SHOULD WE NOT WEEP? by James Caughey

James Caughey was born in Northern Ireland on April 9, 1810. The Caughey family later immigrated to America while James was still very young. By 1830 Mr. Caughey was working in a large flour mill in Troy, New York. Between the years of 1830-31, he was soundly converted, along with thousands of others during the Second Great Awakening in the "Burned-over District."

Two years after his conversion, he was admitted as a Methodist preacher into the Troy Conference. James Caughey was a man committed to faith-filled, travailing prayer. "He spent many hours of each day on his knees, with his Bible spread open before him, asking wisdom from on high, and beseeching a blessing from God on the preaching of His Word. This was his almost constant employment between breakfast and dinner."
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If Jesus wept over Jerusalem, when He beheld a cloud of wrath gathering over it - why, Oh, why, should not we weep? I repeat it, why should not we weep to behold the mouths of the grave and of hell preparing to open and to engulf so many.

Instead of repressing our tears, should we not rather say with the prophet Jeremiah, "Oh, that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people?" And if sinners will despise, and sin on, we can only resolve with Jeremiah again, "But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride, and mine eyes shall weep sore and run down with tears."

Who of us, or who that has ever read the writings and history of Jeremiah the prophet, would charge him with weak-mindedness? We are the followers of "The Man of Sorrows." Like Him, we are "acquainted with grief."

From Christ's own lips we learn that, "unless you are born again, you cannot see or enter the kingdom of heaven." -- (John 3:3,5).

And, had He added, you shall never, in that case, see or enter hell, perhaps our eyes could remain dry... Continue reading

ONE'S COMPANY... TWO'S A CROWD!

A BRITISH mum bidding to become the first woman to ski solo to the North Geographic Pole has had another close encounter with a polar bear.

Ann Daniels, 40, has now skied 115 nautical miles in 18 days across the moving Arctic Ocean. She said: "I saw a polar bear watching me. He followed me at a distance, and I crossed behind him so I could keep an eye on him. After a while he lost interest."

Nine days ago Ms Daniels, from Devon, who has 405 miles to go, had to use her .44 Magnum handgun to scare off another bear which had approached her tent early in the morning.

Daily Encouragement-THURSDAY:The Christian's Supreme Assignment

"Is the Gospel really dynamite, or does it need all sorts of human institutions and money? Much of the work we have done in the name of Jesus Christ has been, not to perform miracles of the Holy Ghost, but miracles of gold." -- David Griffin
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Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. -- Dan 12: 3

Continuing our study on Dan 12:3… we saw that he brings before us The Christian's Supreme Assignment! The greatest and most worthwhile goal a Christian can have is to… “…lead many to righteousness...” The Lord has saved us in order that we may spread the Good News, yet some are still timid, but the Apostle Paul can help us to get over our timidity…

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” --Rom 1:16-17

“If we go about apologizing for speaking to people of the things of God, we must not be very much surprised if they catch our timidity and they feel awkward and we feel awkward. There is a certain shyness and awkwardness about us when we go to tell men and women of the things of eternal life, which react upon them until they become nervous and awkward too.” -- Mildred Cable

WE SHOULD NOT BE ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST
Paul said that he was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ and neither should we, because it has power, Gk. Dunamis = inherent power; the ability to reproduce itself, like a dynamo. The gospel is God’s power to produce the New Birth, Give Salvation, Impart Grace, Establish us in the Faith, Generate Faith, Set Free, Nourish Spiritual Life, Impart Immortality, Bring Peace, Give Protection and Give Fullness of Blessings!

Wow! With all of this,who could be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ!

God’s Righteousness
This righteousness is revealed in the Gospel of Christ on the ground of faith as the absolute condition of salvation, and is only effective to those who believe, “The righteous will live by faith.”

A young man was converted during an illness which proved fatal, though this was not known when he gave his heart to Christ. When his physician announced an unfavourable change in his condition, he expressed entire resignation, and requested his friends to sing a hymn expressive of that feeling.

An hour or two after, in the silence of the room, he was heard to say, "Lost, lost, lost !" This surprised his mother, and caused the immediate inquiry, "My son, are our hopes feeble ?"

"No, mother; but, oh, my lost lifetime! I'm twenty-four; and, until a few weeks since, nothing has been done for Christ, and every thing for myself and my pleasures. My companions will think I've made a profession in view of death. Oh that I could live to meet this remark, and do something to show my sincerity, and to redeem my lost, lost, lost life!"

How can we be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ when there are so many lives that need to be saved, lives that need to be changed, marriages that need strengthened, families that need to come together, children whose short lives need to be repaired because of abuse, the drug addict, the alcoholic, the cruel, the aggressive, the worst sinners, they all need to be born again…

In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” -- John 3:3

The Gospel of Christ is for everyone, it’s for all mankind! I have memorized these verses, and every time I have an opportunity to lead someone to Christ, I know exactly what to say to them…

That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. -- Rom 10:9-10

"God has called us to co-operate with Him in making the Gospel known to our generation." - - J. Stuart Holden

Loving Father, I never want to be ashamed of the gospel of Christ! Help me by the power of the Holy Spirit to be a soul winner, help me to step up my prayer life for souls, in my family, my workplace, my community, my City and my country! In Jesus wonderful and mighty name! Amen!

"The Alabaster Box" by C. H. Mackintosh

It is very needful to bear in mind, in this day of busy doing and restless activity, that God looks at everything from one stand point, measures everything by one rule, tries everything by one touchstone, and that touchstone, that rule, that standpoint is Christ.

He values things just so far as they stand connected with the Son of His love, and no farther. Whatever is done to Christ, whatever is done for Him, is precious to God. All beside is valueless. A large amount of work may be done, and a great deal of praise drawn forth thereby, from human lips; but when God comes to examine it, He will simply look for one thing, and that is, the measure in which it stands connected with Christ.

His great question will be, Has it been done in, and to the Name of Jesus? If it has, it will stand approved, and be rewarded; if not, it will be rejected and burnt up.

It does not matter in the least what men's thoughts may be about any particular piece of work. They may laud a person to the skies, for something he is doing; they may parade his name in the public journals of the day; they may make him the subject of discourse in their drawing room circle; he may have a great name as a preacher, a teacher, a writer, a moral reformer; but, if he cannot connect his work with the name of Jesus - if it is not done to Him and to His glory - if it is not the fruit of the constraining love of Christ, it will all be blown away like the chaff of the summer threshing floor, and sunk into eternal oblivion.

On the contrary, a man may pursue a quiet, humble, lowly path of service, unknown and unnoticed. His name may never be heard, his work may never be thought of; but what has been done, has been done in simple love to Christ. He has wrought, in obscurity, with his eye on his Master.

The smile of his Lord has been quite enough for him. He has never thought, for one moment, of seeking man's approval; he has never sought to catch his smile or shun his frown; he has pursued the even tenor of his way, simply looking to Christ, and acting for Him.

His work will stand. It will be remembered and rewarded, though he did not do it for remembrance or reward, but from simple love to Jesus. It is work of the right stamp - genuine coin which will abide the fire of the day of the Lord... Continue reading

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT - WEDNESDAY:The Christians Supreme Assignment

"’Go ye’ is as much a part of Christ's Gospel as ‘Come unto Me.’ You are not even a Christian until you have honestly faced your responsibility in regard to the carrying of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. What is your part in that great task?" – J. Stuart Holden
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Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. -- Dan 12: 3

As we continue our study on Dan 12:3… he brings before us The Christian's Supreme Assignment! The greatest and most worthwhile goal a Christian can have is to… “…lead many to righteousness...” The Lord has saved us in order that we may obey Him…

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." -- Matt 28:19-20

Make Disciples Of Them
Jesus said… “…go and make disciples of all nations…” The purpose is to win souls and make disciples of them… not just a decision, not just an acknowledgement, not just an emotional option, not a forced acceptance, but a heart change to become a disciple of Christ. Disciples who will separate themselves from the world, obey His teaching, and follow Him with all of their heart, mind and soul!

A great truth is beautifully illustrated by a personal incident in the ministry of George Sweeting, president of Moody Bible Institute. He said that a woman once came to him in deep distress. "I have been a Christian for 20 years," she told him, "Yet I'm not aware that I've ever led anyone to the Lord, I've memorised many Scripture verses and know how to meet the objections of the unconverted. But no one has made a decision for Christ. Why hasn't God been using me?"

Wanting to help this believer, he asked her a question, "Have you ever wept for the unsaved and prayed for their conversion? Perhaps your failure hasn't been so much from a lack of knowledge as from a lack of love! When a person has genuine compassion for the lost, he'll weep over them and yearn for salvation."

Sweeting said that the woman went to her room and began to pray earnestly for her sister. Then, with a tender heart, she went to visit her. Putting her arms around her, she said with weeping, "More than anything in this world, I want you to become a Christian!" That evening during the church service her sister publicly received the Saviour and asked for His gracious forgiveness. The great transaction was completed, and she was born again.

Are we engaged in this assignment?
The Bible says… The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise. -- Prov 11:30. Do we want to be wise? Do we want to accept this supreme assignment?

There is an effort that is required!
An effort has to be made if the souls of men, women and children are to be saved! There is the effort of prayer, there is the effort of a quiet consistent life lived in the home, the shop, the factory, the office. There is the Spirit directed frontal attack, the carefully planned approach to the soul who needs to be saved!

Often the difference between a successful soul winner and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will... As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no-one can work. -- John 9:4

“You have nothing to do but to save souls. Therefore spend and be spent in this work. And go not only to those that need you, but to those that need you most…It is not your business to preach so many times, and to take care of this or that society; but to save as many souls as you can; to bring as many sinners as you possibly can to repentance.” -- John Wesley

Loving Father, it is my desire to carry out the supreme assignment of winning souls! Help me by the power of the Holy Spirit to be a soul winner, help me to step up my prayer life for souls, in my family, my workplace, my community, my City and my country! In Jesus wonderful and mighty name! Amen!

Revival Means Humiliation... by James Burns

To the church a revival means humiliation, a bitter knowledge of failure, and an open and humiliating confession of sin on the part of her ministers and people. It is not the easy and glowing thing many think it to be, who imagine that it fills the empty pews, and reinstates the Church in power and authority.

IT COMES TO SCORCH BEFORE IT HEALS; it comes to rebuke ministers and people for their unfaithful witness, for their selfish living, for their neglect of the Cross, and to call them to daily reunciation, to an evangelical poverty, and to a deep and daily consecration.

This is why a revival has ever been unpopular with large numbers within the Church. Because it says nothing to them of power such as they have learned to love, or of ease, of of success; it accuses them of sin, it tells them that they are dead, it calls them to awake, to renounce the world, and to follow Christ.

Is the church today ready to hear that voice? Is she bowed down before God in prostration of need, in conscious dejection of unworthiness, in passionate self-abasement and desire for that renewal which comes through renunciation? It may well be doubted. It is upon the hearts of the few that the agony falls.

Revival are not usually preceded by the awakening of the Church to a sense of need, but by the awakening of devout souls here and there, who feeling the need, begin to entreat God in prayer for a revival. Gradually this deepens and spreads until the sense of need becomes a burden, until the cry, "How long, Oh God! how long!" becomes an agony. This is the cry which God cannot deny. It is for that cry that we must intently listen.

Is there, then today a disposition to pray for a revival? Are devout men everywhere becoming alarmed, not for the success of the Church, but for the glory of Christ, lest it be lost altogether? Is there a sense of a burden lying upon men's hearts which will not give them rest, but which makes them agonize in prayer?

If not, then the night is not far spent, a deeper darkness still awaits us. Of what use would a revival be if we are not prepared for it? It would pass over us without doing its work.

GREAT NEW AUSTRALIAN BLOGS!

There have been some great posts over the Easter holidays from some of the new Aussie blogs... I think they are fantastic, but I may be biased! What do you think?

• Angel wiv Attitude
• Living Lifeskills
• Maverick Mindset
• Miss Concept

God Bless You And Yours.

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT - TUESDAY: The Christians Supreme Assignment

"Can we go too fast in saving souls? If anyone still wants a reply, let him ask the lost souls in Hell."
-- William Booth
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"Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. -- Dan 12:3

Daniel 12:3 brings before us The Christian's Supreme Assignment, the greatest and most worthwhile goal a Christian can have, is to… “…lead many to righteousness...” The Lord has saved us in order that we may serve Him… For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. -- Eph 2:10.

Blunt common sense always characterised the great evangelist Mr. Moody… Once a man rose in one of his meetings to give his experience. "I have been for five years on the Mount of Transfiguration," he said. Instantly Mr. Moody interrupted him by the sharp question, "How many souls did you lead to Christ last year?' "Well, I don't know," answered the surprised man. "Have you led any?" then came sternly from the preacher. "I-ah-don't know that I have," said the man. "Then," snapped Mr. Moody, still more sternly, "we don't want that kind of mountaintop experience. When a man gets so high that he can't reach down and save poor sinners, there is something wrong." – Source unknown

The supreme act of service, so far as mankind are concerned, is that of leading others to Christ. Daniel 12:3 is challenging words for every Christian, to spur us on to our supreme assignment of winning the lost to Christ.

The Assignment Is Clearly Defined
The nature of our assignment is turning men, women and children to righteousness. Christians, this is our duty… to bring others to know Christ, as;

Ø Andrew brought Peter… The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. -- John 1:41-42a.
Ø Phillip brought Nathanael… Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote-- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." -- John 1:45.
Ø The woman at the well brought a great number... "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" 39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." -- John 4:29; 39.

The Measure of the assignment
There is no limit to the number of souls that can be won…
Ø Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. -- Dan 12:3.
Ø When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. -- Matt 9:36.
Ø Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptised. -- Acts 18:8.

The Superiority of the assignment
This is the greatest work that a follower of Christ can do. It is great to be a Doctor, a Teacher, an office worker, a labourer, a Lawyer, etc., but the greatest vocation of all is to be a soul-winner, the greatest assignment of all is, to win souls for Jesus… remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins. -- James 5:20

It is easy to determine when something is aflame. It ignites other material. Any fire that does not spread will eventually go out. A church without evangelism is a contradiction in terms, just as a fire that does not burn is a contradiction. Christian Theology in Plain Language, p. 162.

Loving Father, my desire is to carry out the supreme assignment of winning souls! Help me by the power of the Holy Spirit to lead people to righteousness, help me to step up my prayer life for souls, in my family, my workplace, my community, my City and my country! In Jesus wonderful and mighty name! Amen!

YOU ARE GOING TOO FAST! by General William Booth

They say we go too fast!
This accusation comes from all directions. Our enemies do not like our speed and our friends are afraid of it. What do they mean? If they had complained that we did not go fast enough, I could understand them. If our enemies had argued that after all we say about the evils of sin, the terrors of the Judgment Day, and the damnation of hell, we do not believe in these things ourselves, I could understand that, and feel humbled under their indictment.

If our friends came together and said, "Why don't you increase the speed? Look at the dying millions at home and abroad. You have evidently got a wonderful way of reaching the masses. You have accomplished what no other organization has. You can adapt yourselves to all peoples and countries and climates. Why don't you push on faster? Why don’t you train more cadets-send out more officers-hunt up more criminals, drunkards and fallen women? Go faster; get up more steam!” Now, this seems to me would be the natural way of talking for both foes and friends. But no! The cry is not "Go faster” but "You go too fast!" What do they mean?

Speed is a good thing, and, if combined with safety, the faster the better. It is reckoned good in traveling. I don’t know of any train that goes fast enough for me. Time is so precious that unless it can be spent in sleeping or working, every minute of it is begrudged. My feeling whenever I am in a train is, "Now, engine driver, do your best, and fly away!"

Speed is reckoned a good thing in money-making. Who would complain if we were an Investment Company developing a profitable gold mine? The same people who complain of our speed in spreading salvation and saving men would all want to buy shares, become our partners or buy us out.

If we were a killing army, no one would complain of our going too fast on the line of victory, slaughtering Arabs, or Afghans, or Zulus, or anybody else who did not live on our side of the sea. If we killed plenty of them, burnt plenty of houses, took plenty of spoil, we should fascinate the world again as Napoleon did with the speed of his successes. Painters and poets and newspapermen would fill the whole earth with our fame.

But because God has given us a little success in saving men and women from endless damnation, and extending the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, there is a great outcry–especially from those who every morning pray "Thy Kingdom come!” -that we are going too fast; they say we are ambitious and seeking great things.

Can we go too fast, my comrades in saving souls? I will not attempt to answer that question. No soldier in the Salvation Army would ask such a question. It is an insult to the Bible–to the teachers of Christianity. I refuse to reply to it.

If anyone still wants a reply, let him ask the lost souls in Hell whose brothers and sisters are following them there. Let him go and ask the blood-washed throng in Heaven, whose eyes are wide open at last to the value of salvation. Let him anticipate the Judgment Day, and in spirit stand before the Throne and propose, if he dares, the question to God Almighty.

I think from Hell, Heaven and the Great White Throne, the answer would come back; “More speed! Go faster!" If it should entail the stopping of legislature, pleasure, business, and all the employments and occupations of time, push forwards! Hurry onwards! Save the world!.. Continue reading

POST-RESURRECTION APPEARING... by G. Campbell Morgan

What better way to celebrate Easter Monday here in Australia, than a blast from the past... G. Campbell Morgan... "The most outstanding preacher that this country has heard during the past thirty years"-this was Dr. James M. Gray's estimate of Dr. G. Campbell Morgan whose ministry spanned the Atlantic and reached from the days of D. L. Moody to the era of World War II.

Born on a farm in England in 1863, he was brought up in a strict Puritanical home where he amused himself by preaching to his sisters' dolls. Although his first sermon before a responsive audience was delivered in a Wesleyan schoolroom at the age of thirteen.
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Today we are living in post-resurrection days in the fullest sense; in days when we no longer have the presence of our Lord as to the physical fact, but when we know He is night at hand, in the midst of every assembly of His people, the close, personal companion of every pilgrim of faith, the constant comrade of every trusting soul. . . .

He was preparing men to do without His bodily presence, and we feel there is in it great value for us. After He had vanished; they knew that although they could not see Him, He was with them. Talking over their experience they said: When He talked to us by the way the old fire burned, the old enthusiasm returned, the vision which had faded from the glowing sky was restored; "Was not our heart burning within us, while He spake to us in the way." . . . .

He was seeking love, and the bursting of it into a flame, into passion, the rekindling of it into a fire! He knew it was there, overshadowed; He knew there was faith in Him, loyalty to Him, and that is but another way of saying that love for Him still remained. They had lost their confidence in His ability. They were disappointed. They felt He had been defeated, but in their heart there was love, and He was seeking that; to bring it again from underneath the shadow, and to fan it into the flame of great devotion. . . .

He did not make Himself known in order to kindle that love. He brought them back to the things they knew full well, to the old, familiar things. . . Continue reading

Governor Bush Forced To Abandon Schiavo Rescue

Governor Bush forced to abandon Schiavo rescue!

Law agencies controlled by Florida Governor Jeb Bush, the brother of US President George Bush, were on their way to seize Terri Schiavo and have her feeding tube reinserted.
But they backed off when local police said they would enforce a judge's ruling allowing the brain-damaged women to die, The Miami Herald has revealed.

Soon after a judge ordered that Mrs Schiavo not be removed from a hospice, a team of Florida state law enforcement agents planned to rescue her on the orders of Mr Bush, the paper said.

But they did not go ahead after it became clear they would have to confront local police outside the Florida hospice that has become a flashpoint in the worldwide debate on euthanasia "We told them that unless they had the judge with them when they came, they were not going to get in," a source with the local police told the paper... Continue reading

QUIZ ON THE ORIGINS OF EASTER

The BBC News has put a fun Quiz that should test our theology! :) We all know about the eggs, bunnies, bank holidays and church services - but how much do we know really know about Easter? Here are 10 questions to test anyone's knowledge... Continue the Quiz

UP FROM THE GRAVE HE AROSE !

Low in the grave he lay, Jesus my Savior,
waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!

Refrain:
Up from the grave he arose;
with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;
he arose a victor from the dark domain,
and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Vainly they watch his bed, Jesus my Savior,
vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave he arose;
with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;
he arose a victor from the dark domain,
and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Death cannot keep its prey, Jesus my Savior;
he tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave he arose;
with a mighty triumph o'er his foes;
he arose a victor from the dark domain,
and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

...Go here to sing

CROWN HIM WITH MANY CROWNS

Happy Easter to everyone who is reading this! It is Easter Sunday here in Australia and we celebrate the Risen Lord with this wonderful hymn...
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CROWN HIM WITH MANY CROWNS

Crown Him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon His throne.
Hark! how the heav'nly anthem drowns
All music but its own!
Awake, my soul, and sing
Of Him who died for thee,
And hail Him as Thy matchless King
Thro' all eternity.
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Crown Him the Lord of Love!
Behold His hands and side -
Rich wound, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified.
All hail, Redeemer, hail!
For Thou has died for me.
Thy praise shall never, never fail
Thro'-out eternity.

Crown Him the Lord of Life!
Who triumphed o'er the grave;
Who rose victorious to the strife
For those He came to save.
His glories now we sing
Who died and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring,
And lives that death may die.

Crown Him the Lord of Heav'n!
One with the Father known,
One with the Spirit thro' Him giv'n
From yonder glorious throne!
To Thee be endless praise,
For Thou for us hast died,
Be Thou, O Lord, Thro' endless days
Adored and magnified.

In Evil Long I Took Delight: by John Newton

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound...” The author of the words was John Newton (July 24, 1725 -December 21, 1807), the self-proclaimed wretch who once was lost but then was found, saved by amazing grace. Newton wrote this beautiful poem as a tribute to the Lord for his salvation.
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In Evil Long I Took Delight

In evil long I took delight,
Unawed by shame or fear,
Till a new object struck my sight,
And stopp'd my wild career:

I saw One hanging on a Tree
In agonies and blood,
Who fix'd His languid eyes on me.
As near His Cross I stood.

Sure never till my latest breath,
Can I forget that look:
It seem'd to charge me with His death,
Though not a word He spoke:

My conscience felt and own'd the guilt,
And plunged me in despair:
I saw my sins His Blood had spilt,
And help'd to nail Him there.

Alas! I knew not what I did!
But now my tears are vain:
Where shall my trembling soul be hid?
For I the Lord have slain!

A second look He gave,
which said,"I freely all forgive;
This blood is for thy ransom paid;
I die that thou may'st live."

Thus, while His death my sin displays
In all its blackest hue,
Such is the mystery of grace,
It seals my pardon too.

With pleasing grief, and mournful joy,
My spirit now is fill'd,
That I should such a life destroy,
Yet live by Him I kill'd!

JESUS CRUCIFIED IN WEAKNESS : by George H. Warnock

What a stench must have filled the atmosphere when the blood flowed freely from Jewish altars, and the flesh of bulls and goats was consumed on the Altar of Burnt Offering! But God said the offering on the Altar of Burnt Offering would be unto Him as "a sweet-smelling savour."

What a stench it has been in the nostrils of men as they behold the Son of God dying the death of a criminal on Calvary's brow! But God looked down that day and smelled a "sweet savour" from this the only burnt offering that ever really delighted His heart.

And the only reason He smelled a "sweet savour" in former offerings was because God was anticipating the Day when His own Son would become the one and only Sacrifice that would put an end to sacrifice and make an end of sin. For this was the true Lamb of God that would take away the sins of the world.

The hyssop is a lowly shrub; and God must stoop low to smell the incense of Calvary. And great men ever since Calvary have found grace in His sight to humble themselves and stoop low that they too might partake of that same incense.

WERE YOU THERE WHEN THEY CRUCIFIED MY LORD?

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?

Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?

As Terri Schiavo Dies, The Posturing Begins

I was moved to tears by this post by John Schroeder , its a must read especially the second half where John shares his heart... Continue reading

THE OLD RUGGED CROSS

The Old Rugged Cross

On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suff'ring and shame;
And I love that old cross,
where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Chorus:
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it someday for a crown.

Oh, that old rugged cross,
so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God
left His glory above
To bear it to dark Calvary.

Chorus:
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it someday for a crown.

In the old rugged cross,
stained with blood so divine,
A wondrous beauty I see,
For 'twas on that old cross
Jesus suffered and died
To pardon and sanctify me.

Chorus:
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it someday for a crown

To the old rugged cross
I will ever be true;
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He'll call me someday
to my home far away,
Where His glory forever I'll share.

Chorus:
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
And exchange it someday for a crown

GOOD FRIDAY: It Is Finished... by A. W. Pink

A.W. Pink was born in England on April 1, 1886 of godly parents. In 1892 when C. H. Spurgeon died, Pink was a boy of six and standing in the wings to become molded by God to, in the last years of his life, become a prolific writer, whose writings are more sought after now than ever before. He was a pastor in Scotland, USA, Australia and England, but there is little doubt that his calling was to the "ready pen."

He was well educated and spent a short time at Moody College, married a southern girl named Vera and had no children. His writings are unique in that they are to the point, no nonsense, Scriptural and written in a style easily understood. His monthly magazine "Studies in the Scriptures" is still available and his other writings are to be greatly desired. He died in Stornaway, in the Outer Hebrides, on July 15, 1952.
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It is Finished
How terribly have these blessed words of Christ been misunderstood, misappropriated and misapplied! How many seem to think that on the cross the Lord Jesus accomplished a work which rendered it unnecessary for the beneficiaries of it to live holy lives on earth.

So many have been deluded into thinking that, so far as reaching heaven is concerned, it matters not how they walk provided they are "resting on the finished work of Christ." They may be unfruitful, untruthful, disobedient, yet (though they may possibly miss some millennial crown) so long as they repudiate all righteousness of their own and have faith in Christ, they imagine they are "eternally secure."

All around us are people who are worldly-minded, money-lovers, pleasure-seekers, Sabbath-breakers, yet who think all is well with them because they have "accepted Christ as their personal Saviour."

In their aspiration, conversation, and recreation, there is practically nothing to differentiate them from those who make no profession at all. Neither in their home-life nor social-life is there anything save empty pretensions to distinguish them from others. The fear of God is not upon them, the commands of God have no authority over them, the holiness of God has no attraction for them."It is finished."

How solemn to realize that these words of Christ must have been used to lull thousands into a false peace. Yet such is the case. We have come into close contact with many who have no private prayer-life, who are selfish, covetous, dishonest, but who suppose that a merciful God will overlook all such things provided they once put their trust in the Lord Jesus.

What a horrible perversion of the truth! What a turning of God’s grace "into lasciviousness"! (Jude 4). Yes, those who now live the most self-seeking and flesh-pleasing lives, talk about their faith in the blood of the Lamb, and suppose they are safe. How the devil has deceived them!... Continue Reading

I AM A WINNER!

I HAVE WON A WARNIE!

Adrian as he opens the envelope… and the winner of the Warnie! isssss… SCOTWISE! Applause… applause….. hurr! hurr! (clearing my throat), swish! swish! (brushing my tux down for any fluff)… blushing as I receive a kiss on each cheek from Adrian… ahum! mmph!... Laughter!... Err… Thanks, Adrian… (I step up to the computer)… (Silence)…

It is with deep humility and great honour that I accept this Warnie award for blogging! Who would have thunk it, that when I started blogging at the end of January 2005, that I would be sitting here before you typing out my acceptance speech?

I first heard about blogging when I was transfixed in my chair watching the USA Presidential Elections on Fox News here in Australia, from which I still suffer from PET (Post Election Trauma). The next time I heard about blogging was when I was visiting my old Pastors website and it made reference to his blog… so I pressed Blogger, signed up and hey presto! 2 months later… my first award! So easy! :-) Laughter… Ha! Ha! Ha! (Silence).

When I started to blog I really didn’t know what my focus would be, but it soon developed into a blog for encouraging others. I already had an e-mail ministry called Daily Encouragement and these faithful readers have stuck by me and are reading my blog, Thank you! Applause… applause! And so encouragement has become a major part of my blog… Applause… applause! (Silence).

My desire is to encourage and inspire my fellow bloggers and my readers to win souls, the ministry we are all called too, and also to bring a gospel message to those who are not yet saved in the hope that they will come to know the love and joy of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Applause… applause… applause… applause… its all for Him! He gets the Glory!... Applause… applause… applause… applause… applause! (Silence).

First of all, I have to thank Adrian, for his constant encouragement and provocation… Laughter and Applause… applause… and to Milton at Transforming Sermons, who has encouraged me since I accidentally came across his blog, and to all the other bloggers and readers, too many to mention, who have constantly encouraged me!

Secondly, I want to thank the previous winners of Warnie’s… 21st Century Reformation, Ales Rarus, Allthings2all, Blogotional, John Mark Reynolds, Tim Challies and Transforming Sermons... all of them fantastic bloggers! Applause… applause… applause… applause! (Silence)...

Thirdly, I want to thank my dear blogging wife Jean (JESUS WORLD), without her this award would not have been possible! Applause… applause! (Are you still on that computer? Don’t you know you have a Church to look after? Your dinner is getting cold! I’m going to bed turn out the lights when you’re finished! Are you still up? Have you been up all night blogging? Get to bed!). Yes my darling… my sweet angel! She who must be obeyed? Just got time to write another post! Laughter… much laughter… much, much laughter!

And who could forget my blogging daughters… Meg (Miss Concept), Jeannie (Angel wiv Attitude), Janet (Smoko Break), and my blogging son-in-law Malcolm (Living Lifeskills), as well as my blogging friend Grant (Maverick Mindset), all can be found on my sidebar, Jean and my family and Grant, with the exception of Meg, were recruited to blogging by me! Applause… applause…

Thank you and GBYAY... Applause… applause… another hug from Adrian as I leave... aw! shucks!

MAUNDY THURSDAY: Redemption through the Blood... by G. Campbell Morgan

This is Maundy Thursday in Australia and to celebrate this we bring you... G. Campbell Morgan "The most outstanding preacher that this country has heard during the past thirty years"-this was Dr. James M. Gray's estimate of Dr. G. Campbell Morgan whose ministry spanned the Atlantic and reached from the days of D. L. Moody to the era of World War II.

Born on a farm in England in 1863, he was brought up in a strict Puritanical home where he amused himself by preaching to his sisters' dolls. Although his first sermon before a responsive audience was delivered in a Wesleyan schoolroom at the age of thirteen.

Ordained a minister of the Congregational Church in 1889, the young man became the leading preacher in England, holding several pastorates.

Later he became widely known in the United States and Canada as a Bible conference speaker, lecturer, pastor and teacher before returning to England in 1935 to become the pastor of Westminster Congregational Church in London.
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Redemption through the Blood by G. Campbell Morgan

Every day I need the Cross more . . .
Every day I live this Christian life I am more and more conscious that I cannot understand the mystery of all Jesus did; yet more and more conscious that by the way of that Cross, and that Cross alone, my wounded heart is healed, my withered soul is renewed, my deformed spirit is built up, my broken manhood is remade; and every day I live I sing in my heart with new meaning;

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.
Let the water and the blood
From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure,
Save from guilt and make me pure.

In speaking of the works of Jesus, Paul declares that we have "our redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses." . . . .
Continue reading

AN APPEAL TO THE DOCTORS IN THE TREATMENT OF TERRI SCHIAVO

I have purposly kept away from blogging on Terri (preferring to spend time in prayer for her), and also due to the fact that my fellow bloggers in the USA , and elsewhere, are far more capable than I am, and who are doing a fantastic job! Read... Allthings2all, Adrian Warnock, Blogotional, Jolly Blogger,
Prying1, Transforming Sermons, Wittingberg Gate etc;

But I believe that I must make an appeal to the Doctors in Terri's case... please, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, will you remember the oath you took when you qualified as a doctor , to honour it, and to put it into practice...

The Hippocratic Oath (Modern Version)

I swear in the presence of the Almighty and before my family, my teachers and my peers that according to my ability and judgment I will keep this Oath and Stipulation.

To reckon all who have taught me this art equally dear to me as my parents and in the same spirit and dedication to impart a knowledge of the art of medicine to others. I will continue with diligence to keep abreast of advances in medicine. I will treat without exception all who seek my ministrations, so long as the treatment of others is not compromised thereby, and I will seek the counsel of particularly skilled physicians where indicated for the benefit of my patient.

I will follow that method of treatment which according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patient and abstain from whatever is harmful or mischievous. I will neither prescribe nor administer a lethal dose of medicine to any patient even if asked nor counsel any such thing nor perform the utmost respect for every human life from fertilization to natural death and reject abortion that deliberately takes a unique human life.

With purity, holiness and beneficence I will pass my life and practice my art. Except for the prudent correction of an imminent danger, I will neither treat any patient nor carry out any research on any human being without the valid informed consent of the subject or the appropriate legal protector thereof, understanding that research must have as its purpose the furtherance of the health of that individual. Into whatever patient setting I enter, I will go for the benefit of the sick and will abstain from every voluntary act of mischief or corruption and further from the seduction of any patient.

Whatever in connection with my professional practice or not in connection with it I may see or hear in the lives of my patients which ought not be spoken abroad, I will not divulge, reckoning that all such should be kept secret.

While I continue to keep this Oath unviolated may it be granted to me to enjoy life and the practice of the art and science of medicine with the blessing of the Almighty and respected by my peers and society, but should I trespass and violate this Oath, may the reverse by my lot.

Loving Father, I come before your throne right now and I ask, that the doctors in Terri's case, be reminded of the oath that they took on qualifying as doctors. I thank you Lord, that you are the giver and taker of life, and I joyfully thank you that Terri is still alive. Bless her family Lord, grant them peace and encourage them in this time of dificulties. In Jesus wonderful name ! Amen!

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT - THURSDAY: God’s Desire For His People Today

Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. A joyful heart is the inevitable result of a heart burning with love -- Mother Teresa
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For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering… -- Col 1:9-11 (KJV)

As we conclude our series on ‘God's desire for his people today’... we have been looking at Paul’s desire for the Colossians, where he prayed that they would be filled with the knowledge of His will, to walk worthy, be fruitful and increase in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all His might, according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering, and what Paul desired for them, is also what God desires for his people today…

TO BE JOYFULLY THANKFUL
and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. -- Col 1:11-12 . Being thankful is wonderful, but to give it joyfully is fantastic! The reason we are to be joyfully thankful is that…

HE HAS QUALIFIED US
Jesus has made us eligible, through His death on the cross and His resurrection, for adoption by the Father into His family! Wow! Who wouldn’t be joyfully thankful...?

Ø Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. -- Ps 95:2
Ø But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. -- 1 Cor 15:57
Ø ....always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. -- Eph 5:20

There is nothing that pleases the Father more, than to see His children full of joy and thankfulness! The cause of our joyful thankfulness is that we have been adopted and now…

SHARE IN THE INHERITANCE OF THE SAINTS
We have been brought into His marvellous Kingdom of Light! Our inheritance is a partnership, with every believer having an equal portion! This is absolutely magnificent, keeping in mind… There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. -- Gal 3:28.

Paul explains that the Lord removes all ethnic, racial, national, social, and gender distinctions, with regard to one’s spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ, in the family of God!

Watchman Nee tells about a new convert who came in deep distress to see him. "No matter how much I pray, no matter how hard I try, I simply cannot seem to be faithful to my Lord. I think I'm losing my salvation." Nee said, "Do you see this dog here? He is my dog. He is house-trained; he never makes a mess; he is obedient; he is a pure delight to me. Out in the kitchen I have a son, a baby son. He makes a mess, he throws his food around, he fouls his clothes, he is a total mess. But who is going to inherit my kingdom? Not my dog; my son is my heir. You are Jesus Christ's heir because it is for you that He died." We are Christ's heirs, not through our perfection but by means of His grace. -- Unknown.

Let us be joyfully thankful to the Lord today, by accepting His desire for us… no matter what the cost is!

Loving Father, I am joyfully thankful that I am your child, sharing in the inheritance of the saints, because Jesus my Lord and Saviour, has brought me into the kingdom of light through His death on the cross and His resurrection! Lord, I accept your desire for me no matter what the cost is, and I ask you to help me in this, by the power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus precious name I pray! Amen!

The Chocolate Soldier: Heroism - The Lost Chord of Christianity! by C. T. Studd

"Some wish to live within the sound of Church or Chapel bell; I want to run a Rescue Shop within a yard of hell."— C.T. Studd.

C.T. Studd (1860-1931) was an English missionary who faithfully served His Saviour in China, India, and Africa, his motto was: "If Jesus Christ is God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him."
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The Chocolate Soldier Heroism - The Lost Chord of Christianity! by C. T. Studd

Heroism is the lost chord; the missing note of present day Christianity! Every true soldier is a hero! A SOLDIER WITHOUT HEROISM IS A CHOCOLATE SOLDIER!

Who has not been stirred to scorn and mirth at the very thought of a Chocolate Soldier? In peace true soldiers are captive lions, fretting in their cages. War gives them their liberty and sends them, like boys bounding out of school, to obtain their heart's desire or perish in the attempt. Battle is the soldier's vital breath! Peace turns him into a stooping asthmatic. War makes him a whole man again, and gives him the heart, strength, and vigor of a hero.

EVERY TRUE CHRISTIAN IS A SOLDIER of Christ - a hero "par excellence"! Braver than the bravest - scorning the soft seductions of peace and her oft-repeated warnings against hardship, disease, danger, and death, whom he counts among his bosom friends.

THE OTHERWISE CHRISTIAN IS A CHOCOLATE CHRISTIAN! Dissolving in water and melting at the smell of fire. "Sweeties" they are! Bonbons, lollipops! Living their lives on a glass dish or in a cardboard box, each clad in his soft clothing, a little frilled white paper to preserve his dear little delicate constitution.

Here are some PORTRAITS OF CHOCOLATE SOLDIERS taken by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. "He said, 'I go, sir' and went not"; he said he would go to the heathen, but stuck fast to Christendom instead. They say and do not. They tell others to go, and yet do not go themselves.

"Never," said General Gordon to a corporal (as he himself jumped upon the parapet [earthen or stone embankment protecting soldiers] of a trench, before Sebastopol, to fix a gabion which the corporal had ordered a private to fix, and wouldn't fix himself). "Never tell another man to do what you are afraid to do yourself." -- Continue reading

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT - WEDNESDAY: God’s Desire For His People Today

No steam or gas ever drives anything until it is confined. No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled. No life ever grows until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined. -- Harry Emerson Fosdick
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For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; -- Col 1:9-10 (KJV)

Paul’s letter to the Colossians was to instruct them in the ways of God. He desired for them that would be filled with the knowledge of His will, to walk worthy, being fruitful and increasing in the knowledge of God, and what Paul desired, is also what God desires for his people today…

TO BE STRONG IN HIS POWER
being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, -- Col 1:11. Wow! Is it not wonderful that God desires to strengthen us…? Wow! Is it not marvellous when He desires to give us this strength by His glorious power…? Wow! So that we may have great endurance and great patience! Wow! What a mighty God we serve!

Why do we need this?
In order to live a life that is worthy of the Lord, we must be strengthened by His power! This impartation of power is an ongoing experience of the receiving of the life of Christ in us! Absolutely nothing else but the power of God in us can equip us to overcome sin, Satan and the world…

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." -- Matt 28:18-20

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." -- Acts 1:8

We have to go and make disciples everywhere!
We begin in our families, in our workplaces, in our communities, in our Cities and in our Countries! And we do it with two of the gifts most desperately needed in our lives and Churches today…

Endurance… Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. -- Heb 12:1

The Greeks had a race in their Olympic games that was unique. The winner was not the runner who finished first. It was the runner who finished with his torch still lit. I want to run all the way with the flame of my torch still lit for Him. -- J. Stowell, Fan The Flame, Moody, 1986, p. 32.

Patience… Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. -- Col 3:12

"Patience serves as a protection against wrongs as clothes do against cold. For if you put on more clothes as the cold increases it will have no power to hurt you. So in like manner you must grow in patience when you meet with great wrongs, and they will then be powerless to vex your mind." -- Leonardo da Vinci.

Our Father desires that we be strong in His power that we may have endurance and patience! Let His desire be our desire!

Loving Father, I thank you that your desire is to strengthen me with your glorious power! I want to use this power for your glory in the winning of souls and in discipling them! I thank you that I am equipped for this by your authority and that I will be enduring and patient to accomplish this! In Jesus Name I pray Amen!

FIRE! FIRE! by J.C Ryle

Some good devotional reading, second to the Bible itself, comes from the writings of John Charles Ryle. His writings are devotional without sacrificing sound theology. Ryle's method and style of writing is scriptural and expository.

On May 10, 1816, John Charles Ryle was born to John And Susanna Ryle of Macclesfield, Cheshire County, England. He attended Eton and then went on to Oxford, finishing his Oxford studies in 1837. In 1841 Bishop Charles Sumner of Winchester ordained J. C Ryle as a minister in the Anglican Church, (Church of England). In 1880 Ryle was named the first Bishop of the newly constituted diocese of Liverpool.

Throughout his ministry he became known and beloved as a defender of the evangelical reformed faith as expressed in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion, of the Church of England. In February, 1900, the 83 year old Bishop Ryle retired after many years of faithful ministry. He went home to be with his Lord on June 10, 1900.
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FIRE ! FIRE! by J. C. Ryle

When a house is on fire, what ought to be done first? We ought to give the alarm and wake the inhabitants. This is true love to our neighbor. this is true charity. Reader, I love your soul, and want it to be saved.

I am therefore going to tell you something about hell. There is such a place as hell. Let no one deceive you with vain words. What men do not like, they try hard not to believe.

When the Lord Jesus Christ comes to judge the world, he will punish all who are not his disciples with a fearful punishment. All who are found impenitent and unbelieving; all who have clung to sin, stuck to the world, and set their affections on things below; all who are without Christ; all such shall come to an awful end. Whosoever is not written in the book of life shall be "cast into the lake of fire." Rev 20:15.

The punishment of hell shall be most severe. There is no pain like that of burning. Put your finger in the candle for a moment if you doubt this, and try. Fire is the most destructive and devouring of all elements. Look into the mouth of a blast furnace, and think what it would be to be there. Fire is of all elements most opposed to life. Creatures can live in air, and earth, and water; but nothing can live in fire.

Yet fire is the portion to which the Christless and unbelieving will come. They will be "cast into the lake of fire." The punishment of hell will be eternal. Millions of ages will pass away, and the fire will never burn low and become dim. The fuel of that fire will never waste away and be consumed. it is "unquenchable fire."

O reader, these are the sad and painful things to speak of. I have no-pleasure in dwelling on them. I could rather say with the apostle Paul, "I have great sorrow." But they are things written for our learning, and it is good to consider them. They are part of that Scripture which is all profitable, and they ought to be heard.

Painful as the subject of hell is, it is one about which I dare not, cannot, and must not be silent... Continue reading

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT - TUESDAY: God’s Desire For His People Today

"The more wild and incredible your desire, the more willing and prompt God is in fulfilling it, if you will have it so.'' -- Coventry Patmore
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For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; -- Col 1:9 (KJV)

Paul’s letter to the Colossians was to instruct them in the ways of God. He desired for them that would be filled with the knowledge of His will, to walk worthy, being fruitful and increasing in the knowledge of God, and what Paul desired, is also what God desires for his people today…

To Live a Life Worthy of the Lord.
That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; -- Col 1:10. Walking worthy means that Christians today must live a holy life, which pleases God. Please Him, bring Him great pleasure as He watches you walking worthy of the life that He desires for you today. We can do this by…

Bearing Fruit in everything we do, which is essential to living a holy life. It is important that everything we get involved in for God produces positive results for the Kingdom of God. One of the ways which pleases God is to communicate the Gospel and lead people to Christ… All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. -- Col 1:6 (NIV)

One Sunday evening, William Booth was walking in London with his son, Bramwell, who was then 12 or 13 years old. The father surprised the son by taking him into a saloon! The place was crowded with men and women, many of them bearing on their faces the marks of vice and crime; some were drunk. The fumes of alcohol and tobacco were poisonous. "Willie," Booth said to his son, "These are our people; these are the people I want you to live for and bring to Christ." Years later, Bramwell Booth wrote, "The impression never left me." W. Wiersbe, The Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, p. 185.

Growing in the knowledge of God is another essential to living a holy life... Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. -- 2 Pet 1:2.

Most Christians I know can tell you some things about Christ but there are others who feel they need to know everything else in the Bible i.e. Where did Adam’s wife come from? How many animals in total in the Noah’s Ark? Where is the lost tribe? End times, prophecy etc; whilst others search for scriptures that tell them what they want to hear.

But as followers of Christ we need to know Christ! Paul said… I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.-- Phil 3:10-11.

As followers of Christ we need to obey the command of the Master… Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. -- Luke 9:23. A good definition of a Christian would be… ‘One who follows and obeys the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ’

At the close of life, the question will not be,
"How much have you gotten?"
but "How much have you given?"
Not "How much have you won?"
but "How much have you done?"
Not "How much have you saved?"
but "How much have you sacrificed?"
It will be "How much have you loved and served,"
not "How much were you honoured?" -- Nathan C. Schaeffer.

Loving father, my desires are your desires. Help me by the power of the Holy Spirit to live a life that is pleasing to you. Help me to bear fruit and to grow in the knowledge of Christ. Help me Lord, to take up my cross daily and to be a follower of Christ! In the precious name of Jesus I ask this! Amen!

"CHURCH BE STILL"... by C. H. Spurgeon

C. H. Spurgeon
Many times it has been said that this was the greatest preacher this side of the Apostle Paul. He began preaching at the age of 16. At 25 he built London’s famous Metropolitan Tabernacle, seating around 5,000. It was never large enough. Even when traveling he preached to 10,000 eager listeners a week. Crowds thronged to hear him as they came to hear John the Baptist by the River Jordan. The fire of God was on him as on the Prophet Elijah facing assembled Israel at Mount Carmel.
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Continuing our series on revival, we present the "prince of preachers." I can never read Spurgeons sermons and articles without shedding a tear,I am not ashamed to admit this, but the Holy Spirit still moves in the words of Spurgeon.

"Church Be Still" by C. H. Spurgeon
The Church would soon be healed of her sorrows, and delivered from her divisions, if she would for a while be silent; but the voice of a favorite teacher is heard by some, and the voice of another master in Israel is listened to by others, and so God's voice is lost amid the clamor of sects and the uproar of parties.

Oh, that the Church would sit at Jesus' feet, lay aside her prejudices, and take the Word in its simplicity and integrity, and accept what God the Lord only declares to be the truth. I invite the members of this church, and urge the members of all the churches to see to this, that we cry unto the Lord for a blessed silence in His presence, till we sit like servants waiting for the Master's word, and stand like watchmen waiting for the Master's coming.

Lord send that solemn silence over all Your people now. Words, words, words: we have so many words, and they are chaff, but where is THE WORD that in the beginning was God and was with God? That Word is the living and incorruptible seed. We want less of the words of man, and more of Him who is the very Word of God.

BE QUIET and let Jesus speak. Let His wounds speak to you: let His death speak to you; let His resurrection speak to you; let His ascension and His subsequent glory speak to you; and let the trumpet of the second advent ring in your ears... Continue reading

DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT - MONDAY: God's Desire For His People Today

Sin comes when we take a perfectly natural desire or longing or ambition and try desperately to fulfil it without God. Not only is it sin, it is a perverse distortion of the image of the Creator in us. All these good things, and all our security, are rightly found only and completely in him. - - Augustine
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For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; Col 1:9 (KJV)

Paul’s wrote to the Colossians to instruct them in the ways of God, he desired for them that they would be filled with the knowledge of God's will, and what Paul desired, is also what God desires for his people today!

All over the world today we see the opposite to what God desires, people who want to fulfil their own desire and goals for ‘their’ ministries. Those goals and desires are often much different from God's.

These people desire ‘huge’ finances for their ‘work’, large numbers attending ‘their’ churches held in ‘glamorous’ buildings. Even a private plane and national recognition of 'their' ministries, and telling the people to desire and demand these things from God… But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." -- Mark 8:33

God's desires are very different from ‘theirs.’... The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted. -- Prov 10:24. God's Desire for His people is what Paul prayed;

To be filled with the knowledge of His will…
For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; -- Col 1:9.

Paul knew that the knowledge of God’s will, would only come through prayer and remaining in His word and in fellowship with Him... And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. -- Eph 1:9-10. This kind of knowledge results in spiritual wisdom and understanding, which transforms our hearts and lives!

Loving Father, I know that your desire for me is that I be filled with the knowledge of your will. I ask for this in the wonderful name of Jesus, my Lord and Saviour, in order that my heart and my life may be transformed, and that I may bring glory to your name! Amen

DOCTOR OF LOVE: The most ridiculous item of the week!

This is a weird, weird world... what's your opinion?

Doctor of love by Lucy Carne
GUYS, not getting anywhere with romantic dinner dates or lavish bouquets? Then head to the bottom of your garden and dig up a rock.

This is the advice of Brisbane's Tony Collis, a self-professed "dating master" who, for $120 an hour, is transforming unlucky-in-love men into lady-killers.

"A lot of what we teach turns conventional wisdom on its head," Mr Collis said.

"An example is when we ask what the most impressive thing is you might give to a woman.

"Is it: take her to a nice restaurant, take her to the movies, or give her a rock from the bottom of your garden that has a spiritual story attached to it?

"A rock with an emotional or spiritual story attached to it will have much more significance to the woman." ... Continue reading

WEEKEND ENCOURAGEMENT #2 ...WHAT'S A BLOG FOR by Brodie McGregor

Yesterday I was viewing a Scottish Pastor's blog, (HT) View From The Basement and Brodie brought up these 7 thoughts that encouraged me as a new blogger, so I thought I would like to share what Brodie shared, that it might encourage others...

What's a blog for?
Tallskinnykiwi recently posted on the bloggers 7 deadly sins. This got me thinking afresh about what a blog is for, why I blog and read blogs. So here's my humble 7 thoughts on blogging;

(1) Blogs are a place for sharing, be that about what's going on in your life, the world or resources you want to make available to others.

(2) Blogs are a place for giving - so if you make something available don't charge for it. Johnny Baker's worship tricks are a fabulous example of giving on the blog.

(3) Blogs are a place to be vulnerable - ok there needs to be an appropriateness and some sense here. If I was having a problem with some one my blog is not the place to vent this. But if there is to be a genuine sharing and giving then that does mean there's a vulnerability. We're all vulnerable to people commenting on what we post, and vulnerable to people misappropriating what we give.

(4) Blogs should be places of encouragement - I think it's good to if you regularly read a blog post a comment every so often, even if you don't particularly connect with that post. I think it's particularly important to encourage those who don't get many comments and yet are doing good stuff.

(5) Blogs should be varied - it's good to have a mix of serious stuff and fun things to.

(6) Blogs should enrich - it's easy to be negative, and takes more effort and creativity at times to be positive. Also it's good to keep a balance between spending time with friends I can have a meal with and "do coffee" and friends whom I may never meet except on the blog.

(7) Blogs should be regular.

I thought they were excellent thoughts, (not just because he's Scottish!) :-) Maybe you would like to add to them and encourage others!

GBYAY and have a great weekend!