The similar phrase 'Worldly Christianity' is one used by Bonhoeffer. It's J Gresham Machen that I want to line up most closely with. See his Christianity and culture here. Having done commentaries on Proverbs (Heavenly Wisdom) and Song of Songs (Heavenly Love), a matching title for Ecclesiastes would be Heavenly Worldliness. For my stance on worldliness, see 3 posts here.

Go Teach


For many years now my wife has been one of the EMW representatives on the Go Teach committee. It has been a tough year for them, as for most of us, but they recently organised a thanksgiving service on Zoom because God, as ever, has been very gracious in the midst of it all. It was my privilege to preach on this occasion to about 30 or 40. Gareth James chaired the meeting. The text of the sermon can be found here. Meanwhile Go Teach's website is here.

(Go Teach Publications Ltd is a UK based registered charity, which publishes Bible teaching material for use with children and young people aged 3 to 14 years.

Go Teach began publishing dated Sunday School materials (under another name) in 1946. It is the longest established producer of such materials in the UK. Originally it was part of the work of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC).

Go Teach Publications Ltd was formed from that earlier work and became an independent charity and limited company in 1976.

Its work is now managed by a Board of Directors appointed by the Grace Baptist Ministry to the Young and the Evangelical Movement of Wales.

Go Teach Bible teaching materials are distributed in the UK and throughout the world.)

Lord's Day April 25 2021


As we came away from the chapel on Sunday morning my wife said to me "Did you forget something?". I thought for a while and came up with nothing. Then she said "The long prayer". Right. It all came back to me. We had started with prayer, of couirse, and a hymn (Immortal honours) and then I read from Isaiah 8, the next of our continuous readings. Then one of my deacons spoke to the children about William Tyndale. When I cam back to the front I should have read and prayed but I only read (two short readings from Hebrews 6 and Romans 8) and prayed briefly before the sermon. I preached the next on the short series on Faith, hope and love - on hope. After that I think we prayed and then we had our last hymn (My hope is built). So there was a good lot of prayer but not that long prayer where we really come to the Lord. I made sure I prayed a bit longer in the evening when we were only on zoom. (My problem there was that I think I re-read Revelation 4 as our consecutive reading). I preached on the next part of Luke 5, on making judgements. We also had our good friend from Johannesburg, Thapelo along reporting, and that was great.

Midweek Meeting April 21 2021


Another good prayer meeting last Wednesday on zoom, which we are more than used to by now. We carried on in 1 Chronicles 24. Not easy to do as ever but I thought I made a better stab this time than last and may be I did.

Day Off Week 16 2021


This is my first formal day off in a few weeks after the holiday. It was spent reading and TV watching in the main. I recently bought missing volumes from the series on Particular Baptists and enjoyed reading some of those plus a chunk of Bill Bryson's Mother tongue. I also popped out for a coffee nd did a bit kof blogging.

Lord's Day April 18 2021

 


We were in chapel in the morning and I started on a short new series that I have never attempted to cover before - Faith, Hope and Love. I've never hears such a series even though it is such an obvious thing to do, Anyway, I started this last Lords Day with faith looking at that long chapter Hebrews 11. Numbers were poor but people listened well. One of my deacons also spoke to the children on Luther and the Diet of Worms. In the evening it was zoom only as we carried on in Luke 6.

Means of Transport Lorry

Lukas 3z, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Means of Transport Kayak


 

10 Popular Preachers listed by John Bacon in 1799


When the Eclectic Society met in January 1799 they discussed what made preachers popular or unpopular. At the beginning John Bacon listed a number of preachers of the day and what made them popular. Here are ten

1. [George] Whitfield was remarkable for feeling, susceptibility, force
2. [William] Romaine for realizing faith; he had one subject indeed but this was the panacea; there was some variety.
3. [John] Berridge gained in some degree from the place in which he preached; he was always in populous places; simplicity was his one object
4. Rowland Hill is irregular extravagant bawling &c yet something extraordinary; upright, devoted, comes out; fire, brilliance, genius; talks rather than preaches; strong comparisons but they interest; stories.
5. [William] Jay has great natural powers, memory
6. [Samuel] Medley had some party in his spirit; glib, jocular.
7. [William] Huntington had promptitude, was easy, pleasant, fanciful like a harlequin
8. [Henry] Venn of Huddersfield some tone but remarkably fiery; current; realizing; heavenly; rapturous, holy, quickening.
9. [John] Wesley good sense, promptitude, clear, treats all circumstances as belonging to a system not that in his ministry which would independently have been popular.
10. [Robert] Robinson of Cambridge had ease comprehension, no turns or twists but new views of things &c
(He also mentions forgotten preachers [Jehoiada] Brewer - possessed moderate talents but pathos was fervent affectionate savoury no peculiar tone to obstruct and rather aided his manner encouragement to diligence was one of his frequent topics perhaps compared with the drawling manner of some other dissenters he may be classed as above the average; [William Bromley] Cadogan - had no variety tone or dash but perception of subject determination sawing through energy reality he took by force the one object he kept in view; [William Alphonsus] Gunn - without extraordinary talents but gives direction and application to the truth no tone or twang addresses this and the other evidently a good man his preaching is not treating the subject so much as dealing in address deals in general truths; [James] Fordyce - an orator but it looked not like the real thing; gilded but it wore off. He also gives the names - [William] Dodd, Harrison and Hodgson)

Means of Transport Jeep


 

Means of Transport Ice cream van