The Church Cannot Die
September 15, 2010 at 11:49 am | Posted in A. W. Tozer | 1 CommentTags: A. W. Tozer, Man the Dwelling Place of God, The Church Cannot Die
Insight from A. W. Tozer
There is a notion abroad that Christianity is on its last legs, or possibly already dead and just too weak to lie down.
This is confidently believed in Communist countries, and while spokesmen for the West are too polite to say so, one can hardly escape the feeling that they too believe the demise of the church to be a certain if embarrassing fact, the chief proof of her death being her failure to provide leadership for the world just when it needs it most.
Let me employ a pair of mixed and battered but still useful clichés and say that those who have come to bury the faith of our fathers have reckoned without the host. Just as Jesus Christ was once buried away with the full expectation that He had been gotten rid of, so His church has been laid to rest times without number; and as He disconcerted His enemies by rising from the dead so the church has confounded hers by springing again to vigorous life after all the obsequies had been performed over her coffin and the crocodile tears had been shed at her grave…………………………………..
The world is constantly lashing the church because she has no solution for the problems of society, and the religious leaders who do not know the score wince under the lash. Every once in a while some churchman in an acute attack of conscience does penance in public for Christianity’s failure to furnish bold leadership for the world in this time of crisis. “We have sinned,” cries the frustrated prophet. “The world looked to us for help and we have failed it.”
Well, I am all for repentance if it is genuine, and I think the church has failed, not by neglecting to provide leadership but by living too much like the world. That, however, is not what the muddled churchman means when he bares his soul in public. Rather, he erroneously assumes that the church of God has been left on earth to minister the good hope and cheer to the world in such quantities that it can ignore God, reject Christ, glorify fallen human flesh and pursue its selfish ends in peace. The world wants the church to add a dainty spiritual touch it its carnal schemes, and to be there to help it to its feet and put it to bed when it comes home drunk with fleshly pleasures……………………………
We are in real need of a reformation that will lead to revival among the churches, but the church is not dead, neither is it dying. The Church cannot die.
A local church can die. This happens when all the old saints in a given place fall asleep and no young saints arise to take their place. Sometimes under these circumstances the congregation ceases to be a church, or there is no congregation left and the doors of the chapel are nailed shut. But such a condition, however deplorable, should not discourage us. The true Church is the repository of the life of God among men, and if in one place the frail vessels fail, that life will break out somewhere else. Of this we may be sure. – Taken from Man: The Dwelling Place of God, pages 137-140. Christian Publications, Inc. 1966.
This is just an excerpt from this chapter of Tozer’s book. If you are unfamiliar with the writing of A. W. Tozer this would be a good book to read. Tozer was a prolific writer and most of the chapters in this book first appeard as editorials or articles in The Alliance Witness, which he edited for thirteen years.
The Meat of the Word
September 14, 2010 at 9:26 am | Posted in William Gurnall | Leave a commentTags: The Christian in Complete Armour, The Meat of the Word, William Gurnall
Wisdom from William Gurnall
Can Christians be soldered together in unity, as long as they are not fully reconciled to God in regard to their sanctification? The less progress the Gospel has made in our hearts to mortify lust and strengthen grace, the weaker the peace and love among us.
From the contentions among Christians at Corinth, Paul concluded that they had not grown in grace beyond the spoon-feeding stage. “I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for Corinthians 3:2-3): he conceived their behavior to be clear evidence. “For wheras there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” But as grace strengthens, and the Gospel prevails in the hearts of Christians, love and a spirit of unity increase with it.
We say “older and wiser” – when children are very young they quarrel and fight, but age and wisdom furnish strength to overcome petty differences. For instance, in the controversy between the servants of Abraham and Lot, Abraham – the elder and stronger Christian – was determined, no matter what it cost him, to have peace with his nephew, who was inferior to him in every way. And Paul is another example. As a Christian who was head and shoulders above the others, he said of himself, “The grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:14).
Calvin points out that Paul’s faith opposed his former obstinate unbelief as a Pharisee; his love in Jesus overcame the cruelty he expressed against Christians on his persecuting errand to Damascus. He was as full of faith as he had been unbelief before; and as full of fire-hot love as he had been of hatred. This is what I want you to see – this pair of graces thrive and grow together; a Christian who has abundant faith will also have abundant love. – Taken from The Christian in Complete Armour, September 10. Edited by James S. Bell, Jr. Moody Publishers, 1994.
Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven
September 12, 2010 at 7:07 am | Posted in hymns | Leave a commentTags: Henry F. Lyte, hymn, Praise My Soul the King of Heaven
Sunday’s Hymn
Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. (Psalm 103:2)
Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven
By Henry F. Lyte
Sung in 3/4 time
1. Praise, my soul, the King of heaven; To His feet your tribute bring. Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, Ever more His praises sing. Al-le-lu-ia! Al-le-lu-ia! Praise the everlasting King!
2. Praise Him for His grace and favor To our fathers in distress; Praise Him, still the same as ever, Slow to chide and swift to bless. Al-le-lu-ia! Al-le-lu-ia! Glorious in His faithfulness!
3. Father-like, He tends and spares us; Well our feeble frame He knows. In His hands He gently bears us, Rescues us from all our foes. Al-le-lu-ia! Al-le-lu-ia! Widely yet His mercy flows.
4. Angels in the height, adore Him; You behold Him face to face. Saints triumphant, bow before Him; Gathered in from every race. Al-le-lu-ia! Al-le-lu-ia! Praise with us the God of grace!
Coffee Review: Newhall Coffee’s Sunset Blvd. Blend
September 10, 2010 at 4:15 pm | Posted in Coffee Reviews | Leave a commentTags: coffee review, Fight Leukemia, Newhall Coffee Roasting Company, Sunset Blvd. Blend
This Sunset Blvd. Blend is the second coffee from Newhall Coffee Roasting Company’s (www.newhallcoffee.com) “Taste of California Collection” for us to try. It is described on their site as being inspired by the culturally, historically, and aesthetically significance of Hollywood’s Sunset Blvd. The combination of cinnamon and vanilla brings out the bright taste and body of this bean. Perfect for those early mornings on the go!
The story of the McMullen brothers who founded Newhall Coffee in 1993 is on the bag. Their older brother died from leukemia and they have a goal to raise $1,000,000 to help fight the battle against leukemia. Proceeds from the sales of their coffee go to support this fund. We appreciate what they are doing to raise money and awareness for this cause.
Our plan was to brew the coffee two different ways and to share it with some friends and get their feedback. As usual the first up was the auto-drip. This coffee came to us ground which is the way most people buy their coffee. There was a nice spicy aroma from the brew. As we drank it we thought there was a mild brightness to it and the body was even and smooth. There was something about the coffee that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
While using the Chemex coffee brewer I was trying to distinguish what flavors were present and was having a hard time. You see I did not know this was a flavored coffee when we began to drink it. I told Kim that I was having a hard time picking out flavors and it was while online that I found out it is a cinnamon-vanilla coffee. We’ve had a couple of spicy coffees before and now I know why I was a little confused.
For us the flavor hits the front and tip of the tongue. The vanilla taste is mild and the cinnamon spice is more dominant. There is a touch of citrus there too. The blend has a pleasant aftertaste. Kim thought it paired well with the orange marmalade she had on her toast.
Kim took some to work to share with a co-worker who drinks flavored coffee. She thought it was one of the best coffees that Kim had brought in to work for them to drink. She thought it had a really good flavor and she would not get tired of drinking this coffee. I guess that is quite an endorsement!
Overall we liked this coffee and if you are looking for a mildly flavored coffee we suggest you give Sunset Blvd. Blend a try. We would like to encourage all of our readers to think about supporting coffee roasters that are supporting worthwhile causes too. We received this coffee for review purposes and offer objective feedback. Until next time remember to stop and enjoy the coffee and conversation.
Much GRACE and peace to you,
Bill and Kim
Romans 15:13; Psalm 34:1-10
Religious Boredom
September 8, 2010 at 9:39 am | Posted in A. W. Tozer | Leave a commentTags: A. W. Tozer, Man the Dwelling Place of God, Religious Boredom
Insight from A. W. Tozer
That there is something gravely wrong with evangelical Christianity today is not likely to be denied by any serious-minded person acquainted with the facts. Just what is wrong is not so easy to determine.
In examining the situation myself I find nature and reason in conflict within me, for I tend by temperament to want to settle everything with a sweep of the pen. But reason advises caution; nothing is that simple, and we must be careful to distinguish cause from effect. As every doctor knows there is a wide difference between the disease and the symptoms; and ever Christian knows that there is a big difference between cause and effect in the sphere of religion…………
One mark of the low state of affairs among us is religious boredom. Whether this is a thing in itself or merely a symptom of the thing, I do not know for sure, though I suspect that it is the latter. And that it is found to some degree almost everywhere among Christians is too evident to be denied.
Boredom is, of course, a state of mind resulting from trying to maintain an interest in something that holds no trace of interest for us…………. Boredom comes when a man must try to hear with relish what for want of relish he hardly hears at all…………………
When Moses tarried in the mount, Israel became bored with the faith that sees the invisible and clamored for a god they could see and touch. And they displayed a great deal more enthusiasm for the golden calf than they did over the Lord God of Abraham…………….
Those Christians who belong to the evangelical wing of the church…….. have over the last half-century shown an increasing impatience with things invisible and eternal and have demanded and got a host of things visible and temporal to satisfy their fleshly appetites. Without Biblical authority, or any other right under the sun, carnal religious leaders have introduced a host of attractions that serve no purpose except to provide entertainment for the retarded saints.
It is now common practice in most evangelical churches to offer the people, especially the young people, a maximum of entertainment and a minimum of serious instruction. It is scarcely possible in most places to get anyone to attend a meeting where the only attraction is God. One can only conclude that that God’s professed children are bored with Him, for they must be wooed to meeting with a stick of striped candy in the form of religious movies, games and refreshments.
This has influenced the whole pattern of church life, and even brought into being a new type of church architecture, designed to house the golden calf……..
Any objection to the carryings on of our present golden-calf Christianity is met with the triumphant, “But we are winning them!” And winning them to what? To true discipleship? To cross-carrying? To separation from the world? To crucifixion of the flesh? To holy living? To nobility of character? To despising of the world’s treasures? To hard self-discipline? To love for God? To total committal to Christ? Of course the answer to all these questions is no.
We are paying a frightful price for our religious boredom. And that at the moment of the world’s mortal peril. – Taken from Man: The Dwelling Place of God, pages 133-136. Christian Publications, Inc. 1966.
Affliction Overcome By Peace
September 7, 2010 at 2:41 pm | Posted in William Gurnall | Leave a commentTags: Afflication Overcome By Peace, The Christian in Complete Armour, William Gurnall
Wisdom from William Gurnall
Does your peace go with you only as far as the prison door? Or the hospital bed? It is easy to be confident of a salvation as long as your health is good; but as soon as death is in sight, does your conscience point out the serious symptom that your peace is a mere pretense?
I know that affliction is a trying time. Even the most sincere Christian may, for a season, be beaten away from his artillery and Satan seem to capture his confidence. Some precious saints have been carried down the stream of violent temptations so far that they question whether their former peace was from the Holy Spirit the Comforter or from the evil spirit the deceiver. Yet there is a vast difference between the two.
They differ in their causes. The darkness which sometimes comes upon the sincere Christian’s spirit in deep distress comes from the withdrawing of God’s countenance of light. But the horror of the deceived man’s torment proceeds directly from a guilty conscience which prosperity and preoccupation have lulled to sleep. As God’s hand upon this man awakens his numb conscience, it reveals the falseness of his profession of faith. It is true that the saint’s conscience may justly accuse him of carelessness or compromise through strong temptation, but it cannot accuse him of a hypocritical motive behind his whole spiritual walk.
They differ in the things which accompany them. Lively workings of grace are visible even as the Christian sorrows. The less joy he has from awareness of God’s love, the more earnestly he will grieve for the sin which clouded that joy. The farther Christ is gone out of his sight, the more he clings to his love for the Savior and cries after Him with the prayer of Heman: “Unto thee have I cried, O Lord”; his heartfelt supplication rises to God early in the morning hours (Psalm 88:13). – Taken from The Christian in Complete Armour, September 6. Edited by James S. Bell, Jr. Moody Publishers, 1994.
Coffee Review: Newhall Coffee’s Beatnik Espresso
September 2, 2010 at 5:34 pm | Posted in Coffee Reviews | Leave a commentTags: Beatnik Espresso, Coffe For A Cure, coffee review, Newhall Coffee Roasting Company
We have been learning about coffee roasters that do more then make good coffee. There are roasters out there who give back to their communities and/or help the farmers who grow the coffee beans. One of the giving coffee roasters is the Newhall Coffee Roasting Company (www.newhallcoffee.com). They are a family owned roasting company with a conscience.
The founders’ older brother lost his battle with leukemia and in honor of their brother they started “Coffee For A Cure.” Their goal is to raise $1,000,000 to fight leukemia. Purchasing Newhall Coffee will help this fight because some of the proceeds will go to this fund. These are the types of things Kim and I want to learn about and support when we buy coffee. It is not just about the coffee but about helping others too. We want to pass that information onto our readers.
This Beatnik Espresso is described as a combination of three beans from Indonesia, South America and Central America that brings this espresso roast to a diverse and complex body, while producing a very mild and clean finish.
The South America bean of the ‘typica’ varietal is wet processed and sun dried. The Central American bean of the ‘bourbon’ varietal is semi-washed and sun dried to bring out its nutty and floral notes. The Indonesian is semi-washed and sun dried, bringing out the earthy and spicy notes.
We received the coffee ground and not whole bean, but we were still able to brew it three different ways. First up was the auto-drip and this dark roast has a good strong aroma. It has a heavy body, almost edgy and we both used a little cream. We aren’t used to this deep of a roast, but it did not need any sweetener and we liked it.
Next up was the Chemex coffee maker and the coffee tasted smoother here. The aroma is still strong and there is a slight acidity. We did not need to use any cream and it has a cleaner overall taste. We began to taste some of the subtleties of the coffee here. It was pleasant to drink and this was our favorite brewing method.
Lastly we used the Aero Press brewer which we are beginning to like more and more. I had mine espresso style and this is some strong coffee. Coffee drinkers will understand that I mean that in a good way. This is one of the strongest, deeper roasted coffees we have had. We liked the flavor, but we could not drink this as an everyday coffee. If you like espresso or espresso roasted coffees then we suggest you try this Beatnik Espresso.
We do appreciate Newhall’s commitment to “Coffee For A Cure” and hope they have great success in helping to win the fight against leukemia. We received this coffee for review purposes and offer objective feedback. Until next time stop and enjoy the coffee and conversation.
Much GRACE and peace to you,
Bill and Kim
Romans 15:13; Psalm 34:1-10
What Men Live By
September 1, 2010 at 11:49 am | Posted in A. W. Tozer | Leave a commentTags: A. W. Tozer, discernment, Man the Dwelling Place of God, What Men Live By
Insight from A. W. Tozer
Human life has its central core where lie the things men live by. These things are constant. They change not from age to age, but are the same among all races throughout the world always.
Life also has its marginal zones where lie the things that are relatively unimportant. These change from generation to generation and vary from people to people.
It is at the central core that men are one, and it is on the marginal zones that they differ from each other. Yet the marginal thins divide the peoples of the world radically and seriously. Most of the enmities of the earth have arisen from differences that did not matter basically; but because the people could not distinguish things men live by from things they live with these enmities arose between them, and often le dot persecutions, murders and bloody wars.
Were men everywhere to ignore the things that matter little or not at all and give serious attention to the few really important things, most of the walls that divided men would be thrown down at once and a world of endless sufferings ended.
What does matter after all? What are the great facts that are good all the time everywhere among all men? What are the axiomatic truths upon which all human life may rest with confidence? Fortunately they are not many. Here are the chief ones:
1. Only God is great
2. Only God is wise
3. Apart from God nothing matters
4. Only what we do in God will remain to us at last
5. Human sin is real
6. With God there is forgiveness
7. Only what God protects is safe
– Taken from Man: The Dwelling Place of God, by A. W. Tozer. Christian Publications, Inc. 1966. Pages 115-118.
You will need to get a copy of this book to fill in what I left out of this excerpt. Do those seven chief facts mean anything to us as Christians today? Lasting transformational change will not come from starting a new political action group no matter how many Christians join with non-Christians to do it. There was way too much religion mixed with politics for me. But I will write more on that later. For now think about what Tozer has to say and remember it was written sometime in the 1950’s.
Stay faithful and hopeful,
Bill (a fellow-laborer)
Romans 15:13; Matthew 7:15-29
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