Reading the Bible G

There is a directory, which every Church possesses; an infallible rule there is, and a sure record of the Saviour's mind, by which every Church must be guided. Every Church has the Bible - the Spirit's register of the will of Christ; and of it we can say that it "is profitable," - not to individual believers alone, but to Churches collectively, and to their office-bearers as such,  - "for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."

Andrew Gray (The duty and the liberty of a Christian church)

Reading the Bible F

“The Scriptures teach us the best way of living, the noblest way of suffering, and the most comfortable way of dying.”

John Flavel

Childhood songs 9 Michael row

I have a new minor hobby - twiddling with the digital radio. I like to turn to Kerraang! and hear exactly what you'd expect and Absolute Radio have designated channels for the sixties, seventies, eighties and more. I particularly like hearing songs I've never heard played on radio before. I think it was on Gold that I heard this request played. It was a song I remember my mother singing, although I understand it was number 1 here in 1961 having been popularised by the folk singer Pete Seeger before crossing over. Unsurprisingly it is an American spiritual first recorded a hundred year before Seeger got hold of it. I remember asking my mother who this Michael was. She told me Michael was another name for Jesus (which is the official JW line - she was under their influence at the time). I think I am right in saying that Calvin and other good Reformers and Puritans would take the same view though most good men today would not. The recording is from a concert organised for Pete Seeger's ninetieth a few years back. The line "meet my mother on the other side" is now full of  tear jerking meaning. (Not sure who all the people are - that muts be Rufus Wainwright with the beard, I guess, and the Irish lady must be a McGarrigle. Don't know.)

Various Resources

Over the last few weeks I've noticed a few resources on the net that may be of interest to you:
1. R C Trench's book Synonyms of NT Greek
2. R K Girdlestone's' Hebrew Synonyms
3. J L Dagg's Manual of Theology
4. F Nigel Lee's works including The covenantal sabbath

William the Conqueror

I can't remember why it came into my head now but I was remembering the other day my late father's story of how he started to read Richmal Crompton's William books. It was when he was in school (not sure what age). It was a library period and he couldn't find a book to take home and so the teacher gave him one. My dad looked at the title - William the Conqueror - and thought, oh no a history book but couldn't argue (no clues on the cover clearly). When he got it home and started to read, however, he couldn't put it down. That book was published the year he was born and was the sixth in the series. There must have been 16 of them or so by the time my dad started reading them and he reckoned he read the lot. I remember my nana buying me several paperbark versions when I was a kid. They're good fun.

Dyn Eira Arall

The boys had to make a snowman, of course (not the ones in the picture as it turns out)

Reading the Bible E

The devil has ever shown a mortal spite and hatred towards that holy book the Bible: he has done all in his power to extinguish that light; and to draw men off from it: he knows it to be that light by which his kingdom of darkness is to be overthrown. He has had for many ages experience of its power to defeat his purposes, and baffle his designs: it is his constant plague. It is the main weapon which Michael uses in his war with him: it is the sword of the Spirit, that pierces him and conquers him. It is that great and strong sword, with which God punishes
Leviathan, that crooked serpent. It is that sharp sword that we read of, Rev. 19.15 that proceeds out of the mouth of him that sat on the horse, with which he smites his enemies. Every text is a dart to torment the old serpent. He has felt the stinging smart thousands of times; therefore he is engaged against the Bible, and hate's every word in it: and we may be sure that he never will attempt to raise persons' esteem of it, or affection to it. And accordingly we see it common in enthusiasts, that they depreciate this written rule, and set up the light within or some other rule above it.

Jonathan Edwards (Distinguishing marks of a work of the Holy Spirit)

Some Prayer Requests

Malinke Tribes (W Africa). Did you read your Bible this morning? Most Malinke people didn’t. Those who did probably read it in a trade language like Bambara or French. Most of the Malinke subgroups we are praying for this month need their own Bible translation. Once that is accomplished, someone can produce other Christian materials in their languages as well.
As you read this, there is a team working on a Bible translation for one of the Malinke peoples. A good part of their time is spent taking care of daily business of cooking, cleaning, educating the children, and building relationships with Malinkes. Unlike you and me, they face the daily challenges of living in an African town where electricity is not available, so they have to rely on solar power.
To do what they are doing requires a tremendous amount of perseverance. It will take many years to complete this Bible translation, and even when the work is done, there is no guarantee that people will accept it or read it.
In addition, the Bible translation team has faced significant spiritual opposition over the years, causing the work to be slow and threatening its continued progress.

Zimbabwe. Around the world there are 16 million children under the age of 18 who have lost one or both parents Zimbabwe alone has an astonishing 1 million children orphaned by AIDS. Please pray for children who have been affected by HIV/AIDS, whether they are living with the disease or have lost parents from it. Of these children, barely one quarter attend school. Pray that their communities would be able to care for them and give them access to basic needs such as food, education and health care.

Korea. In August 2011 a South Korean pastor died in a suspected poison needle attack after smuggling runaways from North Korea to safety. Christians in North Korea are thought to number at least 400,000, but they are cruelly persecuted: they live in constant danger of imprisonment and torture in the regime’s notoriously brutal labour camps, and even of execution. Those who try to help them escape across the border do so at the risk of their lives. Pray for deliverance for our brothers and sisters in their distress, and that the Lord will protect those Christians in neighbouring countries who reach out to help them.

Novelists 5 Samuel Johnson

Samuel Johnson 1709-1784 is most famous for his mammoth work the English Dictionary but he wrote a lot of other things including (in 1759) a philosophical novel The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abbysinia. He wrote it to support his seriously ill mother who died as it was published. As he himself once said "No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money." I have read a book claiming he became a Christian in later life. If so, he may be the same as Daniel Defoe mentioned before, who someone contacted me about saying he too was converted in later life.

Reading the Bible D

To one that trembles at the divine word,the threatenings of it do not appear vain terrors, nor great swelling words of vanity, but the most tremendous realities. Such an one cannot bear up under them, but would tremble, and fall, and die away, if not relieved by some happy promise of deliverance. He that trembles at the word of God is not a stupid hearer or reader of it. It reaches and pierces his heart as a sharp two-edged sword; it carries power along with it, and he feels that it is the word of God, and not of men, even when it is spoken by feeble mortals. Thus he not only trembles at the terror, but at the authority of the word; - which leads me to observe farther, that he trembles with filial veneration of the majesty of God speaking in his word. He considers it as his voice who spake all things into being, and whose glory is such, that a deep solemnity must seize those that are admitted to hear him speak.
Samuel Davies (in a sermon on the Objects of divine favour)

King of the superlative

These days I'm usually greeted by one superlative or another when I come into the kitchen in the mornings. They're not directed at me. They come from the mouth of animal enthusiast Steve Backshall as to my sons' delight he works his way through his Deadly 60 on BBC (I'm sure he must be over the 60 by now). I've rarely seen a man so excited. The only sad thing is that Steve doesn't seem to realise that all these wonderful creatures were made by one Creator who deserves all the superlatives Steve can conjure. More here. Wikipedia tells us that  "He has dived with Great White and tiger sharks, caught king cobras and black mambas, had a redback spider on his hand and was bitten on screen by a crocodile".

Reading the Bible C

In the Scriptures be the fat pastures of the soul; therein is no venomous meat, no unwholsome thing; they be the very dainty and pure feeding. He that is ignorant, shall find there what he should learn. He that is a perverse sinner, shall there find his damnation to make him to tremble for fear. He that laboureth to serve God, shall find there his glory, and the promissions of eternal life, exhorting him more diligently to labour.

Thomas Cranmer (from his preface to the Bible)

Pencampwriaeth y Chwe Gwlad 2012

So it's time for the six nations again. England Scotland will be a good opener. Pity Wales are playing on the Lord's Day. No need for it. Euan Murray would agree. Official site here.

Evangelical Library Recommended

My good friend Jeremy Walker has just posted an appreciation of the Evangelical Library here, which is worth reading especially if you are not so familiar with it.

Reading the Bible B

God's book of 'grace' is just like his book of nature; it is his thoughts written out. This great book, the Bible, this most precious volume is the heart of God made legible; it is the gold of God's love, beaten out into gold leaf, so that therewith our thoughts might be plated, and we also might have golden, good, and holy thoughts concerning Him.

John Bunyan