Billy Graham - 50 years ago

Church History did not start with Billy Graham but as this video of a sermon on "the Great Judgment" 50 years ago shows, God certainly used him mightily both at home and abroad, as the simple Gospel thundered from his lips.

Steve Camp wrote on his blog: My father worked with Billy in the early days and helped launch his ministry in radio around the country. This is the evangelist/Bible preacher I so appreciate. My friend, the late Stephen Olford, told me once of his early encounter with Billy before the Lord granted him a wider audience to preach to. He said that Billy's preaching was average, his understanding of biblical truths ordinary, and the results almost nonexistent. But they embarked together on a journey spiritually over the next several weeks of confession of and repentance of sin; and a concentrated study of God's Word and long seasons of prayer.

I will never forget what Dr. Olford then said to me, "Steve, for reasons known only to heaven, the next time Billy preached the Holy Spirit was at work; people came and filled the churches; and before the end of the sermon could even be concluded, they were streaming down the aisles in repentance of their sins to receive and follow the Lord Jesus Christ."

How I treasured hearing this message this evening and I pray it will encourage your soul as well. Oh for THAT Dr. Graham to be duplicated once again in today's young men of God seeking to serve the Lord Jesus! There was never the mark in those crusades of the sooty ordure of the culturally driven preachers like there is today. On the contrary: the Word preached faithfully and the gospel presented clearly.

True biblical ministry is not defined by the times, but by the truth of God's Word. It was enough then... and it should be enough in ministry today as well.

Amen? Amen!

Images of the Savior (27 -- The Institution of the Aaronic Priesthood)

Although the priestly office of Jesus Christ our Savior is most properly to be thought of in the order of Melchizedek (see Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 6:20), who stands as the pre-eminent Old Testament type of Jesus our High Priest, yet the Aaronic priesthood, as well, although not precisely in continuity with Jesus' priestly ministry, is nevertheless full of images and symbols that speak of the later work of the Messiah, and foreshadow his mediatorial, intercessory, and reconciliatory roles. We may obtain an overview of the diverse and numerous ways in which this is so from a cursory examination of the instructions given to Moses on Mount Sinai, pertaining to Aaron his brother, in which regulations concerning the persons, the vestments, and the ministries of the priestly class are enjoined upon him in some detail; and of which we may read in Exodus chapters twenty-eight through thirty.

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Christ Alone Sufficient

Remember, sinner, it is not thy hold of Christ that saves thee–it is Christ; it is not thy joy in Christ that saves thee–it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that is the instrument–it is Christ’s blood and merits; therefore, look not to thy hope, but to Christ, the source of thy hope; look not to thy faith, but to Christ, the author and finisher of thy faith; and if thou doest that, ten thousand devils cannot throw thee down…There is one thing which we all of us too much becloud in our preaching, though I believe we do it very unintentionally–namely, the great truth that it is not prayer, it is not faith, it is not our doings, it is not our feelings upon which we must rest, but upon Christ, and on Christ alone. We are apt to think that we are not in a right state, that we do not feel enough, instead of remembering that our business is not with self, but Christ. Let me beseech thee, look only to Christ; never expect delieverance from self, from ministers, or from any means of any kind apart from Christ; keep thine eye simply on Him; let his death, His agonies, His groans, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession, be fresh upon thy mind; when thou wakest in the morning look for Him; when thou liest down at night look for Him. (The Forgotten Spugeon, Iain Murray, pg. 42.)

"...the gospel is news about what God has already been done for you, rather than instruction and advice about what you are to do for God. The primacy of his work, not our work, is part of the essence of faith. In other religions, God reveals to us how we can find or achieve salvation. In Christianity, God achieves salvation for us. The gospel brings news primarily, rather than instruction. " ...the gospel is all about historic events, and thus it has a public character. "It identifies Christian faith as news that has significance for all people, indeed for the whole world, not merely as esoteric understanding or insight." [Brownson, p. 46] ...if Jesus is not risen from the dead, Christianity does not "work". The gospel is that Jesus died and rose for us. If the historic events of his life did not happen, then Christianity does not "work" for the good news is that God has entered the human "now" (history) with the life of the world to come....the gospel is news about what God has done in history to save us, rather than advice about what we must do to reach God. The gospel is news that Jesus' life, death, and resurrection in history has achieved our salvation...Jesus does not just bring good news; he is the good news." - Tim Keller

Christ’s all-sufficiency means, by implication, that we are insufficient of ourselves. Indeed the Scripture says “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.†2 Corinthians 3:5

There may be More Active Christians in China than in Any other Country

Christianity in China
Sons of heaven
Oct 2nd 2008 | BEIJING AND SHANGHAI
From The Economist print edition
Inside China’s fastest-growing non-governmental organisation

ZHAO XIAO, a former Communist Party official and convert to Christianity, smiles over a cup of tea and says he thinks there are up to 130m Christians in China. This is far larger than previous estimates. The government says there are 21m (16m Protestants, 5m Catholics). Unofficial figures, such as one given by the Centre for the Study of Global Christianity in Massachusetts, put the number at about 70m. But Mr Zhao is not alone in his reckoning. A study of China by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, an American think-tank, says indirect survey evidence suggests many unaffiliated Christians are not in the official figures. And according to China Aid Association (CAA), a Texas-based lobby group, the director of the government body which supervises all religions in China said privately that the figure was indeed as much as 130m in early 2008.

If so, it would mean China contains more Christians than Communists (party membership is 74m) and there may be more active Christians in China than in any other country. In 1949, when the Communists took power, less than 1% of the population had been baptised, most of them Catholics. Now the largest, fastest-growing number of Christians belong to Protestant “house churchesâ€.

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Should we use altar calls in our evangelism?

Genuine conversion - its something every true child of God wishes to see. As Christians, we all pray to God for souls to be saved and thankfully, this is happening all across our world. We also seek to reach out to people at home and abroad with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Evangelism is both a privilege and a duty. What we often fail to question is our own methodology in evangelism. We all have traditions. Some of them are biblical and helpful; others are not so.

So what about the altar call?

It may be something of a surprise for most Christians in our day to learn that the "altar call" is very much a modern day invention in Church history, made famous by the heretic Charles Finney. It may sound like extremely strong language and even ridiculous to some people for me to class Finney as a heretic. He is perceived by many as one of the great heroes in Church history, especially for his efforts in evangelism. Yet I do not say these words lightly. If I met someone on the street (who did not have the famous name of Finney) and they denied the substitutionary atonement of Christ, justification by faith alone, and the imputation of the righteousness of Christ (amongst other things) I would immediately seek to lead that person to Christ. If they remained convinced that these biblical doctrines were error, I would be very surprised to see that person in heaven. Yet Finney clearly denied these major doctrines (for more on this, read his Systematic Theology and these articles and lectures here)

Before Charles Finney, the "altar call" was basically unknown. The likes of Martin Luther, George Whitefield and C. H. Spurgeon, great Evangelists in the history of the Church, were men who shook entire nations as they were used mightily by the Lord in evangelism, yet never once did any of them use the modern day "altar call."

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If Divine Election is True then What Need is There to Preach the Gospel?

Visitor:

Response: Well, first of all, the doctrine of predestination does not save anyone, Christ does. Furthermore, according to Calvinism, and more importantly, according to the Bible, a person must put their faith in Jesus Christ if they are to be saved.

I believe you may be confusing the concepts of justification with regeneration. All Calvinists have historically believed that it is vital that the gospel must be preached and received in order for a person to be saved. The Reformers called this the ministry of Word and Spirit. No one will ever be justified (or made right with God) without receiving Christ ... that is why I have personally been a committed missionary for 10 years.

The issue comes down to this: is anyone naturally willing to accept the humbling terms of the gospel (1 Cor 2:14; Rom 3:11, 12, 8;7). Any true gospel preaching is done "with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven" (1 Peter 1:12). Otherwise it comes to men only in word, with no saving effect at all. The Apostle Paul, when speaking to the elect at the church of the Thessalonians said, "for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction." (1 Thessalonians 1:5). Where the Holy Spirit is active, convicting men of sin, righteousness and judgment, the gospel is spoken with power. Illumination and regeneration alone can open the eyes of our spiritual understanding and raise us from spiritual death so that we might have a new desire and thus take heed to the gospel when preached. In other words, the word of God does not work "ex opere operato," (automatically) rather, it is the work of the Holy Spirit sovereignly dispensing grace (John 3:8), quickening the heart THROUGH THE WORD to bring forth life. So the written word is not the material of the spiritual new birth, but rather its means or medium. "The word is not the begetting principle itself, but only that by which it works: the vehicle of the mysterious germinating power". It is because the Spirit of God accompanies it that the word carries in it the germ of life. The life is in God, yet it is communicated to us through the word.

In light of this, consider: If man had a free will, as you claim, he would have no need of the Holy Spirit. He could simply come to Christ in his own natural powers. But all Christians acknowledge that no one can say Jesus is Lord apart from the Spirit. And as soon as any Christian admits that he cannot come to Christ apart from the Holy Spirit, he implicitly acknowledges that man has no free will, but that all are in bonage to the corruption of nature.

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The Daily Scroll

Chris Ross (the founding contributor of The Conventicle), has just launched a new website called The Daily Scroll (www.dailyscroll.net). He created The Daily Scroll in order to promote posts from Christian bloggers that are informative, insightful, edifying, glorifying to God, entertaining, or all of the above.

Images of the Savior (26 -- The Tabernacle)

When Moses met with God on Mount Sinai, and was given instructions to make a tabernacle where God might dwell among his people, he was strictly enjoined to make it precisely in accordance with the pattern that God had shown him. This is because the tabernacle was symbolic of heavenly realities, and was intended to instruct the people of God concerning his holiness and the way into his presence through Jesus Christ, every part and arrangement answering to the true dwelling place of God and the manner in which his people might come before him (cf. Hebrews 9:23-24). The ways in which the tabernacle symbolized God's presence among his people are many, but every way is united and brought into harmony in the person of Jesus Christ: for the tabernacle was in one sense a microcosmic model of the entire universe, in which God created the earth for the habitation of men, the heavens where they might behold his glory, and the highest heavens in which is his very throne room, and into which they might not at all enter; and in another sense, it is constructed to depict the process of redemption, in which, through the shedding of blood, the washing of water, the fragrant incense of intercessory prayer, and so on, a sinner is brought from profane earth into thrice-holy heaven; and yet again, it depicts the movement of redemptive history as a whole, being reminiscent of the original paradise in Eden, prophetic of the New Covenant Church of Christ, and answerable to the final city of New Jerusalem, in which all history will find its fitting conclusion. But in all these things, there is brought about an admirable unity in Christ, through whom the universe was created, redemptive history is realized, sinners are brought to God, and New Jerusalem becomes the place of God's dwelling among men. But let us reflect on these things a little further.

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Living for God's Glory - Excerpt from Preface

For many years, I have searched for a book that would cover the intellectual and spiritual emphases of Calvinism, the way it influences the church and everyday living, and its ethical and cultural implications. The book I had in mind would explain for today’s reader the biblical, God-centered, heartfelt, winsome, and practical nature of Calvinism, and would clearly convey how Calvinism earnestly seeks to meet the purpose for which we were created, namely, to live to the glory of God. By doing so, it would serve as a corrective to the many caricatures of Calvinism that still exist in North America and beyond. I searched in vain. Over the years, I have frequently used H. Henry Meeter’s The Basic Ideas of Calvinism and Leonard Coppes’s Are Five Points Enough? The Ten Points of Calvinism, as well as a number of smaller books on the five points of Calvinism. But none of these, good though they are, covered all the emphases I had in mind. After giving a number of addresses on Calvinism for Malcolm Watts’ conference in Salisbury, England, for the Puritan Project in Brazil, and for a conference in Adelaide, Australia, I realized more acutely the real need for the kind of book I envisioned. I wish to thank these groups for the warm fellowship I received from them, and I am glad that I can finally respond to their requests to publish these addresses as part of this introductory volume on Calvinism.

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Ain't She Tweet

Some people are so narrow minded, their ears touch! They can look through a key hole with both eyes!

I have noticed that many people sometimes just need to chill out a little.. know what I mean? ... laugh at themselves a little more.. and just.. well.. just be nice!

God has a sense of humor.. just look in the mirror! Lets remember that God is never worried.. He knows His plans will always succeed. He works all things according to the counsel of His will (Eph. 1:11). He laughs at His enemies, thinking their attempts to prevent His Kingly rule in the earth is a big hilarious joke (see Psalm 2)..

anyway.. to aid us in getting more in touch with reality (yeah right!!), lets take a trip down memory lane and watch a few minutes of tweety.

Some might ask, "errrrr... what exactly has this got to do with reformed theology? show us the exegesis and it sufficeth us" - and you know.. that's the problem I am talking about.. there's a time to laugh or at least smile a little more.. The Bible tells us that a merry heart does good like a medicine...

I will be honest - I am not quite sure what tweety has to do with reformed theology, but give me some time and I may come up with something.. but maybe with the state of the nation, the church and the economy as it is right now, and with Arminian theology so rampant in the world.. this might just help someone out there..

It might not of course... but it just might. :-)

So for those who need it.. help is on the way.. here's "Ain't She Tweet"