FIVE ESSENTIAL DOCTRINES TO BELIEVE IN--J.C. RYLE

1. The Absolute Supremacy of Holy Scripture

Show us anything, plainly written, in that Book, we will receive it, believe it, and submit to it. Show us anything contrary to that Book, and however sophisticated, plausible, beautiful and apparently desirable, we will not have it at any price.

2. The Doctrine of Human Sinfulness and Corruption

Man is radically diseased. I believe that ignorance of the extent of the Fall, and of the whole doctrine of original sin, is one grand reason why many can neither understand, appreciate, nor receive Evangelical Religion.

3. The Work and Office of our Lord Jesus Christ

The eternal Son of God is our Representative and Substitute. We maintain that people ought to be continually warned not to make a Christ of the Church. We hold that nothing whatever is needed between the soul of man the sinner, and Christ the Savior, but simple child-like faith.

4. The Inward Work of the Holy Spirit

We maintain that the things which need most to be pressed on men’s attention are those mighty works of the Holy Spirit–inward repentance, faith, hope, hatred of sin, and love to God’s law. We say that to tell men to take comfort in their baptism or church membership when these all-important graces are unknown, is not merely a mistake, but positive cruelty.

5. The Outward and Visible Work of the Holy Spirit in the Life of Man

We maintain that to tell a man he is “born of God” or regenerated, while living in carelessness or sin, is a dangerous delusion. It is the position we assign to these five points which is one of the grand characteristics of Evangelical theology. We say boldly that they are first, foremost, chief and principal things in Christianity.

~ J.C. Ryle

Tract: Evangelical Religion

THE HARD WORK OF THE MINISTRY--CHARLES SPURGEON

The man who does not make hard work of his ministry will find it very hard work to answer for his idleness at the last great day. A gentleman who wants an easy life should never think of occupying the Christian pulpit, he is out of place there, and when he gets there the only advice I can give him is to get out of it as soon as possible; and if he will not leave the position voluntarily, I call to mind the language of Jehu concerning Jezebel, Fling her down, and think the advice applicable to a lazy minister. An idler has no right in the pulpit. He is an instrument of Satan in damning the souls of men.

The ministry demands brain labour; the preacher must throw his thought into his teaching, and read and study to keep his mind in good trim. He must not weary the people by telling them the truth in a stale, unprofitable manner, with nothing fresh from his own soul to give force to it. Above all, he must put heart work into his preaching. He must feel what he preaches: it must never be with him an easy thing to deliver a sermon; he must as if he could preach his very life away ere the sermon is done. There must be soul work in it, the entire man must be stirred up to effort, and the whole nature that God has endowed him with must be concentrated with all its vigour upon the work in hand. Such men we want.

To stand and drone out a sermon in a kind of articulate snoring to a people who are somewhere between awake and asleep must be wretched work. I wonder what kind of excuse will be given by some men at last for having habitually done this. To promulgate a dry creed, and go over certain doctrines, and expound and enforce them logically, but never to deal with men’s consciences, never to upbraid them for their sins, never to tell them of their danger, never to invite them to a Saviour with tears and entreaties! What a powerless work is this! What will become of such preachers? God have mercy upon them! We want labourers, not loiterers. We need men on fire, and I beseech you ask God to send them.-C.H. Spurgeon

MATTHEW HENRY WAS ROBBED

Many years ago, Matthew Henry, a well-known Bible scholar, was once robbed of his wallet. Knowing that it was his duty to give thanks in everything, he meditated on this incident and recorded in his diary the following:

Let me be thankful, first, because he never robbed me before; 

second, because although he took my purse, he did not take my life; 

third, because although he took all I possessed, it was not much; and 

fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.

Matthew Henry (1662-1714)

TWELVE FACTS ABOUT THE TRUE CHURCH --W.F. BELL

The true church is no particular denomination, though there are many true Christians in the various denominations.

The true church is not about entertaining people, producing shows, or making people feel comfortable in their sins.

The true church of Christ proclaims truth, righteousness, and holiness, as it magnifies the grace of God in Christ.

The true church is spiritual in nature, not carnal or worldly, so this spiritual body is out of step with the world.

The true church has Christ as the chief cornerstone, and his holy apostles and prophets as its only foundation.

The true church is composed of all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, and they are vitally one in him alone.

The true church of Christ is dependent upon no man as priest, vicar, minister, or pope to carry on its existence.

The true church proclaims the Lord Jesus Christ as the Mighty Savior of sinners, who never fails to save God's elect.

The true church will always be in the world, can never be extinguished, and does know true unity in the Spirit.

The true church's members all have the same marks of repentance, faith, holiness of life, and hatred of sin.

The true church has no boundaries, no official headquarters, and cannot be identified by human  buildings or creeds.

The true church is inward, not outward, so cannot be joined humanly, though is revealed in local assemblies.

"I will build my church."  Matthew 16:18 

"Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it."  Ephesians 5:25

"And he is the head of the body, the church."  Colossians 1:18

"To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven."  Hebrews 12:23

The solemn question is, "Do YOU belong to this one true church?"

EVERY STORM OUTRIDE------W.F. BELL

Sin-burdened soul, with tempest tossed,

Thy bark shall every storm outride;

Grace once received can ne'er be lost,

Nor hell from Christ thy soul divide.

These precious words from John Kent (1766-1843) say in a quaint way what the gospel is all about.  Sinners cannot save themselves, for they are "sin-burdened" and "tempest tossed."  But "grace" comes to us in sweet sovereignty to rescue us, enabling our "bark" to safely "every storm outride."  Not even "hell" itself can sever one soul from the hands of our mighty Savior, for "Grace once received can ne'er be lost."

The doctrine of perseverance is often either misunderstood or mistaught.  This doctrine does not mean we hope to be saved if we can just hold out, as maybe we can be faithful enough within ourselves to "endure to the end," others not being so "lucky."  "Enduring, faithful, holding fast, patient to the end, clinging, trusting, believing, being steadfast, overcoming," are all important words in the New Testament regarding "the perseverance of the saints."  But God's superabounding grace alone puts us on this journey, and keeps us all the way to journey's end, as beautifully illustrated by John Bunyan in his The Pilgrim's Progress.  We remind you that Bunyan rightly named his pilgrim "Graceless" before becoming "Christian."  Indeed, the grace of God made the difference for Graceless, and makes the same difference for us!

"Every storm outride."  Here is the true doctrine in all its glory.  Not that we have smooth sailing.  Never.  Not that we have cloudless days, with no storms.  Never.  Not that there are not tears and sorrows in abundance.  Never.  Not that we never know "fiery trials."  Not that we cannot sin and fall, and lose our joy, and our hopes for heaven become dim.  Not that we have "full assurance" at all times (sometimes we have no "assurance" at all).  Not that we cannot be hurt deeply in running this race to glory, for we can lose heart, grow faint and weary, even "in well doing."  "But God."  Yes, by God's mercy we keep going, for grace has not been bestowed upon us "in vain," and according to Paul, this was what made him "labor abundantly" (I Corinthians 15:10).  Yes, grace makes us work and pray and study and persevere!

So, once again, let us be reminded that "grace bestowed" or "grace received" is the fuel that keeps us going.  It is not our human faith, our human abilities, our human wisdom, our cleverness, or our "good luck."  GRACE ALONE keeps us and preserves us, and no devil or power, things now or later, not even death itself, can ever "separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).  In a world gone mad with lust and greed and war and unbelief and doubt, we need this message to comfort us and assure us.  Let us continue to "outride" these and all other storms, and after our "bark" safely reaches Glorification Harbor (The Day of Rapture or Resurrection), we shall render to our most worthy Captain all praise and glory "forever and ever" (I Peter 5:10-11).  God's people are indeed "more than conquerors," but ONLY "through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37). 

PUTTING ON THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST

BY ROBERT MURRAY MCCHEYNE

If, then, dread of God, and hatred of God, be the cause of all our sins, how shall we be cured of the love of sin, but by taking away the cause? How do you most effectually kill the noxious weed? Is it not by striking at the root? In the love of Christ to man then—in that strange, unspeakable gift of God, when He laid down His life for His enemies, when He died the just for the unjust that He might bring us to God—do not you see an object which, if really believed by the sinner, takes away all his dread and all his hatred of God? The root of sin is severed from the stock. 

In His bearing double for all our sins, we see the curse carried away, we see God reconciled. Why should we fear anymore? Not fearing, why should we hate God anymore? Not hating God, what desirableness can we see in sin anymore? Putting on the righteousness of Christ, we are again placed as Adam was, with God as our friend. We have no object in sinning; and, therefore, we do not care to sin.

BEING DEAD EARNEST----JAMES A. STEWART

"Which things the angels desire to look into" (I Peter 1:12)

Oh God, make us likewise dead in earnest! No man can be dead in earnest for the salvation of others who has not been dead earnest in contemplating and evaluating the glory of his own salvation. How pathetic that many professed Christians never ponder or meditate deeply into the wonders of sovereign grace.

Duncan Mathieson, that fiery Scottish evangelist who labored in the Highlands, was a man filled with the wonder of redeeming grace and thus was in earnest for the salvation of the lost. Often he cried out in the midst of his message, "Eternity is stamped on my eyeballs. I have seen a sight which has dimmed the glory of all else!"

While stricken at Aberdeen of a painful internal malady, he spoke in a solemn manner to a gathering in a house he visited. Upon reaching his own home he became very ill and in his fevered condition his mind began to wander. He imagined he was ad­dressing a group of theological students at Edinburgh. Rising from bed, he cried, "Up young men, souls are perishing! Up, and aim at sinners!"

James Turner, another fellow Scot, a fisherman by profession and a mighty revivalist, was also dead in earnest. Those who saw him tell us that his intenseness was awe-inspiring. He knew that he was dying of consumption and that his days were num­bered, and so he travelled all over the towns of the Scottish east coast, sounding the alarm for sinners to escape from the wrath of God. At the close of his life, spent and ill in health, he cried on his sick bed, "Oh to live at Jesus' feet and to gather in souls in armfuls for our blessed Master!"

-James Stewart

     He plucked me as a brand from hell; My Jesus hath done all things well!