The Marks of New Life in Christ - Charles Spurgeon

"As this God-begotten spiritual life in men is a mystery, we shall speak to more practical effect if we dwell upon the signs following and accompanying it, for these are the things at which we must aim. ...conviction of sin...a simple faith in Jesus Christ...unfeigned repentance of sin...a real change of life...true prayer...a willingness to obey the Lord...A soul-winner can do nothing without God.  He must cast himself on the Invisible, or be a laughing-stock to the devil, who regards with utter disdain all who think to subdue human nature with mere words and arguments."
Charles Spurgeon in The Soul Winner (19-24)

Free Audiobook Download - Christianaudio.com

This month's free audiobook download from Christianaudio.com is John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life, helping you to consider and fulfill God's plan for your life!

Free Downloads on christianaudio - Audiobooks, MP3, M4B, iPhone Apps, Free Downloads!

Bible Verses - Marriage Roles - Husband & Wife

I think this is a helpful (not comprehensive) list of some of the Biblical roles of husbands and wives and the corresponding Scriptures. 

There is a temptation for someone to use these against your spouse...but the Biblical guidance is to test yourself in your own role.

Matthew 7:3-4 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?"

How does the Bible describe the wife’s role in marriage?

• Helpmate (Genesis 2:18)
• Loving and gracious submission to the leadership of her husband (Ephesians 5:22, Colossians 3:18)
• Not strive or resist the leadership of her husband (Genesis 3:16, 1 Peter 3:1)
• Respect her husband (Ephesians 5:33)
• Diligent worker, whether at home or in the worklplace (Proverbs 31)
• Hospitable towards others and generous towards poor (Proverbs 31)
• Cares for children and household (Proverb 31)
• Meet sexual needs of husband (1 Corinthians 7)
• Be beautiful on the inside (1 Peter 3:4)

 How does the Bible describe the husband’s role in marriage?

• Spiritual leader ( 1 Corinthians 11:3) towards glorifying God and unity with each other (one flesh)
• Not dictatorial or harsh (Colossians 3:19)
• Leading in a sacrificial way the way Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:23)
• Provide - feed and care (Ephesians 5:29, Genesis 3:17-19)
• Protect - love their wives as their own bodies (Ephesians 5:28, 1 Peter 3:7)
• Praise your wife (Proverbs 31:28)
• Meet sexual needs of wife (1 Corinthians 7)
• Be considerate and respect your wife (1 Peter 3:7)

Quote - John MacArthur

"If we are truly born of God, we have a faith that cannot fail to overcome the world (1 John 5:4).  We may sin (1 John 2:1) - we will sin- but the process of sanctification can never stall completely.  God is at work in us (Phil. 2:13), and He will continue to perfect us until the day of Christ (Phil 1:6; 1 Thess. 5:23-24)."  The Gospel According to Jesus by John MacArthur (p. 33)

Why We Should Memorize Scripture - John Piper

I love this short video of John Piper's reasons to memorize Scripture.  It is a helpful reminder and an encouragement for us all to be more diligent in this task!



Memorizing Scripture....

1. makes meditation possible at times when you can't be reading the Bible and meditation is the pathway to deeper understanding.
2. strengthens my faith because faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of God and that happens when I am hearing the Word in my head.
3. shapes the way I view the world by conforming my mind to God's viewpoint on everything.
4. makes God's Word more readily accessible in overcoming temptation to sin because God's warnings and promises are the way we conquer the deceitful lies of the devil.
5. guards my mind, making it easier to detect error and the world is filled with error because the god of this worldis a liar.
6. enables me to hit the devil in the face with a force he cannot resist to protect myself and my family from his assaults.
7. provides the strongest and sweetest words for ministering to others in need
8. provides the matrix for fellowship with Jesus because He talks to me through His Word and nowhere else.

HT: Matt Hess & Michael Kelley

Carnal Christianity - B.B. Warfield's Response to Lewis Sperry Chafer

"'It is a grievous error to teach that a true believer in Christ can stop short in 'carnality.'"

"[Lewis Sperry] Chafer's characterization of the carnal man actually 'assigns to the lower class [of Christians] practically all the marks of the unregenerate man.'"

"He who believes in Jesus Christ is under grace, and his whole course, in its process and in its issue alike, is determined by grace, and therefore, having been predestined to be conformed to the image of God's Son, he is surely being conformed to that image, God Himself seeing to it that he is not only called and justified but also glorified.  You may find Christians at every stage of this process, for it is a process through which all must pass; but you will find none who will not in God's own good time and way pass through every stage of it.  There are not two kinds of Christians, although there are Christians at every conceivable stage of advancement..."

quoted from B.B. Warfield's "Review of Chafer" (p.326-327) in Christ the Lord: The Reformation and Lordship Salvation Edited by Michael S.Horton (p.161-162)

Quote - Jerry Bridges

"It is time for us Christians to face up to our responsibility for holiness.  Too often we say we are 'defeated' by this or that sin.  No, we are not defeated; we are simply disobedient!  It might be well if we stopped using the terms 'victory' and 'defeat' to describe our progress in holiness.  Rather we should use the terms 'obedience' and 'disobedience.'  When I say I am defeated by some sin, I am unconsciously slipping out from under my responsibility.  I am saying something outside me has defeated me.  But when I say I am disobedient, that places the responsibility for sin squarely on me..." -The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges (p.84-85) 

Missions Statistic

This is a sad and discouraging statistic, but motivates me towards mobilizing our churches towards greater faithfulness, integrity, and sacrificial giving....
"Less than 6% of global Christian giving goes to support world missions, with outreach, evangelism, and translation work among non-Christians attracting the least money.  'The average church member donating his $2.75 a week, gives out of this only $0.15 to support Christian foreign missions.'  In fact, the annual total amount of church money embezzled is $16 billion, more than the $15 billion spent on foreign missions.'"

The Great Commission: Evangelicals and the History of World Missions edited by Martin Klauber & Scott Manetsch (p.127)

May we be people who demonstrate by our giving and spending that we care more about the unsaved than we do about ourselves.

John Piper - Suffering, God, & Life's Purpose

Here is a short but helpful interview with John Piper at the Third Lausanne Conference on World Evangelization going on in Cape Town, South Africa.  In this interview he addresses the connections between:

1. Evangelism (alleviating eternal suffering) & Social Action (alleviating temporal suffering)
2. Theology (thinking about God) & Doxology (affections about God)
3. Purpose of Life & Idolatrous Joys

Psalm 16:11 "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

John 15:8,11 "This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples...I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."