Value of a Soul

Posted 8/18/14 by Donald Barnhouse

A columnist in a San Francisco paper wrote concerning the callous unconcern of the general public to those who are in real need. He had interviewed a man who had notified bridge police that a woman was attempting to climb over the railing of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The police had been totally unconcerned and a little while later the woman had succeeded in plunging to her death. Her life could have been saved.

A columnist in a San Francisco paper wrote concerning the callous unconcern of the general public to those who are in real need. He had interviewed a man who had notified bridge police that a woman was attempting to climb over the railing of the Golden Gate Bridge.

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Shepherd of Souls

Posted 8/15/14 by Donald Barnhouse

Whenever we put the actions and the character of the disciples into contrast with the action and character of the Lord, we have a sharp distinction which shows only the wonderful glory of the Lord. The disciples were selfish, but "Christ pleased not himself" (Rom. 15:3).
One evening when the disciples were walking with the Lord, a great crowd followed Him. He, with His shepherd heart, was concerned with the need of the crowd. He was moved with compassion toward them because they were as sheep not having a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.

Whenever we put the actions and the character of the disciples into contrast with the action and character of the Lord, we have a sharp distinction which shows only the wonderful glory of the Lord. The disciples were selfish, but "Christ pleased not himself" (Rom. 15:3).

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Christ our Intercessor (Part 2): 4 Encouragements for the Pilgrim

by Jason Helopoulos • August 14, 2014

Christ Jesus--as our High Priest--is in the Holy of Holies and He has our names inscribed upon the palm of His hands. We are ever before His face. He always remembers us. In John 10, He says, "I am the good shepherd, I know my own." We may not be able to see Him right now, but that doesn't mean He doesn't see us. We may not hear His audible voice from heaven right now, but He is far from silent. He is praying for you. And whatever He asks of the Father is granted to you. As He says in John 11:42, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me." The Father always hears Him, His prayers are always effectual, and He is always praying for you. He is faithful and will not leave His post. You have a besetting sin, He knows. You have a troubled marriage, He sees. You cannot seem to overcome the death of your loved one, He hears. He is ever there, crying out on your behalf, showing forth His wounds on your behalf. He is your intercessor. He is your High Priest. That should give us great comfort when the trials seem too much, the sin too great, the loneliness too present, or the doubts too real. There is comfort in knowing that He is interceding for us.

As we noted in the last blog post, Christ's intercession is the often forgotten work of Christ in our salvation. We explored in that last post what Christ does as our intercessor. In this post, I want to look at the encouragements we should enjoy from knowledge of this truth. As the writer of Hebrews tells us, Christ "always lives to make intercession" for us (Hebrews 7:25).

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To Date Or Not To Date?

Posted on Thursday, August 14, 2014 by Aimee Byrd on Housewife Theologian

Should we allow our kids to date or not allow them to date? If so, what age will they be allowed? These are the questions my husband and I are up against now that our daughters are reaching that mysterious age.  Sure, Matt still insists that 30 sounds like a great age for them to begin considering these issues. But we already see the signs of attraction. We hear the whispers with their girlfriends. And in this new age of technology, we read their texts and stalk their social media accounts. There have been plenty of "talks" about boys in our home.

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Love of Souls

Posted 8/14/14 by Donald Barnhouse

There is a Jewish legend which says that the phylacteries of the great Baal Shem Toy, the cabalist, were miraculous. At prayers, when he fastened them to his forehead, the world unrolled before him like a scroll and he saw the doings of men, good and evil. It is told how one morning he left them on his bench in the synagogue and a simple merchant hurried in from the marketplace. His mind filled with his trading, and starting a hasty, perfunctory prayer, he picked up the Baal Shem's phylacteries and put them on. And behold, all the world of men moved before his astonished eyes, and he saw all the evil on the earth; in a distant place he saw men bent on destroying one another; he saw oppression, and murder, and torture.

There is a Jewish legend which says that the phylacteries of the great Baal Shem Toy, the cabalist, were miraculous. At prayers, when he fastened them to his forehead, the world unrolled before him like a scroll and he saw the doings of men, good and evil. It is told how one morning he left them on his bench in the synagogue and a simple merchant hurried in from the marketplace.

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Robin Williams, Sentimentalism, and Blunt Truth (updated)

Posted on Wednesday, August 13, 2014 by Todd Pruitt on 1517

The death of Robin Williams has sparked a lot conversations about depression and suicide. It has also generated no small amount of sentimental nonsense from the world of broad evangelicalism. Wishes of "Rest In Peace," "Genie, you are free," "Now he is free from the pain," etc. can be seen across the Facebook landscape.

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Excellent resources on depression

Posted on Wednesday, August 13, 2014 by Todd Pruitt on 1517

Depression is a very real problem for many within the body of Christ. There are varied causes behind depression. Sometimes it the result of very poor choices. Sometimes there are physiological explanations. But often times the causes of depression are as elusive as the wind. While depression is sometimes linked to sinful choices, often it is not. There are many wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ whose struggle with depression has nothing to do with sin on their part. Therefore we must be careful to avoid offering a quick diagnose to a sufferer.

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Love of Witness

Posted 8/13/14 by Donald Barnhouse

At the Battle of the Nile, one of the British ships, the Culloden, was driven ashore just before the fight, And Captain Trowbridge and his men were unable to take part in the battle. "The merits of that ship and her gallant captain," wrote Lord Nelson to the Admiralty, "are too well known to benefit by anything I could say. Her misfortune was great in getting aground, while her more fortunate companions were in the full tide of happiness." This is a notable expression, for it was to be "in the full tide of happiness" that Nelson destroyed five thousand, five hundred twenty-five of his fellow creatures and had his own scalp torn open by a piece of shot. This was life and happiness to him. In another battle, Aboukir, the same great admiral, flew six colors on his ship so that even if five were shot away it should not be imagined that he had struck color and surrendered.

At the Battle of the Nile, one of the British ships, the Culloden, was driven ashore just before the fight, And Captain Trowbridge and his men were unable to take part in the battle. "The merits of that ship and her gallant captain," wrote Lord Nelson to the Admiralty, "are too well known to benefit by anything I could say.

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Your Welcome is You're Welcome

by Joe Holland • August 12, 2014

That concept of welcome and invitation is so woven into the implicit expectations of a church that we often lose sight of the theological basis for being a welcoming people toward our siblings in Christ and the non-Christians that visit our churches.

As a pastor, I have a deep desire for my congregation to grow as a welcoming and inviting community. Humanly speaking, we feel good to be invited. Whether it is a party, a wedding, or just a meal shared with friends, the very experience of receiving an invitation communicates value and belonging. And so, I regularly encourage my congregation to invite people to come and see what our local church is about.

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Effective Witnessing

Posted 8/12/14 by Donald Barnhouse

Every believer should be a witness. In fact, every believer is a witness whether he wants to be or not. An impression goes out from every one of us concerning what we believe. Those in closest contact with us will know how much our beliefs really count in our lives.
Paul desired that his converts should be effectual in their witness, and wrote to Philemon expressing the secret of fruitful living. His prayer for the younger Christian was "that the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus" (Philemon, v. 6). The implications of this verse are stupendous.

Every believer should be a witness. In fact, every believer is a witness whether he wants to be or not. An impression goes out from every one of us concerning what we believe. Those in closest contact with us will know how much our beliefs really count in our lives.

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