “apt to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2). Each church is the “pillar and ground of the truth” (I Timothy 3:15), and its pastors and evangelists (missionaries) are charged with the responsibility “the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2).

From a PRACTICAL standpoint, there is no better place for any man to learn firsthand the order, operation, and ethics essential to the leadership of a church than by being actually involved in one. There is no need to send your best workers away to be trained by others and serve in another church.

From a PERSONAL standpoint, a close working relationship with one’s own pastor(s)—rather than professional academics—allows tremendous opportunities for insights and evaluation not found in any other setting. Training a man is much more than lectures and book learning (as important as they are); it requires that a preacher share his heart, his vision, his burden, etc.,with the preachers-in-training God has given him (2 Timothy 3:10,11a).

The apostles and those that followed them continued the pattern established by our Lord in the training of His men. It must be the same pattern we endeavor to follow, by God’s grace, to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.

Christians reproduce Christians. Churches reproduce churches. Pastors reproduce pastors.

How Baptists can Blog Better

Okay, I don’t really know the answer. But that’s why I’m taking this challenge. Over the next several weeks I am taking a 31 day (weekdays only) challenge to improve my blogging.

Why would I want to do that?

Good question. Mainly, I want to improve my writing skills. The discipline of writing regularly will help me. I also want to improve my communication skills. Tragically, it isn’t one of my strong suits; yet, I am eager to improve.

How will I improve?

By following a guide written by Darren Rowse entitled “31 Days to Build a Better Blog.” I purchased the ebook, but now I realize that you can obtain all of the information in the ebook for free on Darren’s website. I’m not doing this by myself; I’ll be joining with many others through the Christian Web Trends blog. I’m not very familiar with the author of that blog; in fact, the first post I read was about this challenge.

Day 1 – Create an “Elevator Pitch” for your blog

The first day’s assignment is to create an “elevator pitch” and I found it challenging. Mostly because this blog hasn’t really had any focus since it was started in January of 2007. In fact, it has even changed names. At the start it was entitled “Rediscover God’s Word” and did have a focus (blogging through the Bible), but that changed when I wanted to blog about more stuff – hence, the current name: Stuff I Like. So, here’s my new elevator pitch:

Here’s my short version (for the tagline in the site header):

musings on the Bible, ministry, and technology

And the long version (for the about page):

My name is Jack Lamb and I blog at “Stuff I Like”. My blog is a place for my thoughts on various things that I like. I am very passionate about knowing and worshiping my God so you will find posts on the Scripture, theology, and ministry. I also enjoy learning about and utilizing new technologies. You can follow me on Twitter for links and helpful quotes. There’s not alot of personal information here, but you can connect through Facebook if you’d like.

What do you think? Does this give you a clear idea of what to expect at my blog?

The Primacy of the Local Church

Many today reject the church as vital or even necessary for Christians. There are multitudes of people who consider TV, books, magazines, devotionals, or podcasts as their “church.” Is it possible to have a vibrant spiritual life and successfully nurture our relationship with God apart from a local church? Is it just tradition that tells us we much be a part of one? Is it possible to move closer to God and farther away from the church? Are there lots of alternatives to the church when it comes to our spiritual growth?

The answer to all of those questions, according to Scripture, is a resounding no! Far from being one of many options for the Christian, the church is the primary means through which God accomplishes His plan in the world. It is His instrument to evangelize the world and to sanctify those who are born into His family. Therefore God expects a commitment to the church from everyone who claims to know Him.

Key Verse:
1 Timothy 3:15 “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

It’s the House of God

The phrase “house of God” indicates that the church is God’s dwelling place or immediate family. Both meanings are applied to the church in Scripture, and both provide profound testimony to its divine origin and significance.

The Church is God’s Dwelling Place – 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:19-22; Revelation 1:12-13, 16, 20
If we want to be where God is, we need to be in His church, for that is where he dwells. And the way we relate to Him is largely dependent upon the way we relate to His church, for it is the house He has built with His own hands (1 Peter 2:5).

The Church is God’s Family – 1 Timothy 3:4-5, 12
If Pastors and deacons need their households in order, how much more should God’s own household be in order! We need to be in His family if we want to consider Him our Father. With Paul’s words in mind, how could people call God their Father while refusing to be a part of His family? Yet that plain contradiction essentially describes the position of those who say they have faith and salvation apart from the church.

It’s the Church of the Living God

The church proceeded from God and belongs to God. He is the living God – the only true God; at all times, He is personally and actively involved in its operation and enterprises.

It’s the Pillar of Truth

Paul’s next descriptive name for the church—“pillar” –tells us that it actually holds up the truth. God’s truth doesn’t stand without the church. Of course, Jesus promised that His church will be a permanent institution (Matthew 16:18). Our relationship to God and His truth is in mortal danger if the church doesn’t occupy its intended place in our lives. To those who abandon the church, their faith has crumbled—because they have torn away the pillar that upholds the truth.

How does the church function as a pillar of truth?

• Revelation: God chose to reveal the truth of the New Testament in and through the church –Ephesians 3:8-11
• Preservation: God chose the church to recognize His words and preserve them for all generations
• Proclamation: God chose the church to proclaim the truth to the world—Matthew 28:18-20
• Administration: God chose the church to provide the structure and order He has devised for worship and growth—1 Timothy 3:15
• Protection: God chose the church to protect the truth from error—Romans 16:17; Titus 3:9-11; 2 John 9-11; 1 Corinthians 6:1-6; Matthew 18:15-18; 1 Corinthians 5; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

It’s the Ground of the Truth

Think of this as the foundation that the pillar rests upon. Paul wanted Timothy to know that the church is the one institution that God has promised to preserve throughout all time (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 3:21).  God hasn’t given this promise to rescuing America from decline or parachurch ministries.