Posted: June 23rd, 2011 | Author: Jon | Filed under: Quotes | Tags: blessings, Ephesians, God, Lloyd-Jones, Quotes | No Comments »
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones in “God’s Ultimate Purpose: Expositions of Ephesians 1:1-23″, 58:
“I can certainly testify after many years of pastoral experience that the people who give me the impression of being most miserable in their spiritual life are those who are always thinking of themselves and their blessings, their moods and states and conditions. The way to be blessed is to look to God; and the more we worship him the more we shall enjoy His blessings. This is most practical. The practical man is not one who runs after the blessings, but the man who considers the Source of the blessings and is in touch with that Source.”
Posted: June 14th, 2011 | Author: Jon | Filed under: Quotes | Tags: C. H. Spurgeon, Prayer | No Comments »
Spurgeon, Lectures to my Students, 237:
“Certain weaklings have said, ‘Let us have a liturgy!’ Rather than seek divine aid they will go down to Egypt for help. Rather than be dependant on the Spirit of God, they will pray by a book!”
Posted: September 26th, 2010 | Author: Jon | Filed under: Preaching, Quotes | Tags: C. H. Spurgeon | No Comments »
“It is impossible to hear a man who crawls along at a mile an hour. One word today and one tomorrow is a kind of slow-fire which martyrs could only enjoy. Excessively rapid speaking, tearing and raving into utter rant, is quite inexcusable; it is not, and never can be powerful, except with idiots…”
Posted: September 14th, 2010 | Author: Jon | Filed under: Quotes | Tags: C. H. Spurgeon | No Comments »
“Hard words wound some delicate minds very keenly. Many of the best of ministers, from the very spirituality of their character, are exceedingly sensitive – too sensitive for such a world as this. ‘A kick that scare would move a horse would kill a sound divine.’ By experience the soul is hardened to the rough blows which are inevitable in our warfare; but at first these things utterly stagger us, and send us to our homes wrapped in horror of great darkness. The trials of a true minister are not few, and such as are caused by ungrateful professors are harder to bear than the coarsest attacks of avowed enemies. Let no man who looks for ease of mind and seeks the quietude of life enter the ministry; if he does so he will flee from it in disgust.”
Posted: August 30th, 2010 | Author: Jon | Filed under: Preaching, Quotes | Tags: C. H. Spurgeon, Preaching | No Comments »
On almost every page of Spurgeon’s “Lectures to my Students” there is something worth quoting. Here is something i read last night that talks about preaching on silly topics that aren’t central to the Gospel:
“Worse still are those who waste time in insinuating doubts concerning the authenticity of texts, or the correctness of biblical statements concerning natural phenomena. Painfully do i call to mind hearing one Sabbath evening a deliverance called a sermon, of which the theme was a clever inquiry as to whether an angel did actually descend, and stir the pool at Bethesda, or whether it was an intermitting spring, concerning which Jewish superstition had invented a legend. Dying men and women were assembled to hear the way of salvations, and they were put off with such vanity as this! They came for bread, and received a stone; the sheep looked up to the shepherd, and were not fed. Seldom do i hear a sermon, and when i do i am grievously unfortunate, for one of the last i was entertained with was intended to be a justification of Joshua for destroying the Caananites, and another went to prove that it was not good for a man to be alone. How many souls were converted in answer to the prayers before these sermons i have never been able to ascertain, but i shrewdly suspect that no unusual rejoicing disturbed the serenity of the golden streets.”
Posted: September 26th, 2009 | Author: Jon | Filed under: Ministry, Quotes | Tags: Jonathan Edwards, Ministry, Prayer, Quotes | No Comments »
Continuing on from yesterday’s quotes by Jonathan Edwards (Sermon XV, “The true excellency of the gospel minister”, Works, pg. 955ff.) here is the ultimate goal for a gospel minister:
“Ministers, in order to their being burning and shining lights, should walk closely with God, and keep near to Christ; that they may ever be enlightened and enkindled conversing with him by prayer, who is the fountain of light and love: and knowing their own emptiness and helplessness, should be ever dependant on Christ…”
Posted: September 25th, 2009 | Author: Jon | Filed under: Ministry, Quotes | Tags: Jonathan Edwards, Ministry, Quotes | No Comments »
Jonathan Edwards’ “True excellency of a gospel minister” is sermon XV in the second volume of his Works (pg. 955). I was drawn to this sermon after hearing advice from a mate of mine (quoting Piper i think). That is, to ask a great theologian of the past your questions and see how he would answer them and what light they shed upon your topic in question.
Therefore, taking this advice i asked Jonathan Edwards what is required of someone in ministry, specifically pastoral ministry and how is one to know if it is a true calling. I’m not sure if i found the total answer from him, but, i certainly found some brilliant advice and quotes:
Using the text from John v. 35, “He was a burning and shining light”, Edwards exegetes this text and goes on to say;
“It is the excellency of a minister of the gospel to be both a burning and a shining light”
On observing that Christ’s design in the appointment of the order and office of ministers of the gospel he comments;
“But in his (God’s) wisdom and mercy, he is pleased to convey his light to men by means and instruments; and has sent forth his messengers, and appointed ministers in his church to be subordinate lights, and to shine with the communications of his light, and to reflect the beams of his glory on the souls of men.”
On the role of a minister he further comments;
“Ministers are set to be lights to the souls of men in this respect, as they are to be means of imparting divine truth to them, and bringing into their view the most glorious and excellent objects, and of leading them to and assisting them in the contemplation of those things that angels desire to look into; the means of their obtaining that knowledge in infinitely more important, and more excellent and useful, than that of the greatest statesmen or philosophers, even that which is spiritual and divine: they are set to be means of bringing men out of darkness in God’s marvellous light, and of bringing them to the infinite fountain of light, and in his light they may see light: they are set to instruct men, and impart to them that knowledge by which they may know God and Jesus Christ, whom to know is eternal life.”
Further to the role of ministers;
“Ministers are set in the church of God to be the instruments of this comfort and refreshment to the souls of men, to be the instruments of leading souls to the God of all consolation and fountain of their happiness.”
On piety;
“True piety is not a thing remaining only in the head, or consisting in any speculative knowledge or opinions, or outward morality, or forms of religion; it reaches the heart, is chiefly seated there, and burns there.”
On ministry practice;
“And in order to this, ministers should be diligent in their studies, and in the work of the ministry to which they are called; giving themselves wholly to it, taking heed to themselves that their hearts be not engaged, and their minds swallowed up, and their time consumed, in pursuits after the profits and vain glory of the world.”
“They should earnestly seek after much of the spiritual knowledge of Christ, and that they may live in the clear views of his glory.”