Salt was used in every offering made by fire unto the Lord, and from its preserving and purifying properties it was the grateful emblem of divine grace in the soul. It is worthy of our attentive regard that, when Artaxerxes gave salt to Ezra the priest, he set no limit to the quantity, and we may be quite certain that when the King of kings distributes grace among his royal priesthood, the supply is not cut short by him. Often are we straitened in ourselves, but never in the Lord. He who chooses to gather much manna will find that he may have as much as he desires. There is no such famine in Jerusalem that the citizens should eat their bread by weight and drink their water by measure. Some things in the economy of grace are measured; for instance our vinegar and gall are given us with such exactness that we never have a single drop too much, but of the salt of grace no stint is made, “Ask what thou wilt and it shall be given unto thee.” Parents need to lock up the fruit cupboard, and the sweet jars, but there is no need to keep the salt-box under lock and key, for few children will eat too greedily from that. A man may have too much money, or too much honour, but he cannot have too much grace. When Jeshurun waxed fat in the flesh, he kicked against God, but there is no fear of a man’s becoming too full of grace: a plethora of grace is impossible. More wealth brings more care, but more grace brings more joy. Increased wisdom is increased sorrow, but abundance of the Spirit is fulness of joy. Believer, go to the throne for a large supply of heavenly salt. It will season thine afflictions, which are unsavoury without salt; it will preserve thy heart which corrupts if salt be absent, and it will kill thy sins even as salt kills reptiles. Thou needest much; seek much, and have much.

Ah, my dear brethren! there are many that are deceived by this method of reasoning. They remain where their conscience tells them they ought not to be, because, they say, they are more useful than they would be if they went “without the camp.”  This is doing evil that good may come, and can never be tolerated by an enlightened conscience. If an act of sin would increase my usefulness tenfold, I have no right to do it; and if an act of righteousness would appear likely to destroy all my apparent usefulness, I am yet to do it. It is yours and mine to do the right though the heavens fall, and follow the command of Christ whatever the consequences may be. “That is strong meat,” do you say? Be strong men, then, and feed thereon … For right is right, since God is God/ And right the day must win/ To doubt would be disloyalty/ To falter would be sin.

My favorite part: “That is strong meat,” do you say? Be strong men, then, and feed thereon

What applications can think of this for this truth?

Source: DO RIGHT THOUGH THE HEAVENS FALL (Friday Church News Notes, August 5, 2011,www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)

Suppose any one of you had come from Heaven…Some would be curious to see what his bodily form would be like. They would expect to be dazzled by the radiance of his countenance.

However, we will let that pass. We want to see how he would live. Coming newly from Heaven, how would he act? Oh, sirs, if he came here to do the same as all men do on Earth, only after a heavenly sort, what a father he would be, what a husband, what a brother, what a friend! I would sit down and let him preach this morning, most assuredly; and when he had done preaching, I would go home with him, and have a chat.

I should be very careful to observe what he would do with his wealth. His first thought would be, if he had a shilling, to lay it out for God’s glory. “But,” says one, “I have necessities to buy with my shilling.” So be it, but when you go pray this: “Oh! Lord, help me to lay it out to your glory.” There should be as much piety in buying your necessaries as in going to a place of worship.

I do not think this man coming fresh from Heaven would say, “I must have this luxury; I must have this nice outfit; I must have this grand house.” But he would say, “How much can I save for the God of Heaven? How much can I invest in the country I came from?”

I am sure he would be pinching pennies to save money to serve God with; and he himself, as he went about the streets, and mingled with ungodly men and women, would be sure to find out ways of getting at their consciences and hearts; he would be always trying to bring others to the bliss he had enjoyed.

Think that over, and live so—so as he did who really did come down from Heaven. For after all, the best rule of life is, what would Jesus do if he were here today, and the world still lying in the wicked one? If Jesus were in your business, if he had your money, how would he spend it? For that is how youought to spend it.

Now think, my brother, you will be in Heaven very soon. Since last year a great number have gone home: before next year many more will have ascended to glory. Sitting up in those celestial seats, how shall we wish that we had lived below?

It will not give any man in Heaven even a moment’s joy to think that he gratified himself while here. It will give him no reflections suitable to the place to remember how much he amassed, how much he left behind to be quarreled over after he was gone; he will say to himself, “I wish I had saved more of my capital by sending it on before me, for what I saved on Earth was lost, but what I spent for God was really laid up where thieves do not break through and steal.”

via: epm.org

The following is from the devotional book Awake My Heart by J. Sidlow Baxter (today’s entry):

“For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10

Let the breezy unconcern and jaunty sarcasms of Christ-rejecting worldlings be what they may, apart from Christ they are lost souls. That word “lost”, usually excites pity or alarm or grief. Even a lost dog gains out ready pity. A lost child stirs us up to deep concern. If we hear that a ship has been lost with all on board, or that lives have been lost in a mine disaster, instantly we feel alarm and grief. Yet what are the greatest physical losses compared with the loss of the soul? Think what it means to be a lost soul.

Lost to Fellowship with God

Does someone exclaim, “Why, fellowship with God is something far removed from most people’s minds”? Well, could anything more sadly prove their lost condition? Is it not surprisingly strange that human beings should shiftily evade all thought of the very One who gives them life, who sustains them, gives them the breath they breathe, and the light in which they see, and the food which they eat? Is it not stranger still that men in general prefer any philosophic or scientific theory to the Bible, whether pantheistic, fatalistic or evolutionary, so long as it assures them that God does not even exist? How strange we should think it if growing children who had been well fed, well clothed, well cared-for in every way, and surrounded by sympathetic parental love, should all the while be shiftily evading their parents, and at the earliest opportunity hive away from them and push them entirely out of thought! Yet that is how human beings in general treat the great heavenly Parent; and does it not indicate the strangest alienation?

Lost to Life’s Highest Purpose

Did God allow any of us to be born without some special purpose in view? Has God endowed our nature with intellect, conscience, and free will, only to have leave us as wisps of meaningless conscience blown about by blind chance? “No,” say the birds of the heaven and stars of the sky. “No,” says the whole of the well-ordered universe. “No,” says the written Word of God; there is a purpose for each of us as truly as for Jeremiah (Jer. 1:5). But sin has driven a deep, wide wedge between God’s will and man’s; so that instead of finding heart-satisfying consummation of our human personalities, we spend ourselves on the merely temporal, and then die saying, “Vanity of vanities; all is vanity!” Life has no real purpose apart from God. To be “lost” is therefore to be lost to life’s highest purpose.

Lost to Life’s Purest Joys

It is difficult for worldly minded people to think this, especially the younger among them; but that is simply because there is one part of their nature torpid, atrophied, dead. It is difficult for the sensual and voluptuous to think that the pleasures of the mind are more enjoyable than those of the body; yet the poet, the philosopher, the intellectual, will tell them that mere animal indulgences are crude compared with mental pleasures. And the prayerful Christian knows that even mental pleasures are far below the pure spiritual joys which are ours in Christ. Oh, the sad, sad tragedy, “Lost”!-lost to fellowship with God; lost to life’s highest purpose; lost to life’s purest joys; and lost to all these for ever! May we who know the Saviour do all we can to arouse them, and bring them to the Saviour!

A couple of events caused me to ask this question recently. First, I attended a conference where several flawed men were honored. This was even acknowledged immediately after the presentation. Next, I have been studying Christian history intensely over the past few months. Many men of the past who are honored probably wouldn’t receive an invitation to preach at my church if they ministered in this age.  Most leaders have had imperfections and faults, but we generally remember them based on their embrace of certain truths. So, does God honor flawed men?

Unequivocally, the answer is yes.

He even inducts them into the “hall of faith” and presumably showers them with eternal rewards. How do I know? Hebrews 11 mentions several examples of individuals who personify living by faith. There’s Noah who blighted his testimony forever with drunkenness. Next in the list is a habitual liar (Abraham). Jacob is a man who is perhaps better known for his scheming than his faith in God. Yet the worship offered at the end of his life draws God’s commendation. An angry man who committed murder is lifted up (Moses). Gideon temporarily was an idolater. David, a man after God’s own heart, was an adulterer and murderer. Many of these men had multiple wives.

If your church was going to make a hall of faith, would you like to see murderers, adulterers, and idolaters lifted up as heroes to your congregation? What does this example mean for us today?

1. It does not mean pastors who violate the qualifications in Scripture should be allowed to remain in their office.

OT heroes do not equal NT pastors. NT believers have clear guidelines in order to qualify for the office of pastor. Pastors who violate these make themselves ineligible for the position.

2. It does not mean unrepentant sinners should be embraced and honored.

The individuals mentioned  in Hebrews 11 did not persist in rebellion and unbelief. Members of the church who persist in sin are to be confronted and removed from fellowship; embracing the sinner runs contrary to God’s plan (1 Cor. 5).

3. It does mean God uses imperfect saints.

The imperfections of leaders will not cause everyone to embrace their faults. Great failures do not negate great faith. The frailty of men actually reveals the glory and majesty of Christ (1 Cor. 1:26-31). We must not be afraid to hold flawed men up as examples to others of great faith and victory.

4. It does mean we should deal graciously with imperfect saints.

When rejoicing over the triumphs of others and not their failures, we demonstrate love (1 Cor. 13:6) and God’s gracious spirit (Hebrews 11). The Holy Spirit didn’t even feel the need to qualify every statement about these flawed men with disclaimers about their failures.

None of this is to say God does not recognize and judge sin – ask the saints of Hebrews 11 and they will heartily agree that God is holy and despises sin. However, these truths do challenge my thinking.

I’d like to have your assistance. Could you comment on this article to help refine my thinking? Is there something obvious that I’m missing? What additional lessons can we take from God honoring flawed men? What warnings would you give?

Could you ever contemplate a pastor sending his latest converts off to another church or organization to have then discipled, grounded, and matured in the faith? Your response to that notion would surely be, “Never! That’s unthinkable … ridiculous!” Why is it, then, that pastors who (rightfully) see the discipling of new believers to be one of their primary duties will send those from their congregation whom God has called into the ministry to someone else for training — often to a place far away, and often with results that are less than satisfactory?

The responsibility for equipping men for the ministry rests scripturally and squarely upon every Bible-believing Baptist church, and upon those whom God has placed in leadership, the pastors. This fact is made clear from Ephesians 4:11,12 — “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” There is no other organization or individual — outside of a church of the Lord Jesus Christ — that has the Biblical mandate to engage in the training and preparing of men and women for the Lord’s work.

Among Bible-believing Baptists there is general agreement that the “Great Commission” of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ,was given to His churches, and that this involves the evangelizing, baptizing, and discipling of individuals. It is also generally agreed that only New Testament (Baptist) churches have the scriptural authority to ordain God-called men as pastors — and to send out evangelists whose objective it is to establish other churches of like faith and order. This being the case, there really is NO Biblical basis or rationale for the training of such men to be received in any other setting or under any other authority than the institution the Lord established for that purpose.

From a SCRIPTURAL standpoint, a pastor must be “apt to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2). Each church is the “pillar and ground of the truth” (I Timothy 3:15), and its pastors and evangelists (missionaries) are charged with the responsibility “the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2).

From a PRACTICAL standpoint, there is no better place for any man to learn firsthand the order, operation, and ethics essential to the leadership of a church than by being actually involved in one. There is no need to send your best workers away to be trained by others and serve in another church.

From a PERSONAL standpoint, a close working relationship with one’s own pastor(s)—rather than professional academics—allows tremendous opportunities for insights and evaluation not found in any other setting. Training a man is much more than lectures and book learning (as important as they are); it requires that a preacher share his heart, his vision, his burden, etc.,with the preachers-in-training God has given him (2 Timothy 3:10,11a).

The apostles and those that followed them continued the pattern established by our Lord in the training of His men. It must be the same pattern we endeavor to follow, by God’s grace, to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.

Christians reproduce Christians. Churches reproduce churches. Pastors reproduce pastors.

1. Apparatus SIL

The Apparatus SIL fonts were designed to provide most of the symbols needed to reproduce the textual apparatus found in major editions of Greek and Hebrew biblical texts. The font family consists of 4 weights: Regular, Italic, Bold and Bold Italic. It was designed for optimum clarity and compactness when printed at small point sizes.

2. League Gothic

This typeface is in the public domain. This font is a display sans-serif, available for free download and use in personal and commercial projects. Designed by The League Of Moveable Type.

3. Contra

This legible font family comes in 2 weights: Regular and Italic. It works best for headlines and in large sizes.

[via Smashing Magazine]

What fonts do you use most in church publications?

Why would I want to do that?

Good question. Mainly, I want to improve my writing skills. The discipline of writing regularly will help me. I also want to improve my communication skills. Tragically, it isn’t one of my strong suits; yet, I am eager to improve.

How will I improve?

By following a guide written by Darren Rowse entitled “31 Days to Build a Better Blog.” I purchased the ebook, but now I realize that you can obtain all of the information in the ebook for free on Darren’s website. I’m not doing this by myself; I’ll be joining with many others through the Christian Web Trends blog. I’m not very familiar with the author of that blog; in fact, the first post I read was about this challenge.

Day 1 – Create an “Elevator Pitch” for your blog

The first day’s assignment is to create an “elevator pitch” and I found it challenging. Mostly because this blog hasn’t really had any focus since it was started in January of 2007. In fact, it has even changed names. At the start it was entitled “Rediscover God’s Word” and did have a focus (blogging through the Bible), but that changed when I wanted to blog about more stuff – hence, the current name: Stuff I Like. So, here’s my new elevator pitch:

Here’s my short version (for the tagline in the site header):

musings on the Bible, ministry, and technology

And the long version (for the about page):

My name is Jack Lamb and I blog at “Stuff I Like”. My blog is a place for my thoughts on various things that I like. I am very passionate about knowing and worshiping my God so you will find posts on the Scripture, theology, and ministry. I also enjoy learning about and utilizing new technologies. You can follow me on Twitter for links and helpful quotes. There’s not alot of personal information here, but you can connect through Facebook if you’d like.

What do you think? Does this give you a clear idea of what to expect at my blog?

Many today reject the church as vital or even necessary for Christians. There are multitudes of people who consider TV, books, magazines, devotionals, or podcasts as their “church.” Is it possible to have a vibrant spiritual life and successfully nurture our relationship with God apart from a local church? Is it just tradition that tells us we much be a part of one? Is it possible to move closer to God and farther away from the church? Are there lots of alternatives to the church when it comes to our spiritual growth?

The answer to all of those questions, according to Scripture, is a resounding no! Far from being one of many options for the Christian, the church is the primary means through which God accomplishes His plan in the world. It is His instrument to evangelize the world and to sanctify those who are born into His family. Therefore God expects a commitment to the church from everyone who claims to know Him.

Key Verse:
1 Timothy 3:15 “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

It’s the House of God

The phrase “house of God” indicates that the church is God’s dwelling place or immediate family. Both meanings are applied to the church in Scripture, and both provide profound testimony to its divine origin and significance.

The Church is God’s Dwelling Place – 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:19-22; Revelation 1:12-13, 16, 20
If we want to be where God is, we need to be in His church, for that is where he dwells. And the way we relate to Him is largely dependent upon the way we relate to His church, for it is the house He has built with His own hands (1 Peter 2:5).

The Church is God’s Family – 1 Timothy 3:4-5, 12
If Pastors and deacons need their households in order, how much more should God’s own household be in order! We need to be in His family if we want to consider Him our Father. With Paul’s words in mind, how could people call God their Father while refusing to be a part of His family? Yet that plain contradiction essentially describes the position of those who say they have faith and salvation apart from the church.

It’s the Church of the Living God

The church proceeded from God and belongs to God. He is the living God – the only true God; at all times, He is personally and actively involved in its operation and enterprises.

It’s the Pillar of Truth

Paul’s next descriptive name for the church—“pillar” –tells us that it actually holds up the truth. God’s truth doesn’t stand without the church. Of course, Jesus promised that His church will be a permanent institution (Matthew 16:18). Our relationship to God and His truth is in mortal danger if the church doesn’t occupy its intended place in our lives. To those who abandon the church, their faith has crumbled—because they have torn away the pillar that upholds the truth.

How does the church function as a pillar of truth?

• Revelation: God chose to reveal the truth of the New Testament in and through the church –Ephesians 3:8-11
• Preservation: God chose the church to recognize His words and preserve them for all generations
• Proclamation: God chose the church to proclaim the truth to the world—Matthew 28:18-20
• Administration: God chose the church to provide the structure and order He has devised for worship and growth—1 Timothy 3:15
• Protection: God chose the church to protect the truth from error—Romans 16:17; Titus 3:9-11; 2 John 9-11; 1 Corinthians 6:1-6; Matthew 18:15-18; 1 Corinthians 5; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

It’s the Ground of the Truth

Think of this as the foundation that the pillar rests upon. Paul wanted Timothy to know that the church is the one institution that God has promised to preserve throughout all time (Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 3:21).  God hasn’t given this promise to rescuing America from decline or parachurch ministries.

1. He knew he was called of God

Before you quickly move into a place of ministry, be sure God has called you and equipped you for the job. You may not think you can do it, and others may have their doubts; but if God calls you, have no fear: He will see you through.

2. He depended on prayer

The Book of Nehemiah starts and ends with prayer. And in between, Nehemiah oftens sends up quick prayers to heaven and asks for God’s help. “Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers,” said Phillips Brooks. “Pray for powers equal to your tasks.” One mark of true spiritual leaders is their honest acknowledgment of their own inadequacy and their humble trust in the power of God.

3. He had vision and saw the greatness of the work

No matter what God has called you to do, it’s a great work because it’s part of the building of His church; and that’s the greatest work in the world. If you lose the greatness of a vision, you will begin to cut corners in your work, stop making sacrifices, and start looking for something else to challenge you. Nehemiah realized that what he was doing was far bigger than simply repairing gates and rebuilding walls. He was serving the Lord God of heaven and getting the holy city ready for the coming of the Messiah!

4. He submitted to authority

The call of God is not an invitation to become independent and ignore authority. Nehemiah respected the king and submitted his plans to him for his approval before he went to Jerusalem. Even more, Nehemiah submitted to the authority of the Word of God. He invited Ezra to teach the Law to the people so that they too would obey the will of God. It is a basic rule of life that those who exercise authority must themselves be under authority. Nehemiah was a man who was dependable because he was accountable.

5. He was organized in his work

He planned his work and worked his plan, and God blessed him.

6. He was able to discern the tactics of the enemy

7. He worked hard

This is what Charles Spurgeon said to the ministerial students at his Pastors’ College in London: “Do not be afraid of hard work for Christ; a terrible reckoning awaits those who have an easy time in the ministry, but a great reward is in reserve for those who endure all things for the elect’s sake. You will not regret your poverty when Christ cometh and calleth His own servants to Him. It will be a sweet thing to have died at your post, not turning aside for wealth, or running from Dan to Beersheba to obtain a better salary, but stopping where your Lord bade you hold the fort” (An All Round Ministry, p. 197).

8. He lived an exemplary life

You have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. It is when people start to lead a double life that they get into trouble, for nobody can serve two masters. Hypocrisy leads to further deception, until the deceivers get caught in their own traps.

9. He sought to glorify God alone

I fear that the church today suffers from having too many celebrities and not enough servants. The praise too often goes to the workers and not to the Lord. Particularly at some religious conventions, there is so much praise given to men that the Lord is left out of the picture completely.

10. He had courage

There is no place for timidity in leadership. Once you know what God wants you to do, you must have the courage to step out and do it. You must be willing to take some risks and occasionally make some mistakes. You must be able to take criticism, be misunderstood, and even be slandered, without giving up.

11. He enlisted others to work

True leaders don’t try to do everything themselves. They not only enlist others, but they also create the kind of climate that enables others to become leaders as well. Real leaders aren’t afraid to surround themselves with people who can do some things better than they can. Leaders don’t feel intimidated by the excellence of others; in fact, they encourage it. Their job is to challenge others to do their best and help get the job done.

12. He was determined

Nehemiah was determined because the work he was doing was a great work and he was serving a great God. He was determined because the city was in great reproach, and he wanted it to bring great glory to God. He was determined because he was part of a great plan that God had for the world as He worked through the Jewish nation.

So, the next time you feel like quitting, remember Nehemiah and stay on the job until the work is finished to the glory of God.

Excerpted from:
Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Determined (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996), 148–159.