How often have we heard this! Let's be honest how often have we told ourselves this excuse. Just as our life is made up of "little" incidents and little choices, so our spiritual downfall is made up of a mountain of "little " sins. In this mornings reading CH Spurgeon graphically illustrates the danger of the "little foxes" that destroy the vineyard.
"Take us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines." Song of Solomon 2:15
A little thorn may cause much suffering. A little cloud may hide the sun. Little foxes spoil the vines; and little sins do mischief to the tender heart. These little sins burrow in the soul, and make it so full of that which is hateful to Christ, that he will hold no comfortable fellowship and communion with us. A great sin cannot destroy a Christian, but a little sin can make him miserable. Jesus will not walk with his people unless they drive out every known sin. He says, "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love." Some Christians very seldom enjoy their Saviour's presence. How is this? Surely it must be an affliction for a tender child to be separated from his father. Art thou a child of God, and yet satisfied to go on without seeing thy Father's face? What! thou the spouse of Christ, and yet content without his company! Surely, thou hast fallen into a sad state, for the chaste spouse of Christ mourns like a dove without her mate, when he has left her. Ask, then, the question, what has driven Christ from thee? He hides his face behind the wall of thy sins. That wall may be built up of little pebbles, as easily as of great stones. The sea is made of drops; the rocks are made of grains: and the sea which divides thee from Christ may be filled with the drops of thy little sins; and the rock which has well nigh wrecked thy barque, may have been made by the daily working of the coral insects of thy little sins. If thou wouldst live with Christ, and walk with Christ, and see Christ, and have fellowship with Christ, take heed of "the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes." Jesus invites you to go with him and take them. He will surely, like Samson, take the foxes at once and easily. Go with him to the hunting.
30 May 2006
26 May 2006
Yet More Da Vinci Code.....
Trying to summarise the Da Vinci Code question can be difficult. The following article from Christianity Today is really helpful. Read it and think about it. Do follow up to the Christianity Today site for a wide range of views on contemporary Christian issues.
5 Big Questions from The Da Vinci Code
A brief guide.
by Christianity Today magazine Associate Editor Collin Hansen
Download this article as a Free One-Page Guide to hand out and discuss with your family and friends.
Already an international publishing sensation, The Da Vinci Code now is a feature film directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks. The compelling story written by Dan Brown blurs the line between fact and fiction, so moviegoers have joined readers wondering about the origins and legitimacy of orthodox Christianity. This guide offers brief answers to five important questions.
1. Was Jesus married to Mary Magdalene?
No. Mary Magdalene was certainly close to Jesus. She wept at Jesus' tomb (John 20). Jesus even entrusted her to return and tell the disciples about his resurrection. But we have no reason to believe they were married. Brown says that Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper reveals the secret. He writes that the figure to Jesus' right, traditionally known as the apostle John, is actually Mary. Not true. Artists often gave characters feminine features to portray youth. John was the youngest of the disciples.
Brown correctly observes that few Jewish men of Jesus' day did not marry. But why, then, did the apostle Paul, himself celibate, not mention Jesus and Mary when he argued that apostles could marry (1 Cor. 9:5)?
2. What about these alternative gospels that aren't in the New Testament?
It's true that the Bible did not arrive as a "fax from heaven," as Brown writes. The New Testament canon in its current form was first formally attested in 367. Nevertheless, church leaders applied important standards when compiling the Bible. Authors of accepted writings needed to have walked and talked with Jesus, or at least with his leading disciples. Their teaching could not contradict what other apostles had written, and their documents must have been accepted by the entire church, from Jerusalem to Rome. Church leaders considered earlier letters and reports more credible than later documents. Finally, they prayed and trusted the Holy Spirit to guide their decisions.
The so-called Gnostic gospels, many discovered just last century, did not meet these criteria. Many appeared much later than the Bible and were dubiously attributed to major Christian leaders. Their teachings contrasted with what apostles like Paul had written. For example, many Gnostic writings argued that Jesus did not appear in the flesh, because flesh is evil, or they rejected the Old Testament.
3. Were there really competing Christianities during the early church?
Yes—in the sense there were many disputes about the nature of Jesus. And the church has done its best to vanquish challengers to orthodoxy. Once the church decided against the Gnostic writings, they gathered and burned all the Gnostic manuscripts they could find.
Later church councils convened to discuss other threats to Christian orthodoxy. Constantine, the first Roman emperor to make Christianity legal, called the most important of these meetings in 325. Leaders from around the Christian world gathered in Nicea, where they debated Arianism, which taught that God created Jesus. Brown writes that Constantine called this council so he could introduce a new divine Jesus on par with the Father. On the contrary, documents from before Nicea show that most followers of Jesus already called him LORD, the Yahweh of the Old Testament. The church leaders at Nicea rejected Arianism and affirmed that God and Jesus existed together from the beginning in the Trinity. This council produced the first drafts of what became the Nicene Creed, a landmark explanation of Christian belief.
4. What is Opus Dei?
A conservative religious group within the Roman Catholic Church. Opus Dei urges priests andlaypeoplee to strenuously pursue sanctification through everyday discipline. The group has taken criticism for its conservative views, zeal, and secretive practices. There is no evidence that Opus Dei has resorted to murder; nor has the Vatican entrusted Opus Dei to violently guard the church's deepest secrets, as Dan Brown claims in The Da Vinci Code.
5. Does the Priory of Sion really exist?
Yes, but not as described by Brown. Researchers suspect that members of the real-life Priory of Sion, founded in 1956, forged documents that placed major historical figures—such as Isaac Newton and Leonard da Vinci—in an ancient secret society. There is no evidence for this group beyond dubious documents. Any story relating this group to a dynasty begun by Jesus and Mary Magdalene is a fanciful work of fiction.
Collin Hansen is associate editor of Christianity Today (www.christianitytoday.com). For more Christianity Today coverage, visit www.ChristianityToday.com/go/DaVinci
5 Big Questions from The Da Vinci Code
A brief guide.
by Christianity Today magazine Associate Editor Collin Hansen
Download this article as a Free One-Page Guide to hand out and discuss with your family and friends.
Already an international publishing sensation, The Da Vinci Code now is a feature film directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks. The compelling story written by Dan Brown blurs the line between fact and fiction, so moviegoers have joined readers wondering about the origins and legitimacy of orthodox Christianity. This guide offers brief answers to five important questions.
1. Was Jesus married to Mary Magdalene?
No. Mary Magdalene was certainly close to Jesus. She wept at Jesus' tomb (John 20). Jesus even entrusted her to return and tell the disciples about his resurrection. But we have no reason to believe they were married. Brown says that Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper reveals the secret. He writes that the figure to Jesus' right, traditionally known as the apostle John, is actually Mary. Not true. Artists often gave characters feminine features to portray youth. John was the youngest of the disciples.
Brown correctly observes that few Jewish men of Jesus' day did not marry. But why, then, did the apostle Paul, himself celibate, not mention Jesus and Mary when he argued that apostles could marry (1 Cor. 9:5)?
2. What about these alternative gospels that aren't in the New Testament?
It's true that the Bible did not arrive as a "fax from heaven," as Brown writes. The New Testament canon in its current form was first formally attested in 367. Nevertheless, church leaders applied important standards when compiling the Bible. Authors of accepted writings needed to have walked and talked with Jesus, or at least with his leading disciples. Their teaching could not contradict what other apostles had written, and their documents must have been accepted by the entire church, from Jerusalem to Rome. Church leaders considered earlier letters and reports more credible than later documents. Finally, they prayed and trusted the Holy Spirit to guide their decisions.
The so-called Gnostic gospels, many discovered just last century, did not meet these criteria. Many appeared much later than the Bible and were dubiously attributed to major Christian leaders. Their teachings contrasted with what apostles like Paul had written. For example, many Gnostic writings argued that Jesus did not appear in the flesh, because flesh is evil, or they rejected the Old Testament.
3. Were there really competing Christianities during the early church?
Yes—in the sense there were many disputes about the nature of Jesus. And the church has done its best to vanquish challengers to orthodoxy. Once the church decided against the Gnostic writings, they gathered and burned all the Gnostic manuscripts they could find.
Later church councils convened to discuss other threats to Christian orthodoxy. Constantine, the first Roman emperor to make Christianity legal, called the most important of these meetings in 325. Leaders from around the Christian world gathered in Nicea, where they debated Arianism, which taught that God created Jesus. Brown writes that Constantine called this council so he could introduce a new divine Jesus on par with the Father. On the contrary, documents from before Nicea show that most followers of Jesus already called him LORD, the Yahweh of the Old Testament. The church leaders at Nicea rejected Arianism and affirmed that God and Jesus existed together from the beginning in the Trinity. This council produced the first drafts of what became the Nicene Creed, a landmark explanation of Christian belief.
4. What is Opus Dei?
A conservative religious group within the Roman Catholic Church. Opus Dei urges priests andlaypeoplee to strenuously pursue sanctification through everyday discipline. The group has taken criticism for its conservative views, zeal, and secretive practices. There is no evidence that Opus Dei has resorted to murder; nor has the Vatican entrusted Opus Dei to violently guard the church's deepest secrets, as Dan Brown claims in The Da Vinci Code.
5. Does the Priory of Sion really exist?
Yes, but not as described by Brown. Researchers suspect that members of the real-life Priory of Sion, founded in 1956, forged documents that placed major historical figures—such as Isaac Newton and Leonard da Vinci—in an ancient secret society. There is no evidence for this group beyond dubious documents. Any story relating this group to a dynasty begun by Jesus and Mary Magdalene is a fanciful work of fiction.
Collin Hansen is associate editor of Christianity Today (www.christianitytoday.com). For more Christianity Today coverage, visit www.ChristianityToday.com/go/DaVinci
25 May 2006
THE DA VINCI CODE?
Love it or loath it it certainly is a phenomenon! I'm referring of course to the "Da Vinci Code" It's publishers are boasting that it will outsell the Bible- well maybe in an airport bookstore for a few weeks- let's see how it's doing 100 years from now! Perhaps the question Christians need to ask is why IS it so popular! After all the story line is mediocre at best. What is unique is that by combining airport fiction,supposed facts and a deadly religious conspiracy spanning centuries some button is activated! It seems to me that there are at least two discernible forces at work: Firstly there is Man's innate hostility to the simple truth of the gospel. As believers we must take seriously the declaration of Scripture : "The natural mind is hostile to God" Rom 8:7 The willingness to believe any attack on the gospel - no matter how transparently false and obviously motivated by money is a sober testimony to our total depravity!
Secondly a willingness to ascribe to Roman Catholicism murderous capacity to suppress truth. The fact of course is that for centuries Rome did indeed use lethal force to suppress all her enemies orthodox and heretical alike. Brown has tapped into a rich subterranean vein of anticlericalism and anticatholicsm that is shared with different emphasis in both continental Europe and North America. The fact that he has for what ever reason conflated Christian orthodoxy and Roman abuse of power is unfortunate. The results have been interesting . I purchased a DVD - produced by a mainline evangelical group in the US challenging the Da Vinci Code. Before long it was obvious that as well as Evangelical worthies like Chuck Missler the DVD also featured an extreme Roman Catholic apologist. He used the opportunity to undermine the evangelical case for the non canonicity of the Apochrapha! Also the DVD stated that Opus Dei was a similar organisation to the Navigators- just getting together to promote discipleship! For those who don't know Opus Dei is a conservative Roman Catholic Society deeply committed to all the Tridentine anti evangelical doctrines of Rome. And though Dan Brown makes some silly mistakes in his portrayal of the Society he is correct in that they do promote and practice corporal "mortification" -including self flagellation. Not quite the Navigators after all!
In our reaction to the Da Vinci Code we need to be careful who we endorse on the way! My enemy's enemy may not be my friend! Wisdom is indeed called for. If you are interested in following through the Biblical Christian answers to the Da Vinci Code, the following site is great! http://www.rbcdavincicode.org/
Secondly a willingness to ascribe to Roman Catholicism murderous capacity to suppress truth. The fact of course is that for centuries Rome did indeed use lethal force to suppress all her enemies orthodox and heretical alike. Brown has tapped into a rich subterranean vein of anticlericalism and anticatholicsm that is shared with different emphasis in both continental Europe and North America. The fact that he has for what ever reason conflated Christian orthodoxy and Roman abuse of power is unfortunate. The results have been interesting . I purchased a DVD - produced by a mainline evangelical group in the US challenging the Da Vinci Code. Before long it was obvious that as well as Evangelical worthies like Chuck Missler the DVD also featured an extreme Roman Catholic apologist. He used the opportunity to undermine the evangelical case for the non canonicity of the Apochrapha! Also the DVD stated that Opus Dei was a similar organisation to the Navigators- just getting together to promote discipleship! For those who don't know Opus Dei is a conservative Roman Catholic Society deeply committed to all the Tridentine anti evangelical doctrines of Rome. And though Dan Brown makes some silly mistakes in his portrayal of the Society he is correct in that they do promote and practice corporal "mortification" -including self flagellation. Not quite the Navigators after all!
In our reaction to the Da Vinci Code we need to be careful who we endorse on the way! My enemy's enemy may not be my friend! Wisdom is indeed called for. If you are interested in following through the Biblical Christian answers to the Da Vinci Code, the following site is great! http://www.rbcdavincicode.org/
24 May 2006
The "Amazing Grace" of answered prayer!
Sometimes we wonder when our prayers are not answered the way we think they should be. This morning's reading from CH Spurgeon reverses this way of thinking. Given the reality of our lack of spirituality -especially when we pray- the wonder of grace is that God should answer any of our prayers at all!
Every blessing
May 24, Morning
"Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer." Psalm 66:20
In looking back upon the character of our prayers, if we do it honestly, we shall be filled with wonder that God has ever answered them. There may be some who think their prayers worthy of acceptance--as the Pharisee did; but the true Christian, in a more enlightened retrospect, weeps over his prayers, and if he could retrace his steps he would desire to pray more earnestly. Remember, Christian, how cold thy prayers have been. When in thy closet thou shouldst have wrestled as Jacob did; but instead thereof, thy petitions have been faint and few--far removed from that humble, believing, persevering faith, which cries, "I will not let thee go except thou bless me." Yet, wonderful to say, God has heard these cold prayers of thine, and not only heard, but answered them. Reflect also, how infrequent have been thy prayers, unless thou hast been in trouble, and then thou hast gone often to the mercy seat: but when deliverance has come, where has been thy constant supplication? Yet, notwithstanding thou hast ceased to pray as once thou didst, God has not ceased to bless. When thou hast neglected the mercy seat, God has not deserted it, but the bright light of the Shekinah has always been visible between the wings of the cherubim. Oh! it is marvellous that the Lord should regard those intermittent spasms of importunity which come and go with our necessities. What a God is he thus to hear the prayers of those who come to him when they have pressing wants, but neglect him when they have received a mercy; who approach him when they are forced to come, but who almost forget to address him when mercies are plentiful and sorrows are few. Let his gracious kindness in hearing such prayers touch our hearts, so that we may henceforth be found "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit."
Every blessing
May 24, Morning
"Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer." Psalm 66:20
In looking back upon the character of our prayers, if we do it honestly, we shall be filled with wonder that God has ever answered them. There may be some who think their prayers worthy of acceptance--as the Pharisee did; but the true Christian, in a more enlightened retrospect, weeps over his prayers, and if he could retrace his steps he would desire to pray more earnestly. Remember, Christian, how cold thy prayers have been. When in thy closet thou shouldst have wrestled as Jacob did; but instead thereof, thy petitions have been faint and few--far removed from that humble, believing, persevering faith, which cries, "I will not let thee go except thou bless me." Yet, wonderful to say, God has heard these cold prayers of thine, and not only heard, but answered them. Reflect also, how infrequent have been thy prayers, unless thou hast been in trouble, and then thou hast gone often to the mercy seat: but when deliverance has come, where has been thy constant supplication? Yet, notwithstanding thou hast ceased to pray as once thou didst, God has not ceased to bless. When thou hast neglected the mercy seat, God has not deserted it, but the bright light of the Shekinah has always been visible between the wings of the cherubim. Oh! it is marvellous that the Lord should regard those intermittent spasms of importunity which come and go with our necessities. What a God is he thus to hear the prayers of those who come to him when they have pressing wants, but neglect him when they have received a mercy; who approach him when they are forced to come, but who almost forget to address him when mercies are plentiful and sorrows are few. Let his gracious kindness in hearing such prayers touch our hearts, so that we may henceforth be found "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit."
23 May 2006
Well done!
This is Daniel our youngest boy-and Chasity of course - his fiance. He has just graduated from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. He and Chasity plan to go on to William Carey College in Hattiesburg Mississippi for further study. They plan to marry in December so please do pray for them both as they plan to serve the Lord together. Well done to you both!
22 May 2006
Getting started...
Well this is a first..for me at least! I want to use this blog to put up anything that I think will be helpful to those who either know God are are really looking. It will include my own thoughts.. stuff from sites I really like and a few classics from great Christian teachers and writers of the past.
I will also comment on current events inside and outside the church from a Biblical perspective. What really will make this worthwhile is feedback from YOU! Well there's the invitation..
Let me get things going with a quote from "Morning & Evening" by CH Spurgeon the great 19th Cenury English Baptist - the "Prince of Preachers" He is trying to get us to have an eternal perspective- but he can say it much better than me!
"Afterward." Hebrews 12:11
How happy are tried Christians, afterwards. No calm more deep than that which succeeds a storm. Who has not rejoiced in clear shinings after rain? Victorious banquets are for well exercised soldiers. After killing the lion we eat the honey; after climbing the Hill Difficulty, we sit down in the arbour to rest; after traversing the Valley of Humiliation, after fighting with Apollyon, the shining one appears, with the healing branch from the tree of life. Our sorrows, like the passing keels of the vessels upon the sea, leave a silver line of holy light behind them "afterwards." It is peace, sweet, deep peace, which follows the horrible turmoil which once reigned in our tormented, guilty souls. See, then, the happy estate of a Christian! He has his best things last, and he therefore in this world receives his worst things first. But even his worst things are "afterward" good things, harsh ploughings yielding joyful harvests. Even now he grows rich by his losses, he rises by his falls, he lives by dying, and becomes full by being emptied; if, then, his grievous afflictions yield him so much peaceable fruit in this life, what shall be the full vintage of joy "afterwards" in heaven? If his dark nights are as bright as the world's days, what shall his days be? If even his starlight is more splendid than the sun, what must his sunlight be? If he can sing in a dungeon, how sweetly will he sing in heaven! If he can praise the Lord in the fires, how will he extol him before the eternal throne! If evil be good to him now, what will the overflowing goodness of God be to him then? Oh, blessed "afterward!" Who would not be a Christian? Who would not bear the present cross for the crown which cometh afterwards? But herein is work for patience, for the rest is not for today, nor the triumph for the present, but "afterward." Wait, O soul, and let patience have her perfect work.
"Morning & Evening "May 18th
God bless
I will also comment on current events inside and outside the church from a Biblical perspective. What really will make this worthwhile is feedback from YOU! Well there's the invitation..
Let me get things going with a quote from "Morning & Evening" by CH Spurgeon the great 19th Cenury English Baptist - the "Prince of Preachers" He is trying to get us to have an eternal perspective- but he can say it much better than me!
"Afterward." Hebrews 12:11
How happy are tried Christians, afterwards. No calm more deep than that which succeeds a storm. Who has not rejoiced in clear shinings after rain? Victorious banquets are for well exercised soldiers. After killing the lion we eat the honey; after climbing the Hill Difficulty, we sit down in the arbour to rest; after traversing the Valley of Humiliation, after fighting with Apollyon, the shining one appears, with the healing branch from the tree of life. Our sorrows, like the passing keels of the vessels upon the sea, leave a silver line of holy light behind them "afterwards." It is peace, sweet, deep peace, which follows the horrible turmoil which once reigned in our tormented, guilty souls. See, then, the happy estate of a Christian! He has his best things last, and he therefore in this world receives his worst things first. But even his worst things are "afterward" good things, harsh ploughings yielding joyful harvests. Even now he grows rich by his losses, he rises by his falls, he lives by dying, and becomes full by being emptied; if, then, his grievous afflictions yield him so much peaceable fruit in this life, what shall be the full vintage of joy "afterwards" in heaven? If his dark nights are as bright as the world's days, what shall his days be? If even his starlight is more splendid than the sun, what must his sunlight be? If he can sing in a dungeon, how sweetly will he sing in heaven! If he can praise the Lord in the fires, how will he extol him before the eternal throne! If evil be good to him now, what will the overflowing goodness of God be to him then? Oh, blessed "afterward!" Who would not be a Christian? Who would not bear the present cross for the crown which cometh afterwards? But herein is work for patience, for the rest is not for today, nor the triumph for the present, but "afterward." Wait, O soul, and let patience have her perfect work.
"Morning & Evening "May 18th
God bless
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