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Thursday, July 29th, 2010Version 2.0 of our new bible reading groups website is now online. Check it out at www.biblereadinggroups.com. Thank you Ryan and Scott for all your hard work!
Archive for the 'Books' Category
Abraham
Monday, January 26th, 2009
As a church we are in a series entitled, “Becoming Abraham: Learning That God Can Be Trusted.” Just today I came across this brilliant quote from John Calvin.
“Let us also remember that we are all in the same condition as Abraham. Our circumstances are all in opposition to the promises of God. He promises us immortality: yet we are surrounded by mortality and corruption. He declares that he accounts us just: yet we are covered with sins. He testifies that he is propitious and benevolent towards us: yet outward signs threaten his wrath. What then are we to do? We must close our eyes, disregard ourselves and all things connected with us, so that nothing may hinder or prevent us from believing that God is true.’
A Book About George
Sunday, July 20th, 2008“The most influential book I have ever read.”
Those words always capture my attention especially coming from a person I esteem. Add to that, the book referenced being a biography of a godly man and I become intensely interested. Add to that, a book written about a man who lived in an era much like today, a preacher in the SAME CITY I preach in, and a person used by God to change his times, and I am ready… Amazon, here I come.
There are several biographies on GEORGE WHITEFIELD, but the one which has influenced so many is a 2 volume work entitled George Whitefield: The life and times of the great evangelist of the 18th century revival by Arnold Dallimore. I was tempted to get his condensed and much cheeper volume of 224 pages, but in the end I decided to go for the big dogs.
Chapter one ends with the author hoping someday for a new generation of young people who will transform their generation as completely as George Whitefield and his companions did in the 1700’s.
When speculating about the future people who will transform their days, Dallimore asks, “And what manner of men will they be?”
- “Men mighty in the Scriptures.”
- “Lives dominated by a sense of the greatness, the majesty, and the holiness of .
- “Their minds and hearts aglow with the great truths of the doctrines of grace.”
- “Who have learned to die to self, to human aims and personal ambitions.”
- “Men willing to be fools for Christ’s sake.”
- “Who will bear reproach and falsehood.”
- “Who will labour and suffer.”
- “Whose supreme desire will be, not to win the earth’s accolades, but to win the Master’s approbation when they appear before His awesome judgment seat.”
- “Who preach with broken hearts and tear-filled eyes.”
- “Whose ministries God will grant an extraordinary effusion of the Holy Spirit.”
- “Who will witness ‘signs and wonders following’ in the transformation of multitudes of human lives.”
This is our task, to become, and to spur one another to become, men and women who are ever increasing in these above things. Reawakening begins with us. It begins as we return to the Word, as we return to an uncompromising pursuit of personal integrity and holiness, and as we choose to walk away from our human ambitions and become consumed with the great “Well done” when we stand before God someday.
Father, Reawaken our land. Reawaken our generation. Reawaken us. For the renown of your Name in our generation. Amen.
So Sneaky…
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007
I have become convinced our church is under the most subtle and dangerous of spiritual attacks and it is coming at the most sneaky of times. It comes at a time when we are growing, things seem to be thriving, people are excited, and the services are going well. On the one hand God is moving, and yet at the same time our adversary is at work attempting to “cut the power.”
For the last six weeks or so, our times of prayer have been slowly drying up, there is a noticed loss of urgency and enthusiasm. Our Tuesday night prayer time has gone from thriving to just a handful of people in the shortest of time. It had even entered my mind to just stop the Tuesday prayer altogether. Last Tuesday it was so bad, some of the people were silently searching, in prayer, for the reason of the dramatic decline in this area, and the dramatic rise in sleepiness, apathy, and faithless praying. We now are certain of Satan’s hand in this. He knows how to kill a good church, take the heart out of the praying.
I ‘randomly’ picked up James Frasier’s Biography this morning and was greatly encouraged by what I read. James was reflecting on Ephesians 6 about standing firm in Faith, Righteousness, Truth, in readiness, and in prayer, so that we can stand in the day of evil. Out of his circumstance he writes:
“I am not, however, taking the bleak, despondent view I took yesterday… the opposition will not be overcome by reasoning or by pleading, but by (chiefly) steady, persistent prayer.”
“I am now setting my face like a flint; If the work seems to fail, then pray; if services, etc., fall flat, then pray still more; if months slip by with little or no result, then pray still more and get others to help you”
“In every battle there are crucial spots. Get near and stay near to your Divine Chief until He turns and points them out. And at those points face and force the fight.”
I am convinced our ‘Divine Chief’ has pointed out this crucial battle for us and our church. It goes with out saying that we have chosen not to stop our Tuesday night prayer time. Join us in praying against this attack, that the enemies’ strategic attack would be fully defeated, and that again prayers would flow passionately and with faith. Thank you for standing with us. Prayer is powerful. God still hears prayers and God is still moving!
“MAN CHURCH”
Monday, September 17th, 2007
One of the oddities of Re:Hope is the high amount of men who regularly attend, especially single men. It may be the only church in Glasgow with obviously more men than women on any given Sunday. It is not uncommon to hear people joke about our church being “Man Church.” I love it that we are reaching the men of this city, but were someone to ask how we are reaching men I wouldn’t have had a clear answer.
Last weekend, I was browsing a bookshop and came across a book by David Murrow entitled “Why Men Hate Going to Church.” I looked at it and thought to myself this could either be the biggest waste of time and money, or it could help me understand the unique phenomenon happing at our church.
“Why Men Hate Going to Church” turned out to be the most insightful and encouraging book I have read in years pertaining to evaluating church. I think the book contains not only answers on how to begin reaching men, but also how to reach the emerging generation as a whole.
Some good lines include:
“Men fantasize about saving the world against impossible odds. Women fantasize about having a relationship with a wonderful man…. Is the purpose of the Christian life to find a happy relationship with a wonderful man, or is it to save the world against impossible odds?”
“Men regard churchgoing like a prostate exam; it’s something that can save their lives, but it’s so unpleasant and invasive, they put it off.”
“Please, don’t gauge a man’s commitment to Christ by his tears (or lack of them)… some men are genuinely broken by God without ever shedding a tear. Sometimes the Holy Spirit works without Kleenex.”
“If you want your church to attract men, you must put a high priority on developing leaders…”
“Today’s church doesn’t need Greg because it doesn’t need his gifts, in fact masculine gifts often gum up the works of the ministry machine. If only Christianity required risk taking, boldness, aggression, and heroic sacrifice, Greg might find his place in church.”
If you are in some leadership or influence capacity in a church or intend on moving that direction, especially working with the emerging generation, pick this book up. Even if you find yourself effective, read it. I am glad I risked it.
Mountain Rain
Friday, August 17th, 2007
In Northern Ireland I met an old Baptist pastor named Alistair (we were seated next to each other during a wedding reception.) During our conversation it surfaced that we had a common passion for missionary biographies, specifically on ‘men of prayer.’ His personal favourite is called “Mountain Rain: A biography of James. O. Fraser” by Eileen Crossman. He tells me it is “his book,” the most influential book he has ever read, and that he rereads it yearly.
With such a strong recommendation I had no choice but to read it. It really is great. It is the story of a young man, growing up in the church of the west, going to a tribal people in China and his realization how much he underestimated the spiritual forces of evil, and how underdeveloped he was in the area of prayer. Fantastic.
It has already affected me in how I pray for people who are sick. I know the bible says that church leaders are to pray for the sick but that is done so many different ways. Some, it feels to me, are trying to strong arm God into healing; others seem to think their prayer is a bother to God giving him every reason they understand why He wouldn’t heal.
James talks about praying in faith differently than I have heard before. First, he prays for discernment, then, after getting direction, he can pray with confidence (faith) that he is praying God’s will.
If that makes no sense, or if you want to hear more, pick up “Mountain Rain” and prepare to both learn and be inspired.
PS. Choose well the books you read.
Wednesday, July 11th, 2007
Combining my favourite two types of books to read, leadership, and biography, I find “the Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham” by Harold Myra and Marshall Shelley quite enjoyable. This paragraph made me chuckle…
“Billy listened to those close to him, including, perhaps first of all, his intelligent and perceptive wife, Ruth. Interviewees often told us Ruth was crucial to Billy’s success, and her advice was often pungent. For instance, in the 1950’s when she heard that Billy had speculated he might be elected president if he ran on the right platform, Ruth called him and said she “didn’t think the American people would vote for a divorced president, and if he left the ministry, he would certainly have a divorce on his hands.”
The enemy will do all he can to entice us into disobedience, in Billy’s case with power and honour, yet Ruth kept Billy in line with his God given evangelism calling.
There is a difference between good advice and godly advice. Good advice sounds… good, and is thought of as acceptably wise. Godly advice is the product of Holy Spirit discernment. Be one who gives the later!
7 Essentials
Tuesday, January 16th, 2007
I am a huge fan of biographies of godly people over the ages. I am currently reading “George Muller: All Things Are Possible,” (First published in 1901) given to me by Scotty. I am usually not so concerned about what they eventually accomplish, but I am incredibly interested in what pieces God put in them to make them the mighty people of faith that they become. Here are some fantastic building blocks God put in George Muller early on in his life as preparation so that he could do what God would call him to do.
- Prayer and Reliance on God’s Intervention: “Prayer, on the knees, both in secret and in such companionship of believers, was henceforth to be the one great central secret of his holy living and holy serving. Upon this corner-stone of prayer all his life-work was to be built… Prayer for direct divine guidance in every crisis, great or small, was to be the secret of his whole career.”
- Cover-to-Cover Bible Reading: One of the yearly forming steps in his life “was the discovery of the preciousness of the word of God.” “During the last 20 years of his life he read it [the Bible] carefully through, four or five times annually, with a growing sense of his own rapid increase in the knowledge of God thereby.”
- Reading of Missionary Biographies: Muller read the life of A.H. Franke who lived 100 years previous to Muller and modelled his ministry after his. Also starting in the year of his conversion “He now began to read missionary journals which kindled a new flame in his heart.”
- Any Cost Commitment: Muller almost walked away from his life calling because he fell in love with a Christian woman who wasn’t interested in ministry. Ultimately, after much pain, “He gave up the girl he loved.” This decision was not the last dealing with the issue of self-denial in the following of Jesus.
- Shaped by Waiting: Early on Muller rushed into several mistakes via ‘lot casting’ for divine decision making. “The flesh is impatient of all delay, both in decision and action…God is often moved to delay that we might be lead to pray, and even the answers to prayer are deferred that the natural and carnal spirit may be kept in check and self will may bow before the will of God.”
- Other People: “Such vacillations in Christian experience were due in part to the lack of holy associations and devout companionships. Every disciple needs help in holy living, and this young believer [Muller] yearned for that spiritual uplift afforded by sympathetic fellow believers.”
- Simple and Certain Faith: “…And so God gave him from the outset a very simple, childlike disposition toward Himself… In faith and in the filial spirit, he always continued to be a little child.”
Let’s not be idiots! These are consistently found in the DNA of people of real faith. If we want to be mighty people of God let us learn from the people who have gone before us. Which of these seven things need to become more prevalent in your life?
John Knox
Monday, November 13th, 2006
My In-laws sent me Iain Murry’s new book, “A Scottish Christian Heritage.” Although I was anticipating quazi-interesting, highly informative read; I have found the book to be shockingly enthralling, gripping, and encouraging.
The first chapter was a brief look at the highly controversial figure of John Knox, the most prominent figure in championing the protestant reformation in Scotland. I was surprised to see that like Patrick (St. Patrick) he had been enslaved for an extended season which God used to shape him into a man of prayer. I am sure there are many things about Knox not worth imitating but these I found excellent.
- John was a man of prayer.
- Continually lived reliant on God’s Spirit for power.
- He was an internationally shaped Christian. (Historically speaking people who spend significant years in other nations are better aware of the ruts both nations may be unknowingly trapped in.)
- He was a man of great courage and tenacity.
- When all his work seemed to be falling apart.
- When many false charges were brought against him.
- When he was enslaved.
- When he was at the heart of religious persecution.
- When his friends and companions turned on him and away from their dream.
- A man championing bible reading and sound teaching.
- A man who lived constantly aware that his real enemy was the devil and the spiritual forces of evil.
That was just the first section I can’t wait to get to the rest of the book. That first chapter does beg the question… Where will the John Knox’s in our generation come from? Who will endure what needs to be endured to call our generation out of its present darkness?
The Revival of Evil…
Saturday, October 7th, 2006
Last Sunday a man I had never met before approached me at church. Apparently he was doing some research for the Church of Scotland about reaching the emerging generation. When he looked around our church he was struck at how many young people there were and he said, “Most ministers say that the young are not interested in God these days and yet I look around here– How is this possible? How?”
Jim Goll comments on Daniel chapter seven saying, “What Daniel was witnessing here is a vision of the revival of evil… Daniel wanted to look beyond the revival of evil to see the Lords response to it….“
I can see how God’s people in such an extremely post-Christian context, in a time of a revival of evil, and the collapse of many churches, could be driven to giving up hope of the young ever returning to God. And yet, all it takes is the Spirit’s movement. I live in a city where no truer word could be said than the words of Zechariah, “It’s not by might, nor by power but by My Spirit’ says the Lord.”
Keep looking beyond the revival of evil to see the how the Lord is already responding to it in powerful and obvious ways. God is challenging his people to look past what they see and believe that the God they have heard about, the God they have read about, has begun moving in our day like in the days of old.