The reality of church disunity, division, schism is unmistakable and can be a blight on the Name and cause of Christ. A legitimate question we must consider is “what degree of unity among churches should we strive for in this world?” The puritan, Richard Baxter, addresses this question in the
Continue readingWell meaning Christians can focus their efforts on the spiritual concerns of their own heart. Richard Baxter addresses this nicely in the following excerpt, One, and the better, is some religious people who think that their business is only with God and their own hearts, and that if they could
Continue readingI am a pastor and view the calling of being a “physician of souls” very highly. We must not, however, allow a high view of the ministry to lead us to denigrate the physical and material needs of people. In the words of Richard Baxter, Do as much good as
Continue readingI very much enjoy the writings of the Puritan pastor Richard Baxter (1615-1691) whether The Reformed Pastor and The Saints’ Everlasting Rest or a work I came across recently How to Do Good to Many I have always been intrigued by and desirous to perform – though regrettably, less effective in carrying out
Continue readingRevisiting Girolamo Zanchi and his The Spiritual Marriage Between Christ and His Church he unpacks the duties of husbands and wives and emphasizes the demand of submission for the wife. The spiritual side of submission is expounded with regard to faith and repentance in the following paragraphs. With regard to the submission
Continue readingAn interesting book on marriage and its correlation to the union believers have with Christ is The Spiritual Marriage Between Christ and His Church and Every One of the Faithful written by Girolamo Zanchi, Concluding his chapter on “Duties of Husbands and Wives” Zanchi includes this gem of a thought that I
Continue readingOur congregation emphasizes a believer’s spiritual experience – the way a person comes to Christ, loves Christ, and lives out of Christ. This is relatively uncommon in the confessing church today where there tends to be more of an emphasis on programs and social action. While emphasizing spiritual experience is
Continue readingOur nature recoils from shame – even though it is an expected result of sin. This is true in evangelism as much as in any area of our lives. John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress includes an account described by ‘Faithful’ of his interaction with a certain man ‘Shame’. …he objected
Continue readingThe realities of heaven and hell are not able to be compared. The beautiful description of Christian (in The Pilgrim’s Progress) to the possession of the eternal kingdom and what things that will be there… [In response to the nature of the place] There is an endless kingdom to be
Continue readingJohn Bunyan, in The Pilgrim’s Progress captures Christian’s response to the revelations of Interpreter’s house in a simple way, “Yea, and they put me in hope and fear.” To which, Interpreter responds, “Well, keep all things so in thy mind that they my be as a goad in thy sides,
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