 By T. M. Moore|Published Date: March 08, 2010
“In attestation of his wondrous wisdom, both the heavens and the earth present us with innumerable proofs, not only those more recondite proofs which astronomy, medicine, and all the natural sciences, are designed to illustrate, but proofs which force themselves on the notice of the most illiterate peasant, who cannot open his eyes without noticing them. It is true, indeed, that those who are more or less intimately acquainted with those liberal studies are thereby assisted and enabled to obtain a deeper insight into the secret workings of divine wisdom.”[1]
Download this week's study:  Intimately Acquainted.
[1] John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Henry Beveridge, tr. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1953), Vol. 1, I.v.2, p. 51. |
 By Matt Guerino|Published Date: March 01, 2010
John Wesley, The Use of Money (sermon)
“You see the nature and extent of truly Christian prudence so far as it relates to the use of that great talent, money. Gain all you can, without hurting either yourself or your neighbour, in soul or body, by applying hereto with unintermitted diligence, and with all the understanding which God has given you; -- save all you can, by cutting off every expense which serves only to indulge foolish desire; to gratify either the desire of flesh, the desire of the eye, or the pride of life; waste nothing, living or dying, on sin or folly, whether for yourself or your children; -- and then, give all you can, or, in other words, give all you have to God.”
Download this week's study: God's Business.
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An Idea for Lent: Give Up Worry! |
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By T. M. Moore|Published Date: February 22, 2010
“The spirit of worry which pervades our life is the spirit of little or wrong faith. For worry always concentrates on what seems to be the sole means of getting rid of worry: we are worried about the means of sustaining life, financial or political means, as representing the only means of safety – i.e. the way out sought the lack of a way out. We are living by bread alone; worry is nothing else but the worship of these means – the worship of bread, or the earthly lord of bread, who can put us on short rations.”[1]
Download this week's study: Giving Up Worry.
[1] Helmut Thielicke, Between God and Satan (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1973). P. 40.
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 By Walter H. Norvell|Published Date: February 15, 2010
Vance Havner, (1901-1986), Peace in the Valley, p 75[1]
To be sure, our main business is not to stir up trouble and certainly not personal antagonism because of our wrong attitudes. But when Christianity is inoffensive it is ineffective. The offense is the scandal of the cross. All we have to do is to be Christians, and take our stand with Christ for right from wrong, and there will be trouble aplenty. If there is no trouble, then we have a denatured Christianity.
The world has put up a “Please Do Not Disturb” sign and some churchmen are walking on tiptoe to respect it. They labor under the mistaken notion that it is un-Christian to take a stand against anything. The man who is not against something is not really for anything. In the very nature of the case, to be for God with any fervor is to be opposed to evil with equal fire. The degree of intensity with which we hate evil is a pretty good gauge of how much we love God.
Apart from the return of our Lord, the only possible hope today is for the church to stop passing resolutions and begin promoting revolutions—the Acts-of-the-Apostles kind of revolutions that stir the community, agitate the ungodly, alarm the workers of iniquity and enrage the devil. Anything is better than to be ignored. The church made greater strides when the wicked hurled brickbats at the saints instead of hanging bouquets on them for being nice, inoffensive people who never interfere with the program of Satan.
God make us disturbers of this world’s false peace!
Download this week's study: Disturbing.
[1] Vance Havner, Peace in the Valley (Westwood, New Jersey, Fleming H. Revell Company, 1962), p. 75. |
 By Matt Guerino|Published Date: February 08, 2010
Clement, Bishop of Rome (late 1st century), The First Epistle of Clement[1]
“My brothers, do let us have a little humility; let us forget our self assertion and braggadocio and stupid quarreling, and do what the Bible tells us instead. The Holy Spirit says, The wise man is not to brag of his wisdom, nor the strong man of his strength, nor the rich man of his wealth; if a man boast, he should boast of the Lord, seeking him out and acting with justice and uprightness.
More particularly, let us remember what the Lord Jesus Christ said in one of His lessons on mildness and forbearance. Be merciful, He told us, that you may obtain mercy; forgive, that you may be forgiven, what you do yourself, will be done to you; what you give, will be given to you; as you judge, so you will be judged; as you show kindness, so it will be shown to you… Christ belongs to the lowly of heart, and not to those who would exalt themselves over his flock.”
Download this week's study: Together.
For more information on this subject, get the book, The Connecting Church, by Randy Frazee from our online store. Or read the article, “The Ties that Bind” by Chuck Colson.
[1] Staniforth, Maxwell and Louth, Andrew, trans., Early Christian Writings (New York, Penguine Books, 1987) pp. 28-29. |
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 If, by Amy Carmichael (1867-1951) [1]
If I ask to be delivered from trial rather than for deliverance out of it, to the praise of His glory;
If I forget that the way of the cross
leads to the cross
and not to a bank of flowers;
If I regulate my life on these lines,
or even unconsciously my thinking,
so that I am surprised when the way is rough
and think it strange, though the word is,
“Think it not strange,”
“Count it all joy,”
Then I know nothing of Calvary love.
For more insight into dealing with suffering, read the book, A Path Through Suffering by Elisabeth Elliot or the article, “Suffering and Evil” by T. M. Moore.
[1] Amy Carmichael. If. Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1938. p 75. Note: If is a collection of 65 short poems which explore the difficulty of living out our calling to love God first, and to love others as Christ loves us.
Download this week's study: Calvary Love
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