Baxter the preacher

Richard Baxter created an art of preaching based on his theology of man: created and fallen. Because of these truths he knew what was in mens hearts when he got up to preach, consider Packer:

"They are slow to grasp divine truth, not merely through natural stupidity, but becasuse their wills are fundamentally apathetic towards it. They dislike it; they do not want to learn it; their thoughts wander during sermons, and what they hear and remember they misunderstand and misapply "I am daily forced to admire how lamentably ignorant many of our people are, that have seemed diligent hearers of me these ten or twelve years, while I spoke plainly as I was able to speak!" Baxter wrote in 1665. To combat this ingrained, wliful obtuseness, Baxter strove to be as plain and pungent as he could...

"The plainest words are the profitablest oratory in the weightest matters. Fineness is for ornament, and delicacy for delight, but they answer not necessity...It is hard...to hear or read a neat, concise, sententious (ed - ?) discourse, and not to be hurt by it; for it usually hindereth the due operation of the matter, and keeps it from the heart, and stops it in the fancy, and makes it seem as light as the style. We use not to stand upon compliment...when we run to quench a common fire, nor to call men out to it by an eloquent speech. If we see a man fall into fire or water, we stand not upon mannerliness in plucking him out, but lay hands on him while we can without delay" (Baxter).

Baxter on heaven

Richard Baxter laid out 10 points about what he shall know better in heaven...

1. I shall know God better
2. I shall know the universe better
3. I shall know Christ better
4. I shall know the church, his body, better, with the holy angels
5. I shall better know the methods and perfection of the Scripture
6. I shall know the methods and sense of disposing providence better
7. I shall know the divine benefits, which are the fruits of love, better
8. I shall know myself better
9. I shall better know every fellow-creature
10. And I shall better know all that evil, sin, Satan and misery, from which I am delivered

let's go!

Japan is cloudy!!!!

Am currently in Japan, the people here are ready to receive the gospel.. and they need it! Some friends of mine are coming over as missionaries within the next three years - praise God! (pray for the Lord of the harvest). I have a missionary friend in Lithuania also and he has just had a summer camp where he saw the Word of God bear fruit for the one who gave it to us. As Adam wrote himself, the Word "will not return fruitless".

Missionary work is very important!

Repentance for the Gentiles

Repentance seems such a dreadful thing. Face to face with the sin we commit and lying in the dust before a holy God - the one we sinned against.
But take a look at Acts 11:18 when repentance comes to the Gentiles - "God has granted repentance that leads to life"

Firstly, "God has granted repentance". That which we find so hard and humbling and humilitating is a gift of our blessed saviour.
Secondly, "repentance that leads to life". Just as the suffering Christian in this life is certain of glory in the next, so the repentant Christian is certain of a glorious life with Christ his Lord.
Thirdly, "repentance that leads to life". Luke has not recorded this sentance with the word "repentance" as interchangeable, it is fixed and it is what leads to life. Life is only available through repentance, which "leads to" it.

We can be very thankful for repentance, knowing who graciously gave it to us, knowing where it leads, and knowing it is the only way to where it leads.

The man and his mind

a lot of the chapter called "the man and his mind" in Packer's thesis on Baxter is about the way theologians are very good at taking their first idea on a subject as an absolute truth...

"The majority prefer to treat their first ideas as the last word and to defend them to the last ditch"

Baxter is quoted as saying that many argurements have been had in the church over "unsearchable things, which neither side understood, or about ambigious words, which one party taketh in one sense, and another in another"

I've lots to learn...

a picture of fun from Malta

Here is a photo of the trip (not all of it just a tiny part)... I promise you all I did gospel ministry too