The Doctor's Admonition to the Doctors

A brilliant preacher, Martin Lloyd-Jones was a profound thinker and pulpiteer in the early to mid-twentieth century in London's Westminster Chapel. This winsome fellow was not only a fruitful minister, he was a physician.

Listen to a passage in his book entitled, The Doctor Himself. Too many practitioners know more about some detail in the anatomy or pathology of a person than they do about the person himself. While we may talk more of, and pay lip service to, the concept of ‘the whole man’ and ‘the complete patient’, we must be very careful that in fact and in practice we do not forget him. It is something which we need continually to bear in mind. The patient, the total patient and all that happens to him, is rarely being fully remembered in contemporary practice. Let me quote McFarlane Burnett again. He says, ‘An important part of the technological and social crisis of our time is this. The social problems of drug addiction and the more subtle influences of the need of alcohol, tobacco, sedatives, tranquillizers, and the rest, to make intolerable situations acceptable, are tolerated instead of making an effort to change them.’ I think that is a very profound remark. Our tendency is to tolerate, just to make these things - these intolerable situations - acceptable without any real thought of radical attempts to change them. Wow! I want to draw parallel to the matter of spiritual ministry because I know that is where our protagonist was going.

I had ocassion recently while travelling, to visit a friend's church. I did not notice the casual worship atmosphere; I paid no attention to the demographics, but I was drawn to the pastor himself. I found in him a genuine ethos that defies trite colloquial descriptions of hospitality. I noticed somebody who was in tune to each person; who was engaging at a spiritual level. I noticed somebody who had a genuine interest in spiritual change in people. He had not lost sight of ministering to the whole-man for the sake of churchiness and technology. He owned the role of shepherd. Now I would not brag on my friend openly here; I would not want to rob him of the spiritual blessing that I am sure is awaiting him. I do want to commend him to you as an example. I am reminded of the Apostle Paul's offering in 1 Cor 4:15a when he says "For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet [have ye] not many fathers...".

Ah, here is the tension. I do not believe that God is looking for the qualified instructors, He is looking for the fathers! He is looking for the disciple-making sisters and mothers and brothers. Yes He is looking for the Pastors too. Everyone who is a genuine Christian has spiritual gifts and we are called to identify the struggling, intersect them with Jesus and show them a resounding model of the sanctified man! Hello! Are you out there? Sherrell here.

The Unspeakable

Did you ever possess the compelling desire to pray, caught up in the affairs of life, overwhelmed by burdens, but yet you could scarce define the words, mouth any expression?

Psalm 5: 1 starts... Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation.

Spurgeon's Classic, "A Treasury of David" comments on this expression, listen:

On Verse 1. There are two sorts of prayers—those expressed in words, and the unuttered longings which abide as silent meditations. Words are not the essence but the garments of prayer. Moses at the Red Sea cried to God, though he said nothing. Yet the use of language may prevent distraction of mind, may assist the powers of the soul, and may excite devotion. David, we observe, uses both modes of prayer, and craves for the one a hearing, and for the other a consideration. What an expressive word! "Consider my meditation." If I have asked that which is right, give it to me; if I have omitted to ask that which I most needed, fill up the vacancy in my prayer. "Consider my meditation." Let thy holy soul consider it as presented through my all-glorious Mediator: then regard thou it in thy wisdom, weigh it in the scales, judge thou of my sincerity, and of the true state of my necessities, and answer me in due time for thy mercy's sake! There may be prevailing intercession where there are no words; and alas! there may be words where there is no true supplication. Let us cultivate the spirit of prayer which is even better than the habit of prayer. There may be seeming prayer where there is little devotion. We should begin to pray before we kneel down, and we should not cease when we rise up.

Take solace my friend; we serve the Omniscient Maker of the universe! He knows our need, even if we don't. Romans 8:26 advises, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

I like that! How about you? Blessings!

On Beginning Strong!

Most of us pilgrims reading this today have experienced an extraordinary privilege, living to see not only a few decades (almost 5 in my case), but the turn of a century; even the turn of another millennia. Of the eleven or so that have elapsed since the dawn of time there have been no doubt countless new beginnings. When one stops to imagine the people that have experienced such a phenomenal event as a new “thousand”, and put that through the grid of our current technological era our generation perhaps is treading in places only experienced by a very few to have lived top-side of the earth.

As I begin a new decade I cannot help but hearken back to the edge of the Jordan River as the Jewish peoples surveyed across, looking into the Promised Land. Most of those of the age of reason had passed on some previous 40 years, having ignored the pleas of Joshua and Caleb to throw off the testimony of the ten for the Promises of God; to taste of the fruit of Eschol; to take God at his Word that they would no longer have to feast on Manna. Now, a new multitude stood at the threshold of the river and peered across at the place of giants.

Now I tell you, the land of giants in the future may cause some trepidation, but it does not have to. The decade beginning here is the year 2010 may hold some seeming obstacles, but our Lord said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid“, John 14:27. I don’t know about you, but I like having the Lord on my side; I cherish the Peace of Christ. Now frankly, lets admit it, being in the right fellowship with God means ridding myself of those things that will introduce enmity with Him; right? That is what James 4:4 teaches. Let us put the fellowship with the world behind us; let us understand that we must put away the leeks of Egypt, the fine Babylonian garments, the foreign snares that entangle us and make us unfit and cause friction of fellowship with Christ.

Join me to resolve right now through genuine repentance of un-confessed sins, through the power of the Holy Spirit and the fellowship of His sufferings to press into 2010! Let’s start strong! Press towards the mark of the high calling! Look, Joshua is standing! The priests are standing in the Jordan! Let’s move out!! I am Sherrell……blessings for a new year!

Spurgeon on Christmas Joy

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."—Luke 2:10-12

Spurgeon preached another Christmas Sermon entitled Joy at Christmas (found at http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/1026.htm)

In his introduction he introduces this passage with these marvelous words....

"In our text we have before us the sermon of the first evangelist under the gospel dispensation. The preacher was an angel, and it was meet it should be so, for the grandest and last of all evangels will be proclaimed by an angel when he shall sound the trumpet of the resurrection, and the children of the regeneration shall rise into the fullness of their joy. The key-note of this angelic gospel is joy—"I bring unto you good tidings of great joy." Nature fears in the presence of God—the shepherds were sore afraid. The law itself served to deepen this natural feeling of dismay; seeing men were sinful, and the law came into the world to reveal sin, its tendency was to make men fear and tremble under any and every divine revelation. The Jews unanimously believed that if any man beheld supernatural appearances, he would be sure to die, so that what nature dictated, the law and the general beliefs of those under it also abetted. But the first word of the gospel ended all this, for the angelic evangelist said, "Fear not, behold I bring you good tidings." Henceforth, it is to be no dreadful thing for man to approach his Maker; redeemed man is not to fear when God unveils the splendor of his majesty, since he appears no more a judge upon his throne of terror, but a Father unbending in sacred familiarity before his own beloved children.

The joy which this first gospel preacher spoke of was no mean one, for he said, "I bring you good tidings"—that alone were joy: and not good tidings of joy only, but "good tidings of great joy." Every word is emphatic, as if to show that the gospel is above all things intended to promote, and will most abundantly create the greatest possible joy in the human heart wherever it is received. Man is like a harp unstrung, and the music of his soul's living strings is discordant, his whole nature wails with sorrow; but the son of David, that mighty harper, has come to restore the harmony of humanity, and where his gracious fingers move among the strings, the touch of the fingers of an incarnate God brings forth music sweet as that of the spheres, and melody rich as a seraph's canticle. Would God that all men felt that divine hand."

Shared with love for all....Sherrell

Spurgeon on Christ

Charles Haddon Spurgeon Preached a Sermon entitled, "The First Christmas Carol". Read some of the "Prince of Preachers'" marvelous words in this sermon about the angel's announcement of Christ's Birth, as he explained the relationship between His Birth and the Glory of the God!

What is the instructive lesson to be learned from this first syllable of the angels' song? Why this, that salvation is God's highest glory. He is glorified in every dew drop that twinkles to the morning sun. He is magnified in every wood flower that blossoms in the copse, although it live to blush unseen, and waste its sweetness in the forest air. God is glorified in every bird that warbles on the spray; in every lamb that skips the mead. Do not the fishes in the sea praise him? From the tiny minnow to the huge Leviathan, do not all creatures that swim the water bless and praise his name? Do not all created things extol him? Is there aught beneath the sky, save man, that doth not glorify God? Do not the stars exalt him, when they write his name upon the azure of heaven in their golden letters? Do not the lightnings adore him when they flash his brightness in arrows of light piercing the midnight darkness? Do not thunders extol him when they roll like drums in the march of the God of armies? Do not all things exalt him, from the least even to the greatest? But sing, sing, oh universe, till thou hast exhausted thyself, thou canst not afford a song so sweet as the song of Incarnation. Though creation may be a majestic organ of praise, it cannot reach the compass of the golden canticle—Incarnation! There is more in that than in creation, more melody in Jesus in the manger, than there is in worlds on worlds rolling their grandeur round the throne of the Most High. Pause Christian, and consider this a minute. See how every attribute is here magnified. Lo! what wisdom is here. God becomes man that God may be just, and the justifier of the ungodly. Lo! what power, for where is power so great as when it concealeth power? What power, that Godhead should unrobe itself and become man! Behold, what love is thus revealed to us when Jesus becomes a man. Behold ye, what faithfulness! How many promises are this day kept? How many solemn obligations are this hour discharged? Tell me one attribute of God that is not manifest in Jesus; and your ignorance shall be the reason why you have not seen it so. The whole of God is glorified in Christ; and though some part of the name of God is written in the universe, it is here best read—in Him who was the Son of Man, and, yet, the Son of God."

I cannot say anything here. Reflect

Sheep and and the Free Gift of the Shepherd

I love the Parable of the Good Shepherd. This powerful illustration at close glance examines the relationship between Christ and His Sheep but it also has a number of other illustrations that give meaning for life, top side of the earth. In the ancient near-east the shepherd lived with his sheep. I have been to the Middle East; I have observed the modern (not modern by today's standard) Bedouines and their charges moving across the desert floor, scampering past an occasional passing vehicle. They are always on a quest for their quay, the precious green pastures that lie clingingly close to the rivers and the gulf.

At night, the shepherds would bring their sheep into a fold, normally a cove surrounded by stone, mostly man-made. The sheep would nestle in there protected from predatory wolves or humans who would steal. The shepherd would stay and take rest at the opening or the "door" of the sheepfold. Often, shepherds would gather together in the evening and fold their sheep all together, hundreds intermingling with each other. The following morning each shepherd would rise and call their sheep, and out of the fold of hundreds would come that shepherd's sheep, for "they know their master's voice".

Take this explanation and set it against the backdrop of John 10. Jesus uses this example of sheep and shepherds to contrast two ideas of salvation, one is an idea of a sheep outside the fold of any master, the other is the idea of a sheep inside the fold of "their master". Listen to John 10: 7-11, it says "Then Jesus said unto them again, verily, verily I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door of the sheep, by me if any man enters in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and shall find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal and destroy; I am come, that they may have life and have it more abundantly I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep" . Do you hear this? What Christ is saying is the only way to salvation is through him (by me); the door. If any man enters in, he shall be saved and shall find pasture. He shall not only have life, but will have an abundant life!

Listen, you may go to church each week, but if you have not entered through the Door of Christ, you do not have eternal life. You may be a Christmas and Easter Catholic, but if you haven't accepted salvation through Christ (not the church) you are not going to heaven. You say Crow, wait a minute that's strong; that is dogmatic. Look friend at what Christ is saying here. You want eternal life; you got to come through the Door! Jesus also exclaimed best elsewhere, when He said, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no man comes unto the Father, except by me", John 14:6.

This Christmas season while we're focused on giving, why not accept a free gift that is offered every day? Why not listen to Jesus who is now tugging at your heart? I am Sherrell.

A Pilgrim's Brief Regress

Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of [them], and embraced [them], and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

The older I get, the more that I recognize the meaning of the term pilgrim. Top side of the earth, living in the twenty-first century, the information age has thrown our society into a high-speed tail spin with information-overload at every turn and an exhausting schedule filling ones plate with a hundred equally-valid but sometimes hollow and vane choices. We need to reflect here.

Recently, I have had the occasion of attempting to research my father’s genealogical record. I have avoided committing the financial resources to the on-line services and have opted for my own searches. This has proved that it requires patience; but such has proven fruitful, and I must admit has resulted in a new-slate of web friends all distant cousins with the same aim, those of whom I never have had the pleasure of growing up with. If you choose to embark on such a task, don’t be surprised of the myths that are perpetuated in your family based on second and third hand knowledge of events. Life and in particular, people are never what they seem to be. This activity has given me pause to go back to those times in the late 1800’s and early twentieth century when my “grands” walked the earth. Wonder what it would have been like then; did they look to the now? Did they fathom the future?

When we measure our life, pedigree, education and human industry carry no real significance do they? No amount of sweat and blood towards human capacity carry no real thrust in the eternal, except only a few brief moments before they are rendered, wood, hay and stubble. Oh, we should work at our task at hand, “as unto the Lord”, but I am talking about our motivation in the immediate. I love this passage in Hebrews. I believe Bunyan magically captured this idea in his allegory. Consider where the writer’s context renders this passage, it was the faithful through the ages that could only see the “country from afar”. Oh that God would only keep our glimpse towards the afar! Oh that we would embrace the cross for His Service! Oh that we throw off the shackles of the now and taste a glimpse of Heaven and the Eternal! Oh, that we would work out our own salvation! Now that preaches!