The Plodding Preacher

10 Stats That Show the Dire State of Christian Persecution Our brothers and sisters around the world are suffering. “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:26-27). What comes to mind when you hear the word persecution? If you are like us, your mind will instantly conjure up images of the 21 Coptic Christians kneeling on the beach with the name of Jesus Christ on their lips as they courageously faced death at the hands of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS). Today an   estimated 5.5 billion people   (77 percent of the world) of all faiths (Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist and others) face some form of religious persecution, including economic discrimination, imprisonment, physical violence and death. Here are 10 countries where the body of Christ is suffering. These individuals, their families ...

We are not far off of a federal election in Canada.  The choices in many ways are completely underwhelming.  Two of our federal parties do not permit candidates to run for the party unless they sign on to a pro-abortion position.  The third party has been in power for ten years and though many within the party are pro-life, when push came to shove the leadership undermined any legislation its members brought forward. We have legalized homosexual marriage.  As a nation we have legislation in place (as yet untested in a law court) that makes it a hate crime to speak against homosexuality from the pulpit.  We have kangaroo courts of human rights that can impose fines and demand sensitivity training without any legal recourse on the part of the accused.  The Toronto transit commission allows Muslims to put adds on its buses and subway cars that deny the deity of Jesus. At the same time the same commission forbids any advertising that might be considered off...

“Either we conform our desires to the truth or we conform the truth to our desires.”   ―   Os Guinness

There are many of us that are willing to do great things for the Lord, but few of us are willing to do little things. Dwight L. Moody

Nothing explicitly Christian about Pope’s speech By Denny Burk on September 25, 2015 in Christianity , Politics I just finished listening to the Pope’s speech to Congress from earlier today (watch below). There is no question that the occasion was historic—the first time ever that a Pope has delivered such an address. Indeed, it would have been impossible to imagine such an invitation being extended just fifty years ago. But the times have changed, and now the United States Congress has done something unprecedented. Nevertheless, even though the speech was historic, it was also a disappointment—not so much for what he did say but for what he didn’t say. For example: 1. The Pope didn’t mention Jesus . Not even in passing. He moralized and polticized, but he rooted none of it in anything explicitly Christian. He stands before the United States Congress—a platform that commands the attention of the world—and he says nothing about the heart of the Christian gospel. Nothin...

America is abuzz at the arrival of the latest occupant of the papal throne.  Pundits are going back and forth about whether he is a conservative or a progressive.  Progressives like his stand against capitalism and his support for the global warming agenda.  Conservatives like his position on abortion and marriage.  Everyone, it seems, is attempting to recruit him to their cause. In the flurry of excitement, it seems to me that we have forgotten what this man, and, in particular, what his office claims.  He claims to be the official and only spokesperson for Jesus Christ on this earth.  When he speaks "from the throne," he believes that he is uttering the very infallible words of God Himself.  He believes that what he speaks stands as equal in authority to the Scriptures. Yet at the same time he leads a church that still pronounces justification by faith alone as anathema.  He is part of a church that venerates Mary to the point that some with...

It is official.  The bandwagon is at full-throttle and everyone in Ontario is jumping aboard.  The Blue Jays are atop the American league east and are looking likely to being the playoffs for the first time in over twenty years.  The stadium which at this time last year was only half-full, is now sold-out - capacity crowds already guaranteed till the end of the season.  The excitement is amazing. Why? Will the fate of the team change the direction of the world? Will a victory save refugees in the Syrian crisis? Will a win even really make anyone happy for more than a few weeks? Now, my intention is not to rain on your parade.  If it gives you joy to see your team do well, then I wish you joy!  However, let's not lose perspective.  In the grand scheme of the great issues of the world, the fate of your favourite baseball/hockey/football/chess team likely doesn't make it into the top one hundred list.  Let's not do what millions in the we...

Yesterday we had a baby dedication at the church.  The subject of parenting inevitably arises at such a time.  Here is an excellent article on parenting that applies Scripture to the issue. If you asked me the single-most important insight that has shaped my parenting, it would be this:  Children are people. It seems self-evident. Clearly, they have arms, legs, ears, and mouths enough to qualify. But the idea of their personhood goes far beyond just possessing a human body. It goes to the core of their being and speaks to their worth. Children bear the image of God, just like adults. Well, not  just  like adults—it’s true they are developing physically, emotionally, and spiritually at a different rate than adults, but their intrinsic worth and dignity does not increase or decrease depending on the rate or extent of their development. As Dr. Seuss famously noted, “A person’s a person, no matter how small.” If you asked me the single-most misleadi...

Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.” ― A.W. Tozer , The Pursuit of God

This was one of my first introductions to "Contemporary Christian" music.

The guys who run the Cripplegate blog site are excellent at stating their views in a clear and concise manner.  A great example of this is the blog by Nathan Busenitz on the difference between a true Christian denomination and a group which is not truly Christian. September 15, 2015 200 Words: Denomination or Deformation by Nathan Busenitz Baptists, Mormons, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. All three claim to believe in Jesus. Yet, only one of these groups can be rightly classified as a denomination rather than a false religion. With that in mind, the question we are asking today might be stated as follows: What are the marks of cult groups and apostate forms of Christianity that identify them as false religions—such that we can and should label them as heresies , rather than simply classifying them as different denominations? Here is my attempt to answer that question in 200 words or less: The New Testament articulates three fundamental doc...

We live in a sex-saturated society.  On the one hand, society says sex is "no biggie."  On the other, it says that sex is that which will fulfill our every hope and dream.  Tim Chester has written an excellent article on this latter view. Sex is less significant that you think POSTED ON   14 SEPTEMBER 2015   BY   TIM CHESTER In a previous post I argued that sex is more significant than our culture thinks it is. Our culture see it simply as an act of physical pleasure. But in fact sex binds us to another in a profound – in a way mirrors the union between Christ and his church But in other ways sex has become too significant in our culture. It has become a way of salvation. Young girls want acceptance and look for it in teenage sex. Young men want respect or power and look for it in sexual conquests. Single people want fulfilment and look for it in a life partner. The middle-aged want life as death approaches and look for it in a younger lo...

Many churches of all persuasions are hiring research agencies to poll neighborhoods, asking what kind of church they prefer. Then the local churches design themselves to fit the desires of the people. True faith in God that demands selflessness is being replaced by trendy religion that serves the selfish. Billy Graham

I know nothing about this writer nor about the site on which this article appears, but it speaks truth in a powerful fashion. If You Are a Christian but You Reject Christ’s Teachings, You Are Not a Christian Sep. 9, 2015 3:34pm Matt Walsh A lot of people have sent me this video  made by BuzzFeed, the same folks who produced such film classics as “What Bros Do Before a Date,” “Weird Things Couples Do When They Lose Their Phone”  (apparently they look for it — so weird!) and   “What It’s Like To Be A Hairy Girl.”  It’s about as insightful and deep as you’d expect, considering the source and the title: “I’m a Christian, But I’m Not.” The viral clip, which spawned thousands of shares and a trending hashtag , features six millennials describing their makeshift Build-A-Bear faith. It starts with each person assuring us they’re “Christian” but they don’t think they’re “perfect,” and they’re certainly not “homophobic,” “un...

We live in a brave new world.  My seminary education never envisioned some of the issues which pastors now face on a regular basis.  Thankfully there are godly Christian people out there who have been thinking through these issues. I had never heard of cutting till five years ago.  It is hard for me to even comprehend what depth of despair would drive a person to actually self-inflict such pain.  This article addresses the issue from a godly perspective. The First Cut Is The Deepest: Self-Harmers In The Church SEPTEMBER 9, 2015   BY   SHARON DICKENS “People say it’s for attention but I dinnae think so. They just feel worthless.”   (anonymous Scottish female) What is the first thought that comes to mind when we say the words, “Self-Harm or Self-Injury?”   For many it will be the image of a young person with prominent scars or burns on their arms. But to define the act of deliberately causing oneself harm takes in so much more than cutt...

The bell has rung and the hectic, crazy pace of the Fall season has begun.  Most families find extra time extremely hard to come by at this time of year.  However, it is more important than ever that we, as parents, spend quantity time with our children.  Yes you read that correctly.  Quality time is a myth with which our generation has salved our consciences as we spend too little time with our children.  Our children desperately need more of our time - not less. The New York TImes (of all places) has a well written article that says what Focus on the Family has been saying for years.   The Myth of Quality Time SEPT. 5, 2015 Frank Bruni EVERY summer for many years now, my family has kept to our ritual. All 20 of us — my siblings, my dad, our better halves, my nieces and nephews — find a beach house big enough to fit the whole unruly clan. We journey to it from our different states and time zones. We tensely divvy up the bedr...

You must go forward on your knees. Hudson Taylor

Today Tim Challies writes is the anniversary of the great hymn Abide with Me.  This Day in 1847 . Henry Francis Lyte preached his final sermon. Lyte was weak from Tuberculosis and gave his farewell address to his congregation, knowing he had little time left. That evening he handed a relative a final hymn he written, titled “Abide with Me.” The hymn would far outlive the name of its author. I am partial to the   version   adapted by Indelible Grace.   * This hymn was my grandfather's favourite.  He was a rogue in life, but this hymn was sung regularly by the crowd at the local football (soccer) stadium and in this way he learned to love it.  He trusted Christ just weeks before he passed away from lung cancer.  I prayed the words of this hymn as I conducted his funeral.  Maybe that is why I don't agree with Challies about the new version above.  It is the hymn and its traditional melody that speaks to me.

A portion of John Piper’s poem, “Justified for Evermore,” found in his book,   Future Grace: The Purifying Power of the Promises of God , rev. ed. (Multnomah, 2012), 379-82. And as I knelt beside the brook To drink eternal life, I took A glance across the golden grass, And saw my dog, old Blackie, fast As she could come. She leaped the stream- Almost-and what a happy gleam Was in her eye. I knelt to drink, And knew that I was on the brink Of endless joy. And everywhere I turned and saw a wonder there. A big man running on the lawn: That’s old John Younge with both legs on. The blind can see a bird on wing, The dumb can lift their voice to sing. The diabetic eats at will, The coronary runs uphill. The lame can walk, the deaf can hear, The cancer-ridden bone is clear. Arthritic joints are lithe and free, And every pain has ceased to be. And every sorrow deep within, And every trace of lingering sin Is gone. And all that’s left is joy, And endless ages to employ The mind and hea...