True Revival Preaching

April 19, 2015 by Christina

Read this testimony from a Connecticut farmer named Nathan Cole (1711-83) during the First Great Awakening in America.

“One morning, all on a sudden, about 8 or 9 o’clock there came a messenger. I was in my field, at work, I dropped my tool that I had in my hand and ran home and ran through my house and bade my wife get ready quick to go. I ran to my pasture for my horse with all my might, fearing I should be too late. I brought my horse home and soon mounted and took my wife up and went forward as fast as I thought the horse could bear, and when my horse began to be out of breath I would get down and put my wife in the saddle and bid her ride as fast as she could and not stop or slack for me except I bade her, and so I would run until I was almost out of breath and then mount my horse again, and so I did several times to favour my horse … for we had twelve miles to ride double in little more than an hour.

On high ground I saw before me a cloud or fog rising, I first thought off from the great river [the Connecticut River] but as I came nearer the road I heard a noise something like a low rumbling of horses feet coming down the road and this cloud was a cloud of dust made by the running of horses feet. It arose some rods in the air, over the tops of the hills and trees, and when I came within about twenty rods of the road I could see men and horses slipping along in the cloud like shadows and when I came nearer it was like a steady stream of horses and their riders, scarcely a horse more than his length behind another, all of a lather and some with sweat.…

We went down with the stream, I heard no man speak a word all the way, three miles, but everyone pressing forward in great haste, and when we got down to the old meetinghouse there was a great multitude—it was said to be 3000 or 4000 people assembled together. We got off from our horses and shook off the dust, and the ministers were then coming to the meetinghouse. I turned and looked towards the great river and saw ferry boats running swift, forward and backward, bringing over loads of people, the oars rowed nimble and quick. Everything, men, horses and boats, all seemed to be struggling for life.”

Sweeney, D. A. (2005). The American Evangelical Story: A History of the Movement. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

What caused such hysteria and urgency in the hearts of Nathan Cole and thousands of others?

“One morning, all on a sudden, about 8 or 9 o’clock there came a messenger and said (to me Nathan Cole), “Mr. (George) Whitefield preached at Hartford and Wethersfield yesterday and is to preach at Middletown this morning at 10 o’clock.”

Now that is a Revival! That is a Great Awakening! That people would drop everything and flee to hear the preaching of God’s Word. Lord, send revival again!

For I Have Many In This City

November 22, 2012 by Christina

For I have many in this city. Acts 18:10

“This should be a great encouragement to try to do good, since God has among the vilest of the vile, the most reprobate, the most debauched and drunken, an elect people who must be saved. When you take the Word to them, you do so because God has ordained you to be the messenger of life to their souls, and they must receive it, for so the decree of predestination runs. They are as much redeemed by blood as the saints before the eternal throne. They are Christ’s property, and yet perhaps they are lovers of the ale-house, and haters of holiness; but if Jesus Christ purchased them he will have them. God is not unfaithful to forget the price which his Son has paid. He will not suffer his substitution to be in any case an ineffectual, dead thing. Tens of thousands of redeemed ones are not regenerated yet, but regenerated they must be; and this is our comfort when we go forth to them with the quickening Word of God.

Nay, more, these ungodly ones are prayed for by Christ before the throne. “Neither pray I for these alone,” saith the great Intercessor, “but for them also which shall believe on me through their word.” Poor, ignorant souls, they know nothing about prayer for themselves, but Jesus prays for them. Their names are on his breastplate, and ere long they must bow their stubborn knee, breathing the penitential sigh before the throne of grace. “The time of figs is not yet.” The predestinated moment has not struck; but, when it comes, they shall obey, for God will have his own; they must, for the Spirit is not to be withstood when he cometh forth with fulness of power—they must become the willing servants of the living God. “My people shall be willing in the day of my power.” “He shall justify many.” “He shall see of the travail of his soul.” “I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong.” ”

Spurgeon, C. H. (2006). Morning and evening: Daily readings (Complete and unabridged; New modern edition.). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.

The Gospel is Sufficient for Social Reformation

April 12, 2012 by Christina

There are days when the fight to fix my eyes on the hope of the Gospel and not the declining culture is more intense than others. Having listened to this sermon on my way to work this morning, I had to re-read this excerpt.

In 1535 John Calvin was called to preach in Geneva. The description below will give you a little color into just how bad things were in this city. But John Calvin, with great faith, passion and perseverance, expositionally preached the Word of God to the citizens in Geneva. The result was that the Gospel literally transformed a morally degenerate city into, what John Knox would later call, “a New Jerusalem.”

The Word of God is sufficient for social reformation. May you be stirred to pray, as I am, that God raise up a new generation of men to preach the life transforming Gospel in cities everywhere. He did it in Geneva, so why not here?

“The final area in which we need to know that God’s Word is sufficient is the area of social renewal and reform. We live in a declining culture and want to see the lordship of Jesus acknowledged, justice done, and virtue increase. We want to see the poor relieved of want and suffering. How can this happen? Not by more government programs or by increased emphasis on social work – though such things may have a supplementary or stop-gap place – but by the teaching and practice of the Word of God.”

“In 1535 the Council of Two Hundred, which governed the city of Geneva, Switzerland, decided to break with Catholicism and align the city with the Protestant Reformation. They had very little idea what that meant. Up to this point the city had been notorious for its riots, gambling, indecent dancing, drunkenness, adultery, and other vices. The citizens of Geneva would literally run around the streets naked, singing indecent songs and blaspheming God. They expected this state of affairs to continue even after they had become Protestants, and the Council did not know what to do. It had passed regulation after regulation designed to restrain vice and to remedy the situation. They thought becoming Protestant would solve the problem. But that did not do any good either. Genuine moral change never comes from the top down by law, but from the bottom up through a transformed people. Geneva’s morals continued to decline.”

“But the Council did one thing right. They invited John Calvin to become Geneva’s chief pastor and preacher…Calvin had no weapon but the Bible. From the very first, his emphasis had been on Bible teaching…Calvin preached from the Bible every day, and under the power of that preaching the city began to be transformed. As the people of Geneva acquired knowledge of God’s Word and were changed by it, the city became, as John Knox called it later, a New Jerusalem from which the gospel spread to the rest of Europe, England, and the New World…”

“There probably has never been a clearer example of extensive moral and social reform than the transformation of Geneva under the ministry of John Calvin, and it was accomplished almost entirely by the preaching of the God’s Word.”

James Montgomery Boice, “Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace? : Rediscovering the Doctrines that Shook the World“ , pages 70-72. e-reader version

Back from Alabama the beautiful!

February 23, 2011 by Christina

Hello everyone!

We’ve been back for a couple of days now and I thought I’d briefly check-in to say “hello” and share a few highlights from our vacation. As I considered the overall blessing of our time away, I think the greatest gift is that we sat under pure Gospel preaching for practically our whole vacation! The Gospel truly is the “power of God” and it is so clear to me that we Christians need to hear it every single day. The Gospel is NOT a one-time event. The Gospel is our salvation and it is how we will overcome.

The True Church Conference consisted of an impressive line-up of some tried and tested men of God. It included Jeff Noblit, Senior Pastor/Teacher of Grace Life Church who preached two messages on Striving to Avoid Extra Biblical Excess in the Local Church. Jeff shared some of the hard learned lessons that he and the church at Grace Life experienced over the years. Having lived through three church splits, Jeff spoke with authority and humility on the only Absolute that matters: Christ and the Gospel. Everything else is secondary. Dr. Bruce Ware, Professor of Christian Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, preached two messages called Gospel 101: God’s Gift of the Gospel and, Our Need for the Gospel. Bruce drove home this point: Christ has died and been raised for our sins. This is the Gospel! Don’t add to this! Steve Lawson, Senior Pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile Alabama spoke on The Gospel in The Old Testament and Gospel-Centered Preaching. One of the most striking things that Steve said is that we “stand on the shoulders of the prophets” when we proclaim the Gospel. You may not see the Gospel in every text in the OT but every text will take you back there! Evangelist David Miller absolutely captivated me when he recited Isaiah 53 in entirety from memory and preached twice on The Doctrine of Substitution and Satisfaction without a single sermon note! We will never, says David Miller, apprehend the mercy of God until we apprehend His wrath.

I bless God for these preachers — and the countless others, who boldly and solemnly proclaim the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ. I thank God for preachers who neither add nor detract but who are passionately committed — not to entertainment, man-centered pragmatism, or worldly approaches, but to the sound doctrine that must drive the preaching of the Gospel! It is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

Obviously, this little post does absolutely no justice to the thunder and lightning that roared from the pulpit at Grace Life! All I can say is that this is the kind of preaching the world needs. By exalting the place of sound doctrine in the life of the local church, each speaker brought home over and over this one prevailing truth: All methodology in the church must flow from sound doctrine — from the preaching to all of the inner workings of the local church. Truth. Truth. Truth.

We broke bread with Jon and Lisa Cardwell, not once, not twice, but three times! Our visit with Jon & Lisa made our Alabama trip complete! Jon’s expository preaching in Genesis was passionate and full of truth. Our brother heralded the Gospel loud and clear! We also tasted and saw for ourselves that Jon Cardwell is indeed a BBQ ribs connoisseur! Nothing better than good preaching, sweet fellowship, and good food! Saying goodbye did not come easy! : (

This upcoming Saturday, Steven and I will be hosting the Seniors Breakfast at our church. We so love our senior brothers and sisters. Simply put, they need us and we need them. Additionally, next Saturday is our Women’s Bible Study in which we will be discussing Total Depravity. So, once again, my on-line activity will be a little light but I love you all and am with you in spirit!

Love and blessings!

Below are a few pictures from our trip!