Head-dibs

A witness of the gospel lays his life down because of the gospel—this is inherent by the very word from which we derive our word for “witness” (“martyr”). A martyr is a witness and this requires faithfulness to the very end, whatever that may be. When we witness for Christ, we are taking a stand against all that is not for Christ; contrariwise, a witness for all that is not Christ is setting himself against all that is Christ. There is no middle ground. Flesh and blood is not our enemy. The Lord Jesus Christ spent His flesh and blood to redeem flesh and blood that will repent. Our witness of what Christ accomplished is to flesh and blood, so this is not our enemy. Our adversary is the devil, who is always opposed to Christ and His glory. John’s revelatory vision communicates several vital principles in this regard that we would do well to attend. Revelation 12 describes the vision of a great red dragon with seven heads, seven crowns, and ten horns. This dragon is standing before a woma...

" There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light ." (John 1:6-8) Perhaps you have heard from time to time about some of "those" phone calls pastors receive. "A word from the LORD" has been "recieved" by someone with nothing more than good (or bad) intentions: thoughts regarding the pastor, the church, his sermons and/or delivery, and the list goes on. Pastors often listen and thank the caller, hang up and go back to work with little or no consideration. Some calls get screened. Once in a while, a trusted friend calls. James Ryle (not to be confused with J.C. Ryle of the 19th Century) tells of a call he once received from a friend that had a deep impact on his ministry. He describes this friend as "a man who rises early in the morning and spends great lengths of time in prayer; a man of si...

“If the gospel be not preached, Jesus Christ is, as it were, buried. Therefore, let us stand as witnesses, and do Him this honor, when we see all the world so far out of the way; and remain steadfast in this wholesome doctrine. . . . Let us not deceive Jesus Christ in the testimony we owe Him, by stopping our mouths, when it is needful to maintain His honor, and the authority of His gospel. Yea, and when we see our brethren afflicted for the cause of God, let us join with them, and assist them in their affliction. Let us not be shaken by the tempests that arise, but let us always remain constant in our purpose; and stand as witnesses for the Son of God, seeing He is so gracious as to use us in such a good cause. Let us mark well, whether men suffer for their sins, or for the truth of God . . . . Every man will confess this: but they add, we are weak, and shall quickly be beaten down by the cruelty of our enemies. But St. Paul taketh away this excuse, by saying, God will strengthen us, ...

“The message of salvation can be presented through means of the printed page. It never flinches, it never grows tired, never grows disheartened; it works while we sleep; it travels cheaply and requires no rented building; it never loses its temper; and it works long after we are dead. The printed page is a visitor which gets inside the home and stays there; it always catches a man in the right mood, for it speaks to him only when he is reading it; it always sticks to what it has said, and never answers back. The printed page is deathless: you can destroy one, but the press can reproduce millions. As often as it is martyred it is raised. It can enter doors locked to the evangelist; it preaches in the factory, the train, the kitchen; it visits the school and the jail; it whispers in the ear of the dying. The printed message can reach those whose religions forbid them to go to church. It can reach the student who, proud of his intellectualism, refuses to listen to the Gospel or relate him...

"God has saved multitudes through Gospel tracts, so always carry them with you, and take a moment to encourage other Christians to do the same. Let them know that Christian literature can be used as a conversation opener. One of the most difficult things about witnessing is starting up a conversation about God. A tract can do that for you. It can be left with the person you have spoken to, so that he or she can read further about the way of salvation. Tracts can be given to people when it's not convenient to speak to them. Simply say, 'Did you get one of these?' If you find that difficult, you could at least leave them in places without the daunting thought of human confrontation. Whatever you do, never let a day go by when you don't do something to reach the lost while you still can. There goes another minute. Gone forever. Go share your faith while you still have time." From Way of the Master Minute . [or say, "Here, hold this for me." ;-)]

I am going to be away from the computer until sometime in early August. In the meantime, see if you can answer these questions: Why do 80-90% of those making a decision for Christ fall away from the faith? What is the principle that Spurgeon, Wesley, Whitefield, etc., used to reach the lost? Why has the Church neglected it? Don't let anything stop you from listening to this incredible teaching. (This is NOT a sermon about Hell.)

"If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for." (Spurgeon) I’ve gone without posting a witnessing report for a while now for a few reasons, the foremost is that I’ve not had dedicated time to make a report. I shall endeavor to catch up the news here. One of my daughters has joined me on a few outings and would probably tell you how crazy her dad is. She is quite supportive and I am glad to have her along in this rare father-daughter opportunity. Together we have walked much of downtown and have shared some sights and scenes together, which in its own rite, has been quite enjoyable. I am also glad to have her along to talk to disciple her in this unique way. We spent a time or two on campus at the University of South Carolina and have had some good conversations with folks. Our best conversations are at Finlay Park. This last week I was j...

Horatius Bonar writes in Words to Winners of Souls, “Take heed to thyself. Your own soul is your first and greatest care. You know a sound body alone can work with power, much more a healthy soul.” Bonar then presents four ways by which one is to accomplish the personal care of the soul. First, “keep a clear conscience through the blood of the Lamb.” I remember once asking a great Christian brother how he managed to keep such a level head. I never saw him angry or irritated. This brother just keeps his cool. I have seen him agitated but not distraught—“shaken, but not stirred” (so to speak), but he is such a consistent person with his demeanor that I just had to ask how he did it. He simply smiled and said, “keep short accounts with God.” “That’s it?” I wondered. “That’s it.” And he just smiled. John MacArthur illustrates the purpose and function of the conscience. "In 1984 an Avonca Jet crashed in Spain. As always after a crash like that investigators study the accident s...