Gospel Urgency

From the "Pulpit" online blog of the Sheperd's Fellowship:

http://www.sfpulpit.com/


Gospel Urgency
October 27th, 2008

(By Richard Baxter)

Oh, if you have the hearts of Christians or of men in you, let them yearn towards your poor ignorant, ungodly neighbours. Alas, there is but a step betwixt them and death and hell; many hundred diseases are waiting ready to seize on them, and if they die unregenerate, they are lost forever.

Have you hearts of rock, that cannot pity men in such a case as this? If you believe not the Word of God, and the danger of sinners, why are you Christians yourselves? If you do believe it, why do you not bestir yourself to the helping of others? Do you not care who is damned, so you be saved? If so, you have sufficient cause to pity yourselves, for it is a frame of spirit utterly inconsistent with grace. . . .

Dost thou live close by them, or meet them in the streets, or labour with them, or travel with them, or sit and talk with them, and say nothing to them of their souls, or the life to come? If their houses were on fire, thou wouldst run and help them; and wilt thou not help them when their souls are almost at the fire of hell?

(Cited in I. D. E. Thomas, A Puritan Golden Treasury [Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1977], 92–93)

As this Thanksgiving and Christmas season approaches, let us be thankful to God for our salvation and let us share the Gift of Christ to others around us.

Should Your Next Pastor Be a Calvinist?

Tom J. Nettles, professor of Historical Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, thinks so.

In the Winter 2008 Founders Journal (www.founders.org), Nettles argues that Calvinist pastors are most appropriate for preserving the historic doctrines of the Christian faith among Southern Baptist churches. Because of their theological commitment to the Doctrines of Grace, Calvinist pastors will strive to maintain conservative doctrines--such as biblical inerrancy and penal substitutionary atonement and so forth--that the vast majority of Southern Baptists have in common. Nettles summarizes why Calvinists are healthy for our churches:

If a church, therefore, gets a Calvinist preacher, she will get a good thing. Several issues will be settled forever and the church will not have to wonder about the soundness of her preacher on these items of biblical truth and their soul-nurturing power. Calvinists have stood for more than just their distinguishing doctrines, but have held steadfastly to other doctrines that are essential for the health of Baptist churches in our day.

In addition to inspiration and substitution, Nettles elaborates that Calvinists will maintain historic Baptist stances on issues such as the doctrine of the Trinity, missions and evangelism, Christ-centered preaching, the holiness of Christian life, regenerate church membership, and religious liberty. As we have personally experienced, the irony is that nowadays SBC churches are extremely leery of Calvinism. However, the fact remains that the Convention was founded upon these very doctrines. Nettles notes this at the article's outset. He says, "Today, however, some Southern Baptists are warning the churches against [Calvinists]. This is a mammoth historical irony that many find difficult to appreciate."

For the entire article, visit the Founders Journal online (click here).

God attacked on London Buses

The following article from Foxnews.com discusses atheist attacks on "religion" and the perceived religious preference on the signage of London Buses.

The message, "There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."

The full story:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,443705,00.html

The central message that I take from this is two fold:

1. There arguments are not new.

Psalm 53:1 state, "The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good."

This is just another vain attempt to attack God and pull people away from him and attempt to justify their lostness. In the article one atheist talks about how "thinking" is the "anathema" to religion.

But the Scriptures say, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight." (Proverbs 9:10)

2. Every area of Christian expression is being attacked.

Honestly, why attack signage on a bus? Advertisement in this day and age is just "noise" anyway.

It just shows that every attack is fueled by the utter hatred that fallen man has for God.

John 15:18 states that we should not be surprised, "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you."

This also gives me hope though. We must proclaim the true gospel more clearly. Calling all people to REPENT! My prayer is that the Gospel will continue to spread!

Chicago to Start gay "friendly" schools

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/13/gay.friendly.school/index.html

I'm not going to say much on this. Romans chapter 1 comes to mind however (ESV):

18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.

Pray that God would move in America and America's schools.