Holy laughter

I've posted this before, but it's worth a second post for those who haven't seen it.

Prayer

This is taken from the new biography of Archibald Brown, by Iain Murray.  Brown was a friend (and successor) of Spurgeon's and is inevitably overshadowed by him; but he deserves to be much better known.  Spurgeon once said 'The God who answers by orphanages, let him be God' (he obviously had in mind his own orphanage, Barnado's, Muller's - and Brown's).  Brown opened an orphanage in Harley street to help the poorest of his own district.  Here's a story worth knowing.

Brown believed in God’s daily providential care, and the fact that it was not his habit to emphasise the extraordinary makes the following words the more impressive:

The first of October set in very cold, and the matron said, ‘The boys ought to have some greatcoats, Mr Brown.’  I said, ‘Go and ask the Lord to give us some.’  She looked and said, ‘Do you mean that?’  I said, ‘Yes.’  So we just knelt down and said, ‘Lord, please send us some greatcoats for these boys.  They are thine, not ours.’  Now then, scoffer, account for it if you can.  That was at three o’clock.  At five o’clock that afternoon a messenger came over from the orphan home, saying, ‘You are wanted at once.’  I went and saw a cab in front of No. 2 Harley Street, and in my unbelief I said, ‘Dear me!  Is anybody ill, and has the doctor been fetched?’  When I went in there was such a scene.  There were Scotch tweed coats all over the place.  A whole cab-full had been sent.  I said to the gentleman who had brought them, ‘I have not ordered these.  Isn’t there some mistake?’  He said, ‘No, a gentleman came into our place two hours ago (that is the time the matron and I were praying) and said that we were to bring down as many greatcoats as were necessary to rig out all your boys, and they were to be of the best Scotch tweed.’

From ‘Archibald G Brown’ by Iain Murray (page 112)

Oh, THERE you are...

This is a story I heard a long time ago and have been trying to find for ages.  I've got it now courtesy of The Wanderer, so thought I'd put it here so that it doesn't get lost again.

Dr. Alexander Whyte loved to tell of a commercial traveller named Rigby who, when in Edinburgh, used to stay at the Waverley Hotel, and, on Sunday, always made his way to St. George’s. He could not preach and always found it difficult even to discuss spiritual themes with others. But before leaving the hotel for the church he always looked around for somebody whom he could invite to accompany him. One morning, on approaching a man with this invitation, he received something like a rebuff. The stranger at first refused, but finally consented, and was so moved by the service that he asked Mr. Rigby to go with him again in the evening. That night, at St. George’s, he found Christ. Next morning, in the course of his business, Mr Rigby chanced to pass the home of Dr. Alexander Whyte. Acting on a sudden impulse, he made up his mind to call and tell Dr. Whyte of his experience on Sunday. Dr. Whyte was deeply moved. “I thought,” he said, “that last night’s sermon fell very flat, and I have been feeling very depressed about it. But what did you say your name was?” Mr Rigby repeated it. “Why,” exclaimed Dr. Whyte in delight, “you are the man I’ve been looking for for years!” He then went to his study, and returned carrying a bundle of letters, from which he read such extracts as these: “I was spending a week-end in Edinburgh some weeks ago, and a fellow commercial called Rigby invited me to accompany him to St. George’s. The message of that service changed my life.” “I am a young man, and the other day I came to hear you preach, at the invitation of a man called Rigby, and in that service I decided to dedicate my life to Christ.” Dr Whyte went on to say that twelve of the letters were from young men. of whom four had already entered the ministry.

Cranmer on incest - just wondering...?

Returning home from the Banner Conference, there's lots to catch up with.  Archibishop Cranmer is always worth a look; scroll down to April 13th ( can't work out how to link directly to this one) and see his comment on the case of Patrick Stuebing.  It's a sad case: Patrick only ment his sister after thy were grown; they fell in love and have four children together.  He argued that the law against incest discriminated against him - and he lost.  As Cranmer says, the law apparently does have the right to a say about what is allowed in the bedroom.  'In matters of sexual expression we are not free to do as we please.'

Hmm.  I agree, of course.  But I do wonder - don't you? - if incest between two brothers would have been deemed illegal?

Nine seconds to laugh

Evangelistic Preaching - again

Here's another quote from Roger Carswell

"Thirty years or so ago churches did away with the Sunday evening gospel service.  In the last five to ten years, we have been doing away with the evening service.  I fear we are losing gospel preaching altogether.  A fine personal worker said to me recently that if he wanted to take people to hear the gospel in a church, though there is fine Bible teaching all over town, he would have to take them to a Brethren Gospel Hall, as it is the only place where the gospel is preached.  I would love to see a return to gospel preaching*, gospel services - whether on Sunday evening, morning, afternoon or during the week!  Then we may again discover evangelists in our churches."

* Me too, Roger.  Me too.

Flying

Don't worry, folks - it's only an illusion.  

Wiersbe on the Resurrection

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a vital part of the gospel message, for a dead Christ can save nobody (1 Cor. 15:1-19).  The empty tomb is proof that he is the Son of God (Rom. 1:4); that believers have a future inheritance (1 Pet. 1:3ff); that we will once again meet Christians who have died (1 Thess. 4:4-18); that our Christian ministry is not in vain (1 Cor. 15:50-58); and that Jesus Christ will one day judge lost sinners (Acts 17:30-31).  The early church bore witness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:22; 4:2, 33), and so should we today.

Friday

"The truest reward of our life's work is to bring dead souls to life.  I long to see souls brought to Jesus... it should break my heart if I did not see it... Men are passing into eternity so rapidly that we must have them saved at once... Brethren, can we bear to be useless?  Can we be barren, and yet content?" (Spurgeon).

If one poor soul from Moordown

Should meet me at His right hand,

My heaven will be two heavens

In Immanuel's land.

All religions lead to God, says evangelist

Here's the full quote:

"Let us remember that all religions do lead to God - all people will eventually meet God at the throne of judgement.  Only Jesus brings people to God on the throne of grace.  Only Jesus brings us to God the Father.  So it is crucial that everyone hears about the Saviour, before they meet Him as their judge." (Roger Carswell, in his April newsletter).


So - what are you doing to tell them?