Topic Archives: Life Issues
FIRST REFORMED CONFERENCE IN LATVIA Malcolm Firth gave two lectures on Charles Spurgeon – a man read and admired by many Christians here. Just over 100 people gathered on 1st and 2nd February this year for the first Reformed Conference to take place in Riga, Latvia. Most were non-Reformed Russian Baptists from Latvia, but there […]
ReadCREATION IN THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, LONDON It is not uncommon for Christians to feel oppressed by the heavy emphasis on evolution and naturalistic, anti-Christian sentiment in science museums. From the commentary and interpretation in many museum displays one would think that all legitimate scientists agree with Darwin, and that creation is a concept accepted […]
ReadWHY THE LEGAL RIGHTS OF COHABITATION SHOULD NOT BE EXTENDED Marriage is based on lifelong commitment and discharges these mutually beneficial tasks more effectively than cohabitation A bill has been introduced in parliament by Lord Lester of Herne Hill calling for the legal protection of cohabitation to be extended. It comes at a time when […]
ReadTHE CAREY CONFERENCE: January 8 – 11 Swanwick. God uses that which the world despises to know God through his Son Over 100 people gathered for the annual Carey Conference at Swanwick from January 8-11. The first evening speaker was Earl Blackburn of Los Angeles who spoke on the Theology of the Cross. Earl Blackburn […]
ReadIt is evident that in the shallowness of modern English evangelicalism sin is not dealt with seriously in evangelism or in the battles of the Christian life and many feel that Owen is the man who can teach this generation much that is absent, to our lamentable weakness. At the Westminster Conference 2001, held at […]
ReadPUBLIC PRAYER IN PULPIT AND PRAYER MEETING In secret prayer there is no necessity of a voice, for God hears a whisper as well as a sigh and a groan. The beauty of our expressions and the tunefulness of our voice can never render our worship more acceptable to God, the infinite Spirit; yet our […]
ReadWINDOWS ON SIBERIA ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG ABUSE HAVE REACHED EPIDEMIC PROPORTIONS During September I visited Siberia again and attended the official opening of the big church in Tobolsk. I give below the latest news from the churches we are seeking to support. TOBOLSK a) During the past three months nine people were baptised and fifteen […]
ReadPRIDE AND THE REFORMED CHURCHES Of all the dangers that can overtake a Reformed church pride is surely the worst and most serious. There is, of course, a right kind of pride, a thankfulness to God for our history or heritage. But the pride I am thinking of is that ugly, self-righteous, self-preening brute that […]
ReadSPIRITUAL REVIVAL THE WANT OF THE CHURCH Charles Haddon Spurgeon “O Lord, revive thy work.”Hab., iii. 2 ALL true religion is the work of God: it is pre-eminently so. If he should select out of his works that which he esteems most of all, he would select true religion. He regards the work of grace […]
ReadKNOWING AND SERVING GOD A personal testimony (For over twenty years Neil Richards has had a most blessed ministry in Wheelock Heath Baptist Church in Cheshire. He has finally retired from the pastorate, and this is the letter he wrote to his beloved congregation at the end of July 2001). In the Evangelical Magazine of […]
ReadTHE CHURCH IN NORTHERN RUSSIA In a recent edition of the Spectator (28 July 2001) Anne Applebaum describes a visit to Vortuka, north of the Arctic Circle where roses do not grow. There are no daisies or lilies; no sunflowers or geraniums, just a few wild flowers which spring up in the very short, very […]
ReadSHOULD WOMEN SERVE IN MILITARY COMBAT? Does the church have Scriptural warrant to claim that women should not serve in military combat? The Orthodox Presbyterian Church officially thinks so, but delegates to the OPC’s 68th General Assembly in Grand Rapids in June were hardly unanimous in their decision. Instead, a study committee commissioned to examine […]
ReadTHE GRACE AND DUTY OF BEING SPIRITUALLY MINDED DECLARED AND PRACTICALLY IMPROVED. by John Owen Found in Volume 7 of the Works, and published by the Banner of Truth Trust. To be spiritually minded is life and peace. Romans 8:6 Set your affection on things above. Colossians 3:2. LONDON: 1681. Prefatory Note An Outline:- Preface […]
ReadAN ARGUMENT FOR LEARNING By Pastor Jim Elliff Wise men store up knowledge…Proverbs 10:14a One of the immense edifices on the skyline of Christian history over the last hundred years was the eminent leader, Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones (1899-1981). He is noteworthy not only because he was a great preacher and the pastor of Westminster […]
ReadOne of the most staggering verses in the Bible is surely Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who are the called according to his purpose.” What is so breath-taking is the scope of Paul’s conviction, “in all things,” and the unbounded assurance […]
ReadAn elder preceded the minister into the pulpit and then came to the front and addressed the congregation. “Last week…a child was bored in the service.” A gasp went through the congregation. Men looked at their feet, women cried quietly, and children went white. “The church officers are meeting with the minister during the week […]
Readby Dr Mary Haynes A few years ago, I was working on a mobile clinic in western Kenya. Returning from one of our many tours, we found a desperately sick woman lying across the road. Her condition was critical so we drove her to the nearest government hospital, five hours away. When we arrived she […]
ReadYou will appreciate that much of my time is devoted to the endeavor of applying the Word of God to individuals, as well as to the gathered congregation. The public ministry of the Word is accomplished through preaching. The private application of the Word to individuals, or couples, or families is done through counseling. I […]
ReadThe first and worst cause of error that prevails in our day is spiritual pride. This is the main door by which the devil comes into the hearts of those who are zealous for the advancement of Christ. It is the chief inlet of smoke from the bottomless pit to darken the mind and mislead […]
ReadOn March 31, at Bryn-y-Groes Conference Centre, Bala in North Wales, the Associating Evangelical Churches of North Wales held a Day Conference on medical ethics. The speaker was Dr John Ling, a lecturer in the faculty of Biological Sciences at the University in Aberystwyth. He is the author of a new book entitled, Responding to […]
ReadIt’s what mothers’ worst nightmares are made of – the last thing Jason and Trina Baker expected as they headed out into a blizzard in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on January 2, 1999. And because it was so unexpected, it was all the more horrifying when it happened. As they headed out into the gathering storm […]
ReadSinclair Ferguson Last thing at night, when our children were small, I often secretly watched them as they slept: there they lay, breathing rhythmically, almost imperceptibly, relaxed, at ease, enjoying “the sleep of innocence.” But man – perhaps especially a father – looks on the outward appearance. What of the heart on which God gazes? […]
ReadFriday evening, December 1, Dr. Duane Gish debated Dr. Massimo Pigliucci for the fifth time. The debate was at the Church of Christ of Winchester, Virginia, before an audience estimated at 1200. Dr. Pigliucci, a native of Italy, has a Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Connecticut and is an Associate Professor of Botany, […]
ReadThe phrase “Third Way” is so seductive. It suggests that the tension between the locked in polarities of evangelical and liberal, or Protestant and Roman Catholic can be overcome by a third option. “If only there were more discussion, prayer, trust, give and take, leading of the Spirit, our antagonisms could come to an end.” […]
ReadThe Tie No Longer Binds Former President Jimmy Carter’s “resignation” from the Southern Baptist Convention was intended to draw public attention—and it did. After all, it isn’t every day that one of the world’s most famous citizens denounces his denomination. Mr. Carter, now 76, has been America’s most active former president. His efforts at peacemaking, […]
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