Charles Spurgeon

Spurgeon’s Opinion on Young People

by Ben Zornes · Sep 10, 2014

I stumbled upon this lovely sermonÂ by Spurgeon, and in it I foundÂ a refreshing perspective on how we ought to treat troubled times. When the days grow dark, we must always remember that God raises up young men and women who are ablaze with a holy fervor for His name and His renown. Whether you are a young person, or have young people in your life who you are striving to lead, may this be a reminder to not despair of this generation but pray to God that He would raise up such young people as are described here:

[. . .] in that very court where Jezebel was mistress, Obadiah was a man who feared God greatly. Never be surprised to meet with a believer anywhere! Grace can live where you would never expect to see it survive for an hour! [Read more…] about Spurgeon’s Opinion on Young People

Two-by-Fours, Square Between the Eyes

by Ben Zornes · Aug 18, 2014

The Church is often in grave danger, though it is almost entirely unaware of it. The danger is that we think that spiritual work and ministry can be carried out primarily by physical means. This is a grievous error, but oh so common. While everything we do has both physical and spiritual consequences, our modernism has connived a way for us to go about doing spiritual work using physical means, trusting that these physical means will bring about a spiritual result.

It goes like this . . . a math teacher can get up in front of class of 14 year olds, explain the quadratic equation, pass out the homework, grade the homework, likely re-explain it in the next class, and by the end of the term (granted that he is a dexterous teacher with a relatively engaged class) he will have passed along the knowledge and understanding of these deep algebraic mysteries; mysteries even angels long to look into. [Read more…] about Two-by-Fours, Square Between the Eyes

Sixteen Precious Words

by Ben Zornes · Aug 12, 2014

Luke 12:32-Â Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

These sixteen precious words are a sweet balm to the soul of the saint. In these words we see a gentleness and encouragement unrivaled; no other work of literature could, in so few words, offer encouragement so great. So, let us treasure these words, and make of them, as Spurgeon would say, a song which we might sing in the night. Indeed, this earthly sojourn must often traverse sorrowful, difficult, and dark paths. When all the lights goes out, will you (even with a faltering voice) have a song to sing? You must. It is imperative that you understand that right now truth might seem clear and your senses are not confounded. But there will come a day of testing in the not too distant future which will assail you and buffet you for all youâ€™re worth. In that day the mettle of the saint is tested, and may it be said that when all around your soul gives way, Christ remains your hope and stay. Even though all the natural realm might imply that he has forsaken you, the saint clings to precious promises such as this one. [Read more…] about Sixteen Precious Words

Improving Your Church

by Ben Zornes · Jun 21, 2014

Having grown up in the church (at times almost literally), and now having served as a worship leader for a few different churches over the last decade or so, I have witnessed my own and othersâ€™ propensity to form unhealthy habits and patterns before, during and after the weekly worship service. Whatever church you attend, you need to have a sort of double vision. On one hand, remember that this is the spotless bride of Christ and thus treat the church with reverence, respect and honor in the way you speak about her. On the other hand, the smaller bodies of believers which make up the global church obviously have faults and issues (some big and some small). As Christians, we ought to desire to be used of God in improving and sanctifying our local body of saints, and remember that Christ, and Christ alone, can make his Bride holy, perfect, and blameless.

I see two baits for those who attend church regularly; one, treating a weekly service like something to be checked off a list, and two, treating it superstitiously. We can easily form a rut, and the most common rut is that we attend merely out of some form of obligation. God ought never be treated like an obligation. My wife and I have set aside Wednesday nights as our date night; I must never begin to treat it like just something to be crossed off of a list. The other bait though, is to treat church as if it is a superstitious potion that cures all ills. If your spiritual life is dependent on an hour or two on Sunday morning, your hope is in the wrong thing. It is imperative to remember that the gathering together of saints on a regular basis is an incredibly significant statement to the world, incredibly necessary for the believerâ€™s health, and incredibly vital in raising our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Do not take it lightly. However, do not take it superstitiously. Our lives should revolve around Christ daily and Sunday morning ought to be an additional catalyst to your pursuit of our Lord the other six days of the week. Here are five suggestions which I believe will assist in both strengthening our overall spiritual life, and also our weekly times of fellowship and worship.

Ho-Hum or Holly Jolly

by Ben Zornes · Apr 3, 2014

This world is fraught with wonders large and small. Often we find ourselves so anxious and discontent with every day life that we shift restlessly hoping for the next vacation, weekend, or getaway. We fork over the cash to go see the wonders of the world, and yet we miss the wonders right in front of us, if we but had the taste buds and eyes to taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps. 34:8) in ten thousand ways right in front of us. [Read more…] about Ho-Hum or Holly Jolly

The Midnight Song

by Ben Zornes · Mar 25, 2014

This last week, in a span of two days I had two different families that I know, lose loved ones, in rather tragic and painful ways. One was a young couple, expecting their first child any day, and then were presented with the news that their little one had died. The other was a mother of four precious girls and wife to a strong and noble man, who passed away after a long and grueling battle with cancer. Needless to say, my heart has been heavy for these friends and these families.Â [Read more…] about The Midnight Song

Skinning the Sheep

by Ben Zornes · Jan 7, 2014

A pastor friend of mine, Shawn, is fond of saying, â€œYou can either scream at the darkness, or you can light a candle.â€ More

and more I have seen the wisdom of that statement. Christians can see darkness a mile away, and get really loud about it. Yet, we are not so swell at being, well, you know, the whole â€œlight of the world thing.â€ Christians are often appalled at the wickedness of the culture and the compromise within the Church. I did a little research before I wrote this, and you can find whole websites devoted to â€œunveilingâ€ all the wolves in sheepâ€™s clothing. Apparently, some guy who owns a website finds it to be his personal commission from God to lump Oswald Chambers, Charles Spurgeon, John Piper, CS Lewis, Joel Osteen and Oprah into one massive heretical lump.

[Read more…] about Skinning the Sheep

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