Light and Truth, by Horatius Bonar

Some of the best devotional books are the ones that need dug up from a by-gone age. This has been my experience. Today we live in an age where spiritual exposition and communion are largely unknown. There is a forgotten life of spiritual devotion. From ministers to new converts it's an age of human interaction and not Divine interaction. Maybe you have felt down or depressed when it comes to devoting some private time to God? Spiritual devotion is difficult in this world of me, me, me... but the Lord by His Spirit can enlighten us through another's eyes.

To this end I'd like to recommend a devotional book by Rev Horatius Bonar. It is a very simple work for devotional needs. He uses one verse or so as his base text and then goes on to talk about the text in a sermon format. However, it is unlike a sermon in as much as Bonar uses the most flowing and picturesque language. He is not stiff at all. Every one of his devotional doses have gone down easy. They are also eminently practical; making you think and consider your soul in light of the truth presented. His electric prose here is matched only by the spiritual aura of his hymn writing.

"Every one of his devotional doses have gone down easy."

We need to read our Bibles as they are to our eyes and seek to consume portions of it into our soul daily. Yet some devotional advice from Bonar can go a long way. He makes you think and play over in detail the Spirit's meaning in the scripture. I have only personal praise and joy in guiding you to this little cluster of gems for your personal devotion.

They come in a series of books taking you through the whole Bible. A text here and there is taken and a devotional thought is brought out in sparkling detail. I propose this, therefore, as an addition to your normal reading and study, but what an addition it could serve to be! Enlighten your soul with some genuine spiritual communion with Christ.

You can read it for free on google ebooks or buy it for 77p(British) on Kindle.  You can get a good idea of the book in this pdf format too.

Running a Local Church: A Lost Discipline

In the sense of how the local church is run, I believe in these modern times and right across the Church, we have lost the biblical disciple of how a local church should be run. The structure of a local church should be Presbyterian, for that is both logical and biblical at once. But the inner function of a band of God's people needs close spiritual criticism.

Here is my complaint: it is usually the person with the biggest ego and not the person with the most talent that has responsibility in the Church of God. This is sad and regrettable. All our labours must be predicated on a personal relationship with Christ and a credible testimony among the people inside and outside the Church community. Built upon this there must be a God given talent. If someone is gifted musically, there should be a natural progression to exercising that gift. If one is gifted technologically, intellectually etc. Christ gave gifts to the church according to Ephesians 4. No doubt these included gifts in all areas of 'God glorifying labour.'

'it is usually the person with the biggest ego and not the person with the most talent that has responsibility in the Church of God'

In the Presbyterian pattern then, it is essential that the Elders lead the shepherding of the people and delegate to where needs in the church are open. This is a lost disciple and we must get back to it by local Church Order becoming important again. By individually cultivating our gifts and testimonies; and then in God's time by exercising those gifts for the better running of the Church and ultimately for the Glory of God in our lives, fellowship and witness to the world.

So both the church and we as individuals carry the great responsibility of giving to God's work. Let us go forward in anticipation of what God can do in us and through us!

Church Goers Need Saved Too!

I was preaching last night on this matter of the need to be in Christ by entering into him by faith and repentance. The need for substance to fill the profession. I would encourage you to think upon this. The passage in Matt 7:21-23 certainly leads us, in the words of Christ, to consider the substance of our profession. The whole of Matthew 7 concerns this very matter and would be a good passage to read with this thought in mind. My outline was as follows:

1. There is a place called Heaven- "The Kingdom of Heaven" 

2. There is a place called Hell- "Depart from me" + "Ye that work iniquity"

3. There is only one way to Heaven- "Lord, Lord"

4. There are many ways to Hell- "Lord, Lord, have we not..."

There is an imperative to take Christ, that is present throughout this passage. I used a line from John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress- "There is a way to hell, even from the gates of heaven." From sitting in Church, from listening to the gospel and knowing about Christ, we can still go into everlasting punishment. Please consider this seriously and ensure you have in the simplest sense taken Christ without question or without your own works and hopes. Christ alone will get you into heaven. Every other combination only serves to drive you into the pit when you stand before God!

Six Weeks Ministry...In Calgary

It is a very exciting time for my wife and I as week undertake 6 weeks ministry in Calgary Free Presbyterian Church. We have had a full day of traveling through us and a wee sleep too. Calgary is 7 hours behind Northern Ireland, so there is an adjust to take place over a few days.

I will be preaching on John the Baptist in Bible class. For the prayer meeting, I am considering a study of the upper room experience with Christ and His disciples. The Sabbath services will probably be a series of individual messages, usually encouraging and instructing the believers in the morning and then offering Christ to unbelievers in the evening.

Please pray for this endeavour, that God will keep us safe and visit us in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Pray also for the people of the church, that they may know the presence of Christ as our ministry among them is exercised.

John MacArthur's Cutting Words on Joel Osteen

He's not always right, but very often he's spot on! You can apply his conclusions to many others who preach the same self-serving gospel.