Shining after the rain

"He who would have a fruitful ministry must have clear shining after the rain, by which I mean, first, law, and then, gospel. We must preach plainly against sin. In our ministry there must be rain, we must have the clouds and darkness, and divine justice bearing heavily upon the sinner's conscience. Then comes in Christ crucified, full atonement, simple faith, and clear shining of comfort to the believing sinner. But there must be the rain first. He who preaches all sweetness and all love, and has nothing to do with warning men of the consequences of sin, may be thought to be very loving; but, in truth, he is altogether unfaithful to the souls of men. I do not suppose that any of you women can sew without needles. Yet your object is not simply to get the needle into the stuff, is it? No; you want to get in a bit of cotton, or thread, or silk. Well, now, try whether you can sew with a piece of silk alone. You cannot do so. You must put in the needle first, must you not? And he who would do any work for God, must have a sharp needle, as he deals plainly with the sin of man, and he must then draw after it the silken thread of the gospel of Christ. There must be rain first, and clear shining afterwards."

--Charles H. Spurgeon

Hmmm... Good.

"Where is the young man who fears the judgment to come? What is the breath of an enemy of God to the blast of the soul by the breath of the Almighty? If you fear the frowns of a fellow worm, how will you stand in judgment with an angry God?"

The sinner, under the afflictive hand of divine providence, is always made better or worse. If sickness and pain and the death of friends do not wean him from the world and drive him to God, they harden his heart. This is the effect of all the judgments of heaven and of all the calamities and miseries of human life. This is strikingly illustrated in the case of Pharaoh, King of Egypt. "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil" (Ecclesiastes 8:11). Thus despising the riches of divine goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads him to repentance, after his hardness and impenitent heart and with a stiff neck, he perseveres in his course of rebellion, treasuring up unto himself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God (Romans 2:4,5)."

--Asahel Nettleton

Heavenly Rest

Now, reader, according to the directions already given, conscientiously practice meditation as well as prayer. Do it daily if possible. Retire into some private place at the most convenient time, and lay aside all worldly thoughts. With all possible seriousness and reverence look up towards heaven. Remember there is your everlasting rest. Study its excellency and reality. Rise from sense to faith by comparing heavenly with earthly joys. Then mix exclamations with your soliloquies, until, having pleaded the case reverently with God and seriously with your own heart, you have ignited yourself from dust to flame. It will change you from a forgetful sinner and lover of the world, to an ardent lover of God; from a fearful coward to a persistent Christian; from an unfruitful sadness to a joyful life. In other words, this activity will wean your heart from earth to heaven; from crawling in earth's dust to walking with God.

- Richard Baxter -

Cast all of your burdens on Him because He cares for you.

"What may be before me, through what scenes of difficulty and distress I may pass, or where I may find a fixed residence, should this be the case, I know not nor am I anxious to know. To endeavor to extend the knowledge of Christ among the heathen, is undoubtedly right. It is the Lord's not mine, to determine whether such endeavors shall be successful. To Him would I cheerfully commit myself, my brethren, and the missionary cause."

Luther Rice

From a letter to his brother while suffering poor health and opposition from the East India Company

The only effectual reformer of the world!

(Samuel Davies, "Serious Reflections on WAR" 1757)

"When He comes--He will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment!" John 16:8

The Holy Spirit is the only effectual reformer of the world! If He is absent--
legislators may make laws against crime;
philosophers may reason against vice;
ministers may preach against sin;
conscience may remonstrate against evil;
the divine law may prescribe, and threaten hell;
the gospel may invite and allure to heaven;
but all will be in vain!

The strongest arguments, the most melting entreaties, the most alarming denunciations from God and man, enforced with the highest authority, or the most compassionate tears--all will have no effect--all will not effectually reclaim one sinner, nor gain one sincere convert to righteousness!

Paul, Apollos, and Peter, with all their apostolic abilities, can do nothing, without the Holy Spirit. Paul may plant the seed--and Apollos may water it; but God alone can make it grow! "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything--but only God, who makes things grow!" 1 Corinthians 3:6, 7.

Never will peace and harmony be established in this jangling world--until this Divine Agent takes the work in hand.

It is He alone--who can melt down the obstinate hearts of men into love and peace!

It is He alone--who can soften their rugged and savage tempers, and transform them into mutual benevolence!

It is He alone--who can quench those lusts that set the world on fire, and implant the opposite virtues and graces. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, are mentioned by Paul, as the fruit of the Spirit, because the Spirit alone is the author of them. And if these dispositions were predominant in the world--what a serene, calm, peaceful region would it be, undisturbed with the hurricanes of human passions!

Oh, how much do we need the influence of the blessed Spirit . . .
to break the heart of stone,
to enlighten the dark mind, and
to comfort the desponding soul!

Consider the SHORTNESS of your time!

"Knowing the TIME, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep!" Romans 13:11

Consider the SHORTNESS of your time! That part of time which is parceled out to you, is not only uncertain--but extremely short! It is uncertain when it will end, but it is absolutely certain that it will end very soon!

In a short time--you will be conveyed you from this world--to heaven or hell.

And is it not high time then for you to awake out of sleep! Your work is great--and your time is short! You have no time to spare--none to trifle away!

Methinks it would shock a man to enter upon a new year, without knowing whether he will be in heaven or hell before the end of it!

We are all standing upon the slippery brink of eternity!

This day let us put this question to our hearts: "What really am I? Am I an humble, dutiful servant of God? Or am I a disobedient, impenitent sinner? Am I a disciple of Christ in reality? Or do I only wear His name, and make an empty profession of His religion? Where am I bound for? For heaven--or for hell? Which am I most fit for in my disposition? For the region of perfect holiness--or for that region of sin and impurity? Shall I stupidly delay the determination, until it is passed by the irrevocable sentence of the Supreme Judge, before whom I may stand before this year is at a close? Alas, if it should then be against me--then my doom will be remediless!"

There is none of this salvation work in hell! They no sooner enter into the eternal world--than their state will be unchangeably and eternally fixed!

All are ripe for eternity, before they are removed into it!

The godly are ripe for heaven--and the wicked are ripe for hell!

The godly are vessels of mercy, prepared for glory; the wicked are vessels of wrath, fitted for destruction, and for nothing else!

And therefore they must remain forever in their respective lodgings!

Sinners do indeed repent when in hell--but their repentance is their punishment, and has no tendency to amend or save them. They mourn and weep--but their tears are but oil to increase the flame! They cry, and perhaps pray in hell--but the hour of acceptance with God is past--past forever! The means of grace are all gone! The sanctifying influences of the Spirit are all withdrawn forever! And hence, they will corrupt and putrefy into mere masses of pure unmingled wickedness and misery!

Sinners, realize this thought--and surely, it must rouse you out of your lethargy and sleep!

Trifle on a little longer--and it is all over with you!

Spend a few days more as you have spent your time past--and you will be engulfed in as hopeless misery--as any devil in hell!

Be Careful, we often lower our standards to meet our goals....

This was a great article I read from Don Currin. Don is with Heart Cry Missionary society. I recently heard him speak on Ezekiel chapter 36 and how it applies to glorifying God in our families. God wants us to being glory to His name in all parts of our lives. May the Lord be pleased to give us the ability to do so for His great name sake!

Sola del Gloria!
- Aaron

Are we amusing the mixed multitude?

And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.
Psalm 40:3

Only Christianity affirms the relationship between its founder and followers with a song. Where there is an absence of song, there is an absence of the Son. One of the assurances of conversion is the song that Christ places in the heart of the believer. The nature of the Lord’s song is revealed in the character of His children.

In David’s inspired testimony, he says, “he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God.” Praise characterizes the song of God.

There is nothing more noteworthy of Christ’s composition in the heart of a redeemed sinner than adoration. Christians have a sense of being out of tune with God when their walk ceases to show forth the praises of Him Who hath called them out of darkness into His marvelous light. While the lyrics may vary from life to life, the outstanding note of Christ’s song is praise.

William Cowper expressed his heart of undaunted praise for God when he penned the words-

The dearest idol I have known,
Whate’er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from thy throne,
And worship only thee.

The Lord’s song has called us to an everlasting preoccupation with Him and we will not be content until we yield to its influence.

Another characteristic of the Lord’s song is sacredness. In Psalm 137:1-4, the harpists of Israel were required to perform His song before a people who were bent on entertainment. Desiring to be amused, they commanded these musicians to sing them a song of Zion. Esteeming the Lord’s song sacred, these harpists refused to play before these idolaters.

Tragically, in the process of accommodating the demand of contemporary culture that would rather be amused than confronted about their sin, these churches have become more concerned with entertaining the goats than feeding the sheep. This ecclesiastical compromise has led to grievous repercussions in the Church. A.W. Tozer warned in his book The Root of the Righteous:

For centuries the Church stood solidly against every form of worldly entertainment, recognizing it for what it was-a device for wasting time, a refuge from the disturbing voice of conscience, a scheme to divert attention from moral accountability. For this she got herself abused roundly by the sons of the world. But of late she has become tired of the abuse and has given over the struggle. She appears to have decided that if she cannot conquer the great god Entertainment she may as well join forces with him and make whatever use she can of his powers. So today we have the astonishing spectacle of having millions of dollars being poured into the unholy job of providing earthly entertainment for the so-called sons of heaven. Religious entertainment is in many places crowding out the serious things of God. Many churches these days have become little more than poor theaters where fifthrate “producers” peddle their shoddy wares with the full approval of evangelical leaders who can even quote a holy text in defense of their delinquency.

Sadly, much of the contemporary music that is presented today does not promote the loftiness of the Creator. Rather it humanizes God, magnifies self, and paves the way for a feel good religion. Of the tragic consequences that have resulted, contempt for the Lord’s song heads the list. Many church leaders seem to go to any extent to make the song of the Redeemer more palatable to the sensual taste of the lost. John Chrysostom warned, “Everything must be banished which recalls the cult of pagan gods and the songs of actors.” While noted hymnwriter Fanny Crosby admonished, “It is never right to take the lyrics of Zion and put them to the tune of Babylon”.

In his article Music in Worship: Demanding a Distinction, Lenny Seidel wrote, “The church has capitulated to a reversal of emphasis in worship: the focus is now on the individual worshiper rather than on a holy God who is the object of worship. The result is a flood of music characterized by weak theology and designed to make people feel good. The issue is that the gospel should not be presented in an entertainment mode. The reason is that the gospel is about a person-the Lord Jesus Christ-and nothing about His like was entertaining.”

With the increased temptation to lower God’s standard in music, let us wage war against the God of this age who would seek to bring contempt upon the Lord’s song. Let us resolve to guard the sacredness of that holy song by protecting our worship services from music that appeals to the flesh and “serves and worships the creature” more than the Creator. Let us strive to preserve the sacredness of the Lord’s song that Christ may receive the preeminence that He rightly deserves.

~ Don Currin

Be putting an End to sin or it will be puting an End to you!

Here is a small excerpt from John Owens books -
MORTIFICATION OF SIN IN BELIEVERS;

THE NECESSITY, NATURE, AND MEANS OF IT:
WITH A RESOLUTION OF SUNDRY CASES OF CONSCIENCE THEREUNTO BELONGING.

BY JOHN OWEN, D.D.,

A SERVANT OF JESUS CHRIST IN THE WORK OF THE GOSPEL.

Mortification is the work of believers: Rom. 8:13, "If ye through the Spirit," etc., -- ye believers, to whom there is no condemnation, verse 1. They alone are exhorted to it: Col. 3:5, "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth." Who should mortify? You who "are risen with Christ," verse 1; whose "life is hid with Christ in God," verse 3; who "shall appear with him in glory," verse 4. An unregenerate man may do something like it; by the work itself, so as it may be acceptable with God, he can never perform. You know what a picture of it is drawn in some of the philosophers, -- Seneca, Tully, Epictetus; what affectionate discourses they have of contempt of the world and self, of regulating and conquering all exorbitant affections and passions! The lives of most of them manifested that their maxims differed as much from true mortification as the sun painted on a sign-post from the sun in the firmament; they had neither light nor heat. Their own Lucian sufficiently manifests what they all were. There is no death of sin without the death of Christ. You know what attempts there are made after it by the Papists, in their vows, penances, and satisfactions. I dare say of them (I mean as many of them as act upon the principles of their church, as that call it) what Paul says of Israel in point of righteousness, Rom. 9:31,32, -- They have followed after mortification, but they have not attained to it. Wherefore? "Because they seek it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law." The same is the state and condition of all amongst ourselves who, in obedience to their convictions and awakened consciences, do attempt a relinquishment of sin; -- they follow after it, but they do not attain it.

It is true, it is, it will be, required of every person whatever that hears the law or gospel preached, that he mortify sin. It is his duty, but it is not his immediate duty; it is his duty to do it, but to do it in God's way. If you require your servant to pay so much money for you in such a place, but first to go and take it up in another, it is his duty to pay the money appointed, and you will blame him if he do it not; yet it was not his immediate duty, -- he was first to take it up, according to your direction. So it is in this case: sin is to be mortified, but something is to be done in the first place to enable us thereunto.

This is that I aim at: unless a man be regenerate, unless he be a believer, all attempts that he can make for mortification, be they never so specious and promising, -- all means he can use, let him follow them with never so much diligence, earnestness, watchfulness, and intention of mind and spirit, -- are to no purpose. In vain shall he use many remedies; he shall not be healed. Yea, there are sundry desperate evils attending an endeavour in convinced persons, that are no more but so, to perform this duty:--

You are on the road to eternity!

"For I know that You will bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living." Job 30:23

If you are in Christ, you may well bear your trials.

Death will put an end to all your troubles!

If a man on a journey is not well accommodated, where he lodges only for a night--he will not trouble himself much about the matter; because he is not to stay there, it is not his home.

You are on the road to eternity!

Let it not distress you that you meet with some hardships in the 'inn of this world'.

Fret not, because it is not so well with you as with some others. One man travels with an expensive polished cane in his hand; his fellow traveler, perhaps, has but a common staff or stick: either of them will serve the turn. It is no great matter which of them is yours; both will be laid aside when you come to your journey's end.

When I look at some of the trials I am experiencing lately, I thank God that this life is fleeting and all I have to look forward to is love and fellowship with my Lord Jesus Christ!

- Aaron

A Treatise on Prayer, or, a Confession, and Declaration of Prayers Added Thereto, just a small portion.

AGAINST SUCH AS WOULD HAVE MEDIATORS TO JESUS CHRIST. Alas! Whosoever is so minded shows himself plainly to know nothing of Jesus Christ rightly. Is he who descended from heaven, and vouchsafed to be conversant with sinners, commanding all sorely vexed and sick to come unto him [Matt. 9:11-13] (who, hanging upon the cross, prayed first for his enemies [Luke 23:34]) become now so intractable, that he will not hear us without a person to be a mean? "O Lord! open the eyes of such, that they may clearly perceive thy infinite kindness, gentleness, and love toward mankind."

Above all precedents is to be observed, that what we ask of God ought to be profitable to ourselves and to others, and hurtful or dangerous to no man. Secondly, we must consider whether our petitions extend to spiritual or corporeal things. [30]Spiritual things, such as deliverance from impiety, remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and of life everlasting, we should desire absolutely, without any condition, by Jesus Christ, in whom alone all these are promised. And in asking hereof, we should not pray thus: "O Father, forgive our sins if thou wilt;" for he has expressed his will, saying, "As I live, I desire not the death of a sinner, but rather that he convert and live;" which immutable and solemn oath whoso calls in doubt makes God a liar, and, so far as in him lies, would spoil him of his Godhead.[31] For he cannot be God except he be eternal and infallible verity. And John says, "This is the testimony which God hath testified of his Son, that whoso believeth in the Son hath eternal life" (1 John 5:11-13); to the verity whereof we should steadfastly cleave, although worldly dolour apprehends us. As David, exiled from his kingdom, and deprived of all his glory, secluded not from God, but steadfastly believed reconciliation by the promise made, notwithstanding that all creatures in earth had refused, objected and rebelled against him: "Happy is the man whom thou shalt inspire, O Lord" (2 Sam. 15).

[32]In asking [for] corporeal things, first let us inquire if we be at peace with God in our conscience by Jesus Christ, firmly believing our sins to be remitted in his blood? Secondly, let us inquire of our own hearts, if we know [that] temporal riches or substance do not come to man by accident, fortune, or chance, neither yet by the industry and diligence of man's labour; but to be the liberal gift of God only, whereof we ought to laud and praise his goodness, wisdom, and providence alone.