vassal of the King

From Charles Spurgeon in a sermon on Malachi 3:6 : The proper study of the Christian is the Godhead. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can engage the attention of a child of God is the name, the nature, the person, the doings, and the existence of the great God which he calls his Father.  There is something exceedingly improving to the mind in a contemplation of the Divinity. It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep, that our pride is drowned in its infinity. Other subjects we can comprehend and grapple with; in them we feel a kind of self-contentment, and go on our way with the thought: “Behold I am wise.”  But when we come to this master science, finding that our plumbline cannot sound its depth, and that our eagle eye cannot see its height, we turn away with the thought: “I am but of yesterday & know nothing.”

EM Bounds: The man makes the preacher. God must make the man. The messenger is, if possible, more than the message. The preacher is more than the sermon. The preacher makes the sermon. As the life-giving milk from the mother's bosom is but the mother's life, so all the preacher says is tinctured, impregnated by what the preacher is. The treasure is in earthen vessels, and the taste of the vessel impregnates and may discolor. The man, the whole man, lies behind the sermon. Preaching is not the performance of an hour. It is the outflow of a life. It takes twenty years to make a sermon, because it takes twenty years to make the man. The true sermon is a thing of life. The sermon grows because the man grows. The sermon is forceful because the man is forceful. The sermon is holy because the man is holy. The sermon is full of the divine unction because the man is full of the divine unction.   (Source: EM Bounds, Power Through Prayer ). Amen!

From Henry Law : Forgiveness has swept away all hindrances. [God] holds in his hand the blood which opens the gates. Thus washed he comes to the very presence--to the audience-chamber, to the bosom of His God. With filial love he cries, "Abba, Father." He hears in reply, "My son." He is bold to pour forth floods of petition, to tell out all the secrets of his heart. Loving ears receive--loving lips reply. Sweet is this communion--hallowed is this fellowship. He dwells in God and God in him--heaven is frequented in spirit before earth is left. The forgiven flies upward and finds this welcome. It must be conceded, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven."

Preach With an Eye Toward the Glories of Heaven & an Eye Toward the Shrieks of Hell Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church I wonder if many preachers realize that each Sunday souls hang in the balance. Every sermon makes someone either closer to heaven or closer to hell. Could it be that some pastors lose focus of the divine power that exists when God’s Word goes forth. We do well to remember the awesome weightiness and supernatural power that is present when the man of God takes the Word of God and explains the meaning of the text clearly. Let us therefore remember afresh the privilege of preaching and strive to preach in such a way that God moves in a saving and sanctifying way during every sermon. We should preach for eternity for, indeed, nothing less is at stake. 1. Because False Converts May Be Present. A true believer is known by his fruit. Some churches may have people who grew up in church, were baptized in church, have taken communion regularly, and have

From Barry Cooper: ... for our discipling to “stick”, we ourselves have to be passionate about what Christ has already done for us. And what is that, exactly? He became your wretched sin so that you could have his perfect righteousness. All you are was laid on him, so that all he has could become yours. He experienced hell, so that you don’t have to. He came as the Son of Man so you could become a Son of God. You are Christ’s brother or sister. You have peace with God the Father. He knows you perfectly, and yet loves you utterly. You have fellowship with and through his Holy Spirit. You are adopted irrevocably into God’s family. You have a certain inheritance in the new creation, infinitely greater than any piffling rollover jackpot, and it is the triune God himself. Until these truths (and others like them) make your heart sing, you cannot be a good discipler. So perhaps the first step to becoming a good discipler is not to say anything until t

How To Train Your Children Geoffrey R. Kirkland Christ Fellowship Bible Church 1. Train them to know the Bible. Teach your children to know that the Bible is God’s book. It is the only book given to man by God. The Bible must relentlessly be pursued. The wise person knows the Bible. A godly person knows the God of the Bible. A Christian knows his Bible and the more he takes in the hungrier he becomes for more. 2. Train them to read the Bible. Children must learn to read the Bible. They must examine every page of Scripture as a studious biologist studies a cell. He should look at every tree, every branch, every twig, every leaf, and every vein in the leaf to as to know it full-well. A child can read and can understand the Bible because it is a book that can be comprehended by little children. The message of the Bible is a message of life that even a young child can ascertain. Teach a child not just to skim words in a Bible, but to read — really read — the Bible. 3. Train t