All Things For Good (2)

The second in a series considering the promise of Romans 8:28. In this message we look in-depth at the promise itself and it application to our life and struggles.


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Sunday Spurgeon

IF BY DIVINE GRACE—(and it is only by Divine Grace that this can ever be accomplished)—OUR TWO TALENTS ARE RIGHTLY USED, THE FACT THAT WE HAD NOT FIVE, WILL BE NO INJURY TO US.

You say, when such a man dies who stood in the midst of the Church a triumphant warrior for the Truth, the angels will crowd to Heaven’s gates to see him, for he has been a mighty hero and done much for his Master. A Calvin or a Luther,with what plaudits shall they be received!—men with talents, who have been faithful to their trust. Yes, but know you not that there is many a humble village pastor whose flock scarcely numbers fifty, who toils for them as for his life—who spends hours in praying for their welfare—who uses all the little ability he has in his endeavor to win them to Christ? And do you imagine that his entry into Heaven shall be less triumphant than the entry of such a man as Luther?

If so, you know not how God deals with His people. He gives them rewards, not according to the greatness of the goods with which they were entrusted, but according to their fidelity. “Hereunto and he that has been faithful to the least, shall be as much rewarded as he that has been faithful in much.”

Hostage For Bibles

From Extreme Devotion:

Bill and John were near the docks in southern England when they saw the Romanian flag hanging from the stern of a ship. It was during the years of Romania’'s hard-line Communist rule.

With little conversation, they recognized the mission field before them, untied their cases of Bibles and went aboard. They stepped into the mess room where the ship’'s entire thirty-five-man company was gathered. Bill and John explained why they had come and began to pull out the Romanian Bibles. The crew immediately gave the two their undivided attention. Most of them had never before heard about God and his Son, Jesus.

When Bill and John discovered that they didn'’t have enough Romanian Bibles, two burly seamen grabbed Bill by the arms and gently but firmly sat him in a chair. They explained apologetically in broken English that Bill would stay there until John came back with Bibles for all of them.

A hostage for Bibles—, John didn'’t know whether to laugh or cry, but it was the only way the Romanians could make sure that John would return. In a Communist country full of broken promises, they didn’t trust anyone.

John rushed to the office and packed his case full of Romanian Bibles. Within an hour, he was back in the mess room, where the crew gratefully received the Bibles and released their “hostage.”


Get the word out. That’'s what Jesus said to do about his gospel message. However we can, wherever we go, whatever we do, we must be about the business of spreading the word about Christ. Our commitment may take us to the docks or simply to the breakfast table of our unbelieving neighbors next door. Either way, we must be prepared to share God’'s Word with those who are spiritually perishing.

Are you driven to get the word out about Christ? Are you conscious of the limited time you may have to complete your mission? Don'’t waste another moment, thinking someone else will do your part. What can you do today to spread the Good News?

More about the persecuted church can be found
at Christian Persecution Blog.

To Obey Is Better Than To Pray

"Have you noticed how much praying for revival has been going on of late - and how little revival has resulted? I believe the problem is that we have been trying to substitute praying for obeying, and it simply will not work. To pray for revival while ignoring the plain precept laid down in Scripture is to waste a lot of words and get nothing for our trouble. Prayer will become effective when we stop using it as a substitute for obedience."

- A.W. Tozer

Bog Bible Found In Ireland

From the Scotsman:

"Ireland's national museum on Tuesday hailed what it said was one of the most significant discoveries in decades -- and perhaps centuries -- after an ancient prayer book was found by chance in an Irish bog.

The National Museum of Ireland said fragments of what appeared to be an ancient Psalter or Book of Psalms, written around AD 800, were uncovered by a bulldozer in a bog in the south Midlands.

"In discovery terms this Irish equivalent to the Dead Sea Scrolls is being hailed by the Museum's experts as the greatest find ever from a European bog," the museum said in a statement."

Interestingly, the book was open to Psalm 83. A lament of Israel to God against those who would seek to destroy it. A reminder from God of the love He has for His chosen people?

Psalm 83

O God, do not keep silence;
do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
For behold, your enemies make an uproar;
those who hate you have raised their heads.
They lay crafty plans against your people;
they consult together against your treasured ones.
They say, "Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;
let the name of Israel be remembered no more!"
For they conspire with one accord;
against you they make a covenant--
the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites,
Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
Asshur also has joined them;
they are the strong arm of the children of Lot.
Selah

Do to them as you did to Midian,
as to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
who were destroyed at En-dor,
who became dung for the ground.
Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
who said, "Let us take possession for ourselves
of the pastures of God."

O my God, make them like whirling dust,
like chaff before the wind.
As fire consumes the forest,
as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,
so may you pursue them with your tempest
and terrify them with your hurricane!
Fill their faces with shame,
that they may seek your name, O LORD.
Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever;
let them perish in disgrace,
that they may know that you alone,
whose name is the LORD,
are the Most High over all the earth.

A Sign of The Times

This sign found on a church in Israel, I assume to discourage tour groups from disrupting services, might be an appropriate one to hang outside some Mainline and Emerging churches here in this country; since much of their emphasis is upon embracing the mystery, questioning the obvious and continuing the dialogue, rather than explaining the Scriptures. We have moved in some corners from "always be prepared to give an answer," to "hey who really knows, wanna get Starbucks?"

This image comes from a great site En-Gedi that provides resources on the Hebraic roots of our faith. Check it out.

How I Spent My Day Off...

All Things For Good (1)

The first in a multi-part look at Romans 8:28. In this message we consider some of the misunderstandings of this verse and focus on the people who receive this promise of God that "all things work together for good."


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Sunday Spurgeon

Picture yourself today going home from this hall. You have an enemy who all his life long has been your enemy. His father was your enemy and he is your enemy, too. There is never a day passes but you try to win his friendship. But he spits upon your kindness and curses your name. He does injury to your friends and there is not a stone he leaves unturned to do you plumage.

As you are going home today, you see a house on fire. The flames are raging and the smoke is ascending up in one black column to Heaven. Crowds gather in the street and you are told there is a man in the upper chamber who must be burnt to death. No one can save him. You say, “Why that is my enemy’s house.” And you see him at the window. It is your own enemy—the very man. He is about to be burnt. Full of loving kindness, you say, “I will save that man if I can.” He sees you approach the house. He puts his head from the window and curses you. “An everlasting blast upon you!” he says, “I would rather perish than that you should save me.”

Do you imagine yourself then, dashing through the smoke and climbing the blazing staircase to save him? And can you conceive that when you get near him he struggles with you and tries to roll you in the flames? Can you conceive your love to be so potent, that you can perish in the flames rather than leave him to be burned? You say, “I could not do it. It is above flesh and blood to do it.”

But Jesus did it. We hated Him, we despised Him and, when He came to save us, we rejected Him. When His Holy Spirit comes into our hearts to strive with us, we resist Him. But He will save us. No, He Himself braved the fire that He might snatch us as brands from eternal burning. The joy of Jesus was the joy of saving sinners. The great motive, then, with Christ, in enduring all this, was that He might save us.

TTW: Cyborg Name Decoder

Try it for yourself here.

A Tribute To The 2996

I signed up and was assigned to pay tribute to Joshua Aron killed in the World Trade Center. I encourage all my blogging friends to sign up and remember the lives of those 2996 lost on September 11th.

My Precious?

LifeSite is reporting:

Profits from the Lord of the Rings film trilogy are being used to fund destructive human embryonic research at the University of California, reported the Mainichi Daily News.

Filmmakers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, who brought the J.R.R. Tolkien epic to the screen, together donated US $310,000 last Saturday to fund research using the stem cells of human embryos.

“Stem cell therapy has the potential to treat a multitude of diseases and illnesses which up until now have been labelled ‘incurable,’” the pair said in a statement released by the University of California.

“Continuing advances in stem cell medicine will change all of our lives for the better.”

Despite such assumptions, research using human embryonic stem cells has so far been unsuccessful. All of the breakthroughs using stem cells for medical therapy have so far been found through the use of adult stem cells—cells obtained directly from the individual in need of therapy and used successfully to treat a growing list of serious illnesses.

Embryonic stem cell research has received international criticism, including disapproval by the US government, because the research involves the killing of human embryos in the very earliest stages of development. The Catholic Church, in particular, has condemned any research that involves the use or destruction of the human embryo as intrinsically immoral.

Ironically, despite the undercurrent of traditional morality that forms the foundation of The Lord of the Rings trilogy—Tolkien was a devout Roman Catholic—the film has been used as a springboard to promote policies in direct opposition to Catholic teaching.

British actor Ian McKellen, who portrayed the wizard Gandalf in the film, has used the international recognition generated by the film to further his promotion of homosexuality, campaigning for homosexual “marriage” in Britain.

Bush vetoes Stem Cell Bill read about it here.

At Least 241 Reasons To Support Israel Against Hezbollah...

On the morning of October 23, 1983, the First Battalion, 8th Marines Headquarters building was destroyed by a Hezbollah terrorist-driven truck, laden with compressed gas-enhanced explosives. The resulting explosion and the collapse of the barracks killed 241 Marines, Sailors, and Soldiers - many still in their beds.

The names of those killed by Hezbollah's attack.

WorldNet Daily reports that the same Marine unit is returning to Beruit to assist the evacuation of Americans there.

Debbie Schussel is reporting that many of the "Americans" looking to be evacuated are Hezbollah supporters. She writes:

"Of the 25,000 American citizens and green-card holders in Lebanon, at least 7,000 are from Dearborn, Michigan, the heart of Islamic America, and especially Shia Islam America. These 7,000 are mostly Shi'ite Muslims who openly and strongly support Hezbollah...Many of the 7,000 plus Detroiters in Lebanon are active in Dearborn's Bint Jbeil cultural center (the Lebanese American Heritage Club also features mostly Hezbollah fans). Bint Jbeil is a Hezbollah-dominated city in the South of Lebanon, a frequent destination of Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, who is very at home there. Bint Jbeil is a frequent source of shellings on Northern Israel."

Christian Jelly-fish

One plague of our age is the widespread dislike
to sound doctrine. In the place of it, the idol of
the day is a kind of jelly-fish Christianity--a
Christianity without bone, or muscle, or sinew--
without any distinct teaching about the atonement
or the work of the Spirit, or justification, or the
way of peace with God--a vague, foggy, misty
Christianity, of which the only watchwords seem
to be, "You must be liberal and kind. You must
condemn no man's doctrinal views. You must
think everybody is right, and nobody is wrong."

J.C. Ryle

Church Shopping? You Must Be Kidding...Right?

Another example of how the Church has sold out to the marketing model can be found at the new website "Church Shoppers.com" which promises to match your compatability profile with a local church. Read a bit of their ad copy:

Finding the right home church is one of the most important decisions you will make for you and your family. Your place of worship needs to inspire, encourage and challenge you as well as utilize the unique gifs and talents you have to offer.

Searching for a home church usually consists of making a list from the Yellow Pages and spending several weeks, even months, attending various services that often do not match your family’s style of worship or specific care needs. Time, especially our spiritual time, is extremely valuable and is not best served by this type of church search.

Let Churchshoppers help!

Using your criteria in our search engines, Churchshoppers narrows the field from hundreds of churches to a select group of churches with whom you share deep levels of compatibility. Where other services provide you with an address and phone number, Churchshoppers matches you to possible churches based on compatibility in the most important areas of life – denominations, preaching style, music style, children’s ministry and even more!

If you are away from home, re-locating to a new area, or simply need a fresh start, let Churchshoppers help you find the right church for you and your family.

Stop Church Hopping and Start Church Shopping!

Apparently we have been going about things in the wrong way for two thousand years. Who would have thought it was the "Mail-Order" Bride of Christ!

HT: The Wittenburg Door

Everything Is Against Me!

"Everything is against me!" cries Jacob in Genesis 42:36. But in fact everything was in his favor, he had just lost sight of God's promises. When things seems most against us faith helps us see the invisible hand of God and trust that everything will work for our good because God loves us.


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Sunday Spurgeon

“And Jacob their father said unto them, You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is not,and Simeon is not, and you will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.” (Genesis 42:36.)

Now, usually, our unbelief is a great liar. Our best things are reckoned by unbelief to be our worst. God sends His mercies to us in black envelopes, and we sit down crying over their dismal covering and dare not open the letter and read the heavenly news written within! The Lord sends His blessings in rumbling wagons, and we are so frightened at the sound as almost to lose the choice contents. Well does the hymn put it—

“You fearful saints, fresh courage take,
The clouds you so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.”

Our best days have been those which we thought our worst. Probably we are never so much in prosperity as when plunged in adversity. No summer days contribute so much to the healthy growth of our souls as those sharp wintry nights which are so trying to us. We fear that we are being destroyed, and our inner life is at that moment being most effectually preserved. Oh, if we read them aright, all things are for us! We are a thousand fools in one to be quibbling at the Divine dispensation, and saying, “All these things are against me.” Jacob was wrong in every jot and tittle of what he said, and so usually are we.

Strong Words...

The following is from A.W. Pink.

"The apostles of Satan are not saloon-keepers and white-slave traffickers, but are for the most part ordained ministers. Thousands of those who occupy our modern pulpits are no longer engaged in presenting the fundamentals of the Christian Faith, but have turned aside from the Truth and have given heed unto fables. Instead of magnifying the enormity of sin and setting forth its eternal consequences, they minimize it by declaring that sin is merely ignorance or the absence of good. Instead of warning their hearers to "flee from the wrath to come" they make God a liar by declaring that He is too loving and merciful to send any of His own creatures to eternal torment. Instead of declaring that "without shedding of blood is no remission," they merely hold up Christ as the great Exemplar and exhort their hearers to follow in His steps." Of them it must be said, "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God" (Rom 10:3). Their message may sound very plausible and their aim appear very praiseworthy, yet we read of them—"for such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves (imitating) into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing [not to be wondered at] if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works" (2 Cor 11:13-15)."

You can read the whole piece here.

HT: Thinkerup

The Ugandan Martyrs (1885-1887)

In light of the controversy raging between the Episcopal Church US and the larger world-wide Anglican fellowship the following from the Kairos Journal sheds some important light on the stalwart stance of the African wing of the Church.

The faces of the hundred executioners were painted black and red. Dressed in animal skins and martial headdresses, they danced and sang, “Today the kinsfolk of these children will weep.” But the Christians, bound hand and foot and wrapped in bundles of reeds, calmly replied, “This is the place whence we shall go to see Jesus Christ. In one moment we shall see Him.” Wood was stacked upon them and lit; the flames rose in a circle as over a burning hut and quickly consumed them. Their offence: refusing to engage in sodomy with the king.

In 1878, missionaries left the coast for Buganda (present day Uganda), but departed in 1882, having suffered a disappointing reception under a hostile King. Still, the small church grew, especially among the pages in the court of the new king Mwanga. Encouraged, the missionaries returned in 1885, but this proved problematic since many Africans made no distinction between them and the colonial expansionists; their Christian converts suffered from guilt by association.

King Mwanga feared Christianity, believing it would bring the wrath of his ancestors upon his kingdom. Furthermore, these Christians refused to worship the traditional gods, and they objected to the monarch’s unspeakable practice of drafting his subjects as homosexual partners. To resist meant death, and resist they did.

On November 15, 1885, Joseph Mukasa, a leading courtier, became the first martyr. He had spoken out against the lifestyle of the king and tried to save his colleagues from the monarch’s grasp. Just before he was beheaded and his body burned, Mukasa addressed the executioner: “Tell [King] Mwanga this—I forgive him for killing me without cause, but he must change his life. Otherwise I shall speak against him at God’s tribunal.”

More than 40 other Christians were martyred between May 25 and June 3, 1886. During their captivity, the eldest of the group encouraged everyone to remain courageous: “Do not be afraid, hold fast! We shall not die twice; our friends are already with our Lord, we shall soon be with them.” On the day of their death, they were joined by Mbaga Tuzinde, the seventeen-year-old son of the chief executioner. As a Christian, he ran to be with the others despite his kinfolks’ efforts to save his life.

Today, some Western Church leaders are pressuring African brothers to compromise their stance against homosexuality, but so far the Africans have stood fast. They know what the Bible teaches on the matter, and they refuse to depart from it. Furthermore, it would be betrayal of the martyrs who have gone before them, and this they cannot countenance.

More information about the Ugandan martyrs can be found here, here and here.

For more information about the present-day persecution of Christians check out the Christian Persecution Blog.

Check This Out!

I'm an Old School Christian rocker. My earliest exposure was to folks like Larry Norman, Second Chapter of Acts, Petra and Keith Green. I haven't found much Christian music since that really moved me. But today I found a new artist that recaptures some of the feel of my early years as a believer. I found him curiously enough when he commented on a recent Sunday Spurgeon post. I followed the link back to his site and was really impressed. So allow me to introduce to you...Sean Dietrich.

Looking like a poster child for the Jesus People, Sean has a unique music ministry that reminds me a lot of Keith Green. His songs are available for free download, but I would encourage you to make a donation and get a CD.

Check out a few samples:

Will I Give My Best

Pharisee

Just Plain Nuts

You're Not The Boss Of Me!

Douglas Wilson writes:

"The push for women being ordained as priests (or pastors, or bishops, whatever) is not coming from a Church crowned with glory after several centuries of faithfulness, martyrdom, and exuberant evangelism and discipleship. It is coming from a Church addled with various and rampant sexual confusions. In other words, the ordination of women and the ordination of homosexuals are not two separate issues, but rather two manifestations of one issue. What is that issue? We do not want God to define who we are. Because these are not two separate issues, an evangelical support for women's ordination is actually an ignorant support of homosexual ordination. This is true theologically, but it is also true practically. If this were not practically the case, we could just as easily be hearing calls for all practicing homosexual priests to be defrocked, and then after that, we could move on to the pressing business of ordaining women. Think that will happen soon? Don't hold your breath."

Wilson's critique is right not only about the issue of women's ordination and homosexuality but also for many of the things that are plaguing the Church today. "We do not want God to define who we are." This rebellion, of course, is as old as the Garden of Eden. The sin of God-formed, God- breathed Adam and Eve was the attempt to be something that they were not. By definition, the clay has no say in how the Potter forms it or for what function. God has clearly laid out the limitations of humanity, not as a means of punishment, but of blessing. It is only when we step over those boundaries that we bring disorder into the world.

What Can Wash Away My Sins...?

The complete line of products can be found here.

A Real Man's Theology

From the Christianity Today interview with Mark Driscoll:

"The two hot theologies today are Reformed and emerging. Reformed theology offers certainty, with a masculine God who names our sin, crushes Jesus on the Cross for it, and sends us to hell if we fail to repent. Emerging theology offers obscurity, with a neutered God who would not say an unkind word to us, did not crush Jesus for our sins, and would not send anyone to hell. I came to Reformed theology by preaching through books of the Bible such as Exodus, Romans, John, and Revelation, along with continually repenting of my sin. I am, however, a boxers, not briefs, Reformed guy. I am pretty laid back about it and not uptight and tidy like many Reformed guys."

"I appreciate John Calvin for his Bible teaching, Charles Spurgeon for his gospel preaching, Martin Luther for his insights on faith and grace, and Billy Graham for the witness of his life. I have thousands of books in my library and lean most heavily on dead guys for theology and modern stand-up comedians for preaching tips. In the end, I am an old-school, Jesus-loving Bible-thumper with a penchant for the portrait of Jesus in Revelation as an ultimate fighter with a tattoo down his leg."

The Treasure Hunter

This message, part of our VBS kickoff (SonTreasure Island), examines the Parable of the Hidden Treasure in Matthew 13:44. The treasure is not what most people think and when we realize what it really is - it can radically change how we see God, ourselves and our mission.


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Sunday Spurgeon

But I’ll tell you—many of you Christians do a deal of mischief by what you say when going home. A man once said that when he was a lad he heard a certain sermon from a minister and felt deeply impressed under it. Tears stole down his cheeks and he thought within himself, “I will go home to pray.” On the road home he fell into the company of two members of the Church. One of them began saying, “Well, how did you enjoy the sermon? The other said, “I do not think he was quite sound on such a point.” “Well,” said the other, “I thought he was rather off his guard,” or something of that sort.“And one pulled one part of the minister’s sermon to pieces and another the other, until,” said the young man, “before I had gone many yards with them, I had forgetter all about it. And all the good I thought I had received seemed swept away by these two men who seemed afraid lest I should get any hope, for they were just pulling that sermon to pieces that would have brought me on my knees.” How often have we done the same! People will say, “What did you think of that sermon?” I gently tell them nothing at all and if there is any fault in it—and very likely there is, it is better not to speak of it, for some may get good from it. I do believe that many a sermon that seems nothing but perfect nonsense from beginning to end may be the means of salvation.

Proverbs 11:13

Regular Church-Attenders Oppose Gay Clergy

With all the turmoil in the Episcopal Church, the PCUSA, the RCA and many other denominations over the matter of gay clergy a recent Rassmussen Reports poll offers a glimpse into the minds of those most affected, the people in the pews:

"Is it appropriate for gay and lesbian church members to serve as pastors and bishops in a Christian Church? Two thirds (67%) of those who attend Church weekly say no. Just 27% of those faithful worshippers say yes.

Self-identified Evangelical Christians oppose gay and lesbian pastors by an 80% to 15% margin. Other Protestants oppose such pastors by a 2-to-1 margin while Catholics are nearly evenly divided.

The only demographic group to favor gay and lesbian pastors are those who rarely or never attend church. Among this segment of the population, 49% believe such pastors are appropriate. Thirty-nine percent (39%) disagree.

One point of common ground is that the government has no business getting involved in this discussion. Eighty-six percent (86%) of all voters agree that church policy about gay pastors should be decided by churches. Just 7% believe the government should require churches to allow gay and lesbian members in leadership positions.

Three years after the U.S. Episcopal Church roiled congregations by consecrating a gay man as bishop, national conventions of the Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church have revisited the issue of gay church leadership. At the Episcopal Church's convention this June, delegates vetoed a proposed moratorium on appointing more gay bishops, but in a technically non-binding resolution urged church leaders to exercise restraint in their appointments—an elliptically worded compromise few are comfortable with.

Among those who attend churches that are growing,just 26% believe it is appropriate to appoint gay and lesbian church leaders.Sixty-six percent (66%) are opposed.

Opinion is more evenly divided in churches with declining attendance. Forty-four percent (44%) of those in declining churches say it is appropriate for gay and lesbian leadership appointments. Forty percent (40%) disagree.

Those who believe the Bible is literally true strongly oppose gay and lesbian pastors. Those who do not view the Bible as literally true strongly favor the appointment of gay and lesbian pastors."

The last few lines are the most telling for me. When the Bible loses ultimate authority then anything goes. As one Episcopal bishop put it: "The church wrote the Bible, the church can rewrite the Bible." Until the Bible is once again the foundation of truth for God's people we will continue this downward spiral into further and further aberration and false teaching. Any real hope for change comes when the people in the pews demand that the leadership of the church returns to the clear teaching of God's Word and not the social experimentation of the culture at large.

The Cost of True Freedom

The Founding Father pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor in the cause of freedom for this nation. Jesus pledged a greater honor, a greater fortune and a greater life for a greater freedom for us. This message from Philippians 2:1-13 calls us to respond to what Christ has done.


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Sunday Spurgeon

The Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” They went to the right Person. They did not say to themselves, “I will increase my faith”—they did not cry to the minister, “Preach a comforting sermon and increase my faith.” They did not say,“I will read such-and-such a book and that will increase my faith.” No, they said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” Faith’s Author can alone increase it. I could inflate your faith till it turned into presumption but I could not make it grow. It is God’s work to feed faith, as well as to give it life at first. And if any of you desire to have a growing faith, go and take your burden this morning to God’s Throne, crying “Lord, increase our faith!” If you feel that your troubles have been increased, go to the Lord and say, “Increase our faith!” If your money is accumulating, go to the Lord and say, “Increase our faith”—for you will want more faith as you get more rosperity. If your property is diminishing, go to Him and say, “Increase our faith,” so that what you lose in one scale you may gain in the other. Are you sickly and full of pain this morning? Go to your Master and say, “Increase my faith,” so that you may not be impatient, but be able to bear it well. Are you tired and weary? Go and supplicate, “Increase our faith!” Have you little faith? Take it to God and He will turn it into great faith.

There is no hot-house for growing tender plants like a house that is within the curtains—the tabernacle of God—where the Shekinah dwells. I have been speaking in very great pain. But I would, if possible, close by asking you who are Christians whether you do not think this prayer very necessary to your own state. Let each one ask himself, Do not I want more faith? My Brothers and Sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ, rest assured, you will never get too much of this precious grace. If you pay all the way to Heaven, you will never have a penny to spare when you get to Heaven’s Gate. If you live on faith all your journey through, you will not have a pot of manna left.