Monthly Archives: September 2010

A Church of 200 Pastors

by Elder Peter Lim

I have a vision for LBC that we would be full of people who are ready, willing, and able to carry out the work of a pastor. That when a visitor enters through our doors, it would be difficult to distinguish who belongs on the welcome team, new visitor team, same affinity group, and even who the pastors are because it seems everyone is concerned with showering them with the love of Christ and are genuinely happy to welcome them. Many of our people already come on Sunday mornings with this mindset and it’s awesome to see how they go out of their way to reach out to people. Unfortunately, some of us find it daunting to break out of our comfort zone to initiate conversations that are centered on Christ. We may find it easier to excuse ourselves because we are in a particular phase of life that makes it difficult to talk to new people. Middle School and High School students may consider themselves to be too young to talk to older people…such as Collegians. College students may feel a pressure to hurry up and leave so that they can study or to meet other collegians or they may be intimidated by older people and hang out with their own college crowd. Singles may feel a hesitation to talk to other people, especially of the opposite gender because they don’t want to be perceived as “scamming” every new visitor or giving off the wrong signals. Dating couples oftentimes disappear from the public eye and spend way too much time with only each other instead of ministering to other people together. Married people probably have important things to do on the weekends such as furniture shopping, home improvement, visiting in-laws, pulling weeds, and just spending time with their spouse. Those with young children often have the best excuses of all since it’s obvious that they need to take care of their little ones or leave at odd times for naps…for the kids of course. Older people may feel out of place at a younger church like ours. Some may wish to reach out to younger people but don’t want to appear like a creepy older person making younger people feel uncomfortable.

Whatever the excuses are, I just want to say stop! Let’s consider what a church is supposed to be. It is a place where older men and women are to train the younger men and women (Titus 2:1-8), the pastors are to train the people to do the work of the ministry (Eph. 4:11-12), and all the people are a part of the body of Christ who speak the truth in love and work together for the building up of itself in love (Eph. 4:15-16). Since we know that self-deceived people and the curious public also attend our services, we also make it a point to present the gospel every week in fulfillment of Matt. 28:18-20. Are those other activities that we do on Sundays so important that we fail to adequately do what we are supposed to do? I don’t want to separate Sundays as if that’s the only day we need to “do” church but it seems that even setting aside that one day for corporate ministry is so difficult for many people. Christians, let us inconvenience ourselves for the sake of ministry to others. How else can we do the “one anothers?” No one ever says on their death bed that they wish they would’ve spent more time shopping for nicer furniture or study more to get better grades. Life is about people, either to share the gospel with them or to encourage them to walk closer with Christ. Let’s never have the mindset that all the spiritual leadership is a job of the pastor or the other leadership types.

Baptism at Pentecost and in the Ministry of Philip (part 3)

by Richard Shin

Learning the role baptism played in the ministry of the apostles will shed light unto us how important baptism is as a response to conversion.

Jesus had ascended into Heaven after promising His apostles that the Father would send them the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:1-11). Jesus also told them that while “John the Baptist baptized with water, [the apostles] will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5). It’s interesting to note that when deciding on the twelfth apostle who replaced Judas, the apostles saw fit that he was there “with [the apostles], beginning from the baptism of John until the day [Jesus] was taken up from [them]” (Acts 1:21b-22). The priority that was placed in one’s tenure since John’s baptism reveals to us how significant John’s baptism ministry was.

At the Day of Pentecost, the Church Age officially started with the coming of the Holy Spirit as seen in Acts 2:1-13. It surely was a sight to be seen as the “mighty rushing wind” filled the house in which they were. And the apostles received “tongues as of fire” to speak in other languages that attested the “mighty works of God” (2:11b). Then Peter gave his first sermon, which recounted various passages and prophecies concerning Christ. Peter expounded the sovereignty of God and His perfect timing in sending Christ to be crucified on the cross for our sins.

In response to Peter’s powerful sermon, the apostles asked him what they should do. Peter answered them saying, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). We have to be careful here. Baptism doesn’t mean we attain our salvation; that is works-based salvation, a doctrine against which Paul strongly admonished the Galatian church (Gal. 1:9; 2:15-16; 3:1-9). In Peter’s first sermon, he was teaching the apostles that they had to repent for their sins and trust in Jesus Christ for the atonement of their sins. It’s recorded at the end of Acts 2 that those who “received his word were baptized,” indicating they understood and accepted the message of repentance before being baptized.

Philip’s ministry helps us understand the relationship between the kingdom of God and baptism. The kingdom consists of a fellowship of the redeemed on earth; they have submitted to Christ in His humility. Their public confessions that Jesus is Lord and their acknowledgement of faith in His work of justification are made in baptism. For this reason, when the Samaritans believed the preaching of the good news about the kingdom of God, their status as subjects of the kingdom was marked with baptism (Acts 8:12). When the Ethiopian eunuch encountered Philip on the road from Jerusalem, Philip made it clear to him that the passage from which he was reading (Isaiah 53:7-8) was about the good news of Jesus (Acts 8:35). Philip undoubtedly shared with the eunuch the importance and necessity of a convert’s baptism, the eunuch was compelled to get baptized in the next body of water they passed on his chariot. And we find that eunuch’s conversion and subsequent baptism brought him rejoicing (Acts 2:39), undoubtedly out of obedience to Christ’s command given from Matt. 28:19-20.

The baptism as seen at Pentecost and in the ministry of Philip teaches a particular pattern: genuine repentance involved knowledgeable dependence on Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection as the only hope of forgiveness of sins. As I mentioned last week, Jesus got baptized to effect His earthly ministry. Those who follow Him in baptism do so in the same confidence of Jesus’ unique qualifications and work.

I Have Prayed for Thee

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Luke 22:32

How encouraging is the thought of the Redeemer’s never-ceasing intercession for us. When we pray, He pleads for us; and then we are not praying, He is advocating our cause, and by His supplications shielding us from unseen dangers.

Notice the word of comfort addressed to Peter-‘Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat; but’-what? ‘But go and pray for yourself.’ That would be good advice, but it is not so written. Neither does he say, ‘But I will keep you watchful, and so you shall be preserved.’ That were a great blessing. No, it is, ‘But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.’

We little know what we owe to our Saviour’s prayers. When we reach the hill-tops of heaven, and look back upon all the way whereby the Lord our God hath led us, how we shall praise Him who, before the eternal throne, undid the mischief which Satan was doing upon earth. How shall we thank Him because He never held His peace, but day and night pointed to the wounds upon His hands, and carried our names upon His breastplate! Even before Satan had begun to tempt, Jesus had forestalled him and entered a plea in heaven. Mercy outruns malice. Mark, He does not say, ‘Satan hath desired to have you.’ He checks Satan even in his very desire, and nips it in the bud. He does not say, ‘But I have desired to pray for you.’ No, but ‘I have prayed for you: I have done it already; I have gone to court and entered a counterplea even before an accusation is made.’

O Jesus, what a comfort it is that thou hast pleaded our cause against our unseen enemies; countermined their mines, and unmasked their ambushes. Here is a matter for joy, gratitude, hope, and confidence.

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Weekly Links (9/17/2010)

by Stephen Rodgers

Alright, I’m going to keep it short this week, since you also really should scroll down and read the SPARK below. So, this week…

  • Last week we looked at the first two parts of an article by RC Sproul. The article explored the question of “If God is Sovereign, Why Pray?” This week, part 3 and part 4 are up as well. (WEB)
  • Over at the Resurgence, the interview with Randy Alcorn continues, as they discuss transforming the hearts of a generation of givers. For what it’s worth, I found his book The Treasure Principle to be simply excellent. (VIDEO)
  • Also, speaking of Randy Alcorn, here’s a quick excerpt from a video on him discussing the importance of the local church. (VIDEO)
  • Over at Desiring God, they’ve got a great article on how to diagnose idolatries in our lives. (WEB) And I think I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ve found Powlison’s article on the subject to be one of the best things ever written on the subject of idolatry. (PDF)
  • Also, I know a lot of folks at our church have benefitted greatly from the writing of Paul Tripp. Well, did you know that he’s written several articles for Desiring God and they’ve collected them all in one handy place? (WEB) Also, over at his website, he has 70 free audio programs that you can listen to as well. (AUDIO)

Pro Rege

LBC Weekly SPARK – September 17, 2010

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear Lighthouse Family,

I hope you are doing well and walking in the Lord. As the fall rolls in, things are getting a little busier at LBC! It’s an exciting time of the year with some of our most highlighted church events. Read through the announcements below to get a better idea of what’s to come.

As we think about the busy quarter, it’s also a good time to reflect on how we have been serving as witnesses of the gospel of Christ. Remember that whatever we do as a church family is an opportunity to invite unbelieving friends and family. Have them come get to know our church family and to hear the Word of God preached. Really, every Sunday service is an evangelistic opportunity. Let’s make the most of the opportunities we have to represent Christ in this community. People are dying in their sins and life is short (Ps. 90). In the way we walk and talk before those who do not know Christ, let’s show them how awesome it is to know the God of creation.

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are the announcements for this week:

  • Congratulations to Brian and Beverly Chan on the birth of Solomon Brian Chan yesterday (9/16) at 10:49 AM. He was 7 lbs. 6 oz. and 21 inches long. Mom and baby are doing fine. Please pray for them as they recover from delivery and welcome home their new baby!
  • Friday Night Bible Studies. Don’t forget that the Friday night Bible studies meet tonight. The SDSU Campus Fellowship meets at the home of Byron Dang at 7:00 PM (UCSD students are invited!). Single Life Friday Night Light will meet at the church in the sanctuary at 7:00 PM. Lumos Youth Bible Study meets at the church in Room 107 at 7:00 PM.
  • FITS. The location for FITS this Sunday has been changed! We are no longer going to be going to Mission Bay. Instead, we’ll be having FITS at the church. Volleyball will be setup. You can also play some tennis if you want. We’ll also have a bunch of board games if you’d rather not run around. GraceLife will be having a lunch fundraiser for the event ($5/adult, $3/kid).
  • Fall Festival. If you are interested in helping out with this year’s Fall Festival, the planning meeting has been moved to Sunday, September 26 from 7:00-8:30 PM. We’ll meet in Room 107. Please make a note of the change in date.
  • Flocks! Our first flock meetings will be taking place between September 22-25. Flocks meet monthly at various times and locations. Signup sheets will be in the foyer before and after service on Sunday so be sure to get involved! Here is the flock information:
    • Alpha Flock (Friday, 6:30 PM, at Hansol and Angella An’s)
    • Beta Flock (Friday, 6:30 PM, at Kent and Romi Hong’s)
    • Gamma Flock (Wednesday, 7:00 PM, at Randy and Elaine Lau’s)
    • Delta Flock (Friday, 7:00 PM, at John and Grace Lim’s)
    • Theta Flock (Friday, 6:30 PM, at Min and Jane Kim’s)
    • Iota Flock (Friday, 6:30 PM, at Mike and Caroline Chon’s)
    • Kappa Flock (Saturday, 6:00 PM, at Steve and Carol Lim’s)
    • Lambda Flock (Saturday, 6:00 PM, at Hwa and Suzie Park’s)
    • Pi Flock (Friday, 6:30 PM, at Patrick and Christine Cho’s)
    • Sigma Flock (Thursday, 6:30 PM, at Dennis and Laurie Su’s)
    • Chi Flock (Friday, 6:30 PM, at Peter and Jinny Lim’s)
    • Psi Flock (Thursday, 7:00 PM, at Mike and Jennifer Hasegawa’s)
    • Omega Flock (Wednesday, 6:30 PM, at the Diane House)
  • Members Meeting. We will be having our next members meeting on Sunday, October 10, at 4:45 PM. All members are highly encouraged to attend. As always, dinner will be served!
  • Baptism. Our next baptism class will be on Tuesday, October 19, at 8:00 PM. If you are a believer and have not yet been obedient to Scripture to be baptized, please make plans to come out to this next class. You can also come if you just want to learn more about baptism. The baptism service will be on Sunday, October 24, at 6:00 PM.
  • All-Church Retreat. The All-Church Retreat is coming up on the weekend of November 5-7. Our speaker this year is Jonathan Leeman who will be addressing the theme “True Love.” Signups are currently being taken by Ryan Short and Jonathan Yang. The cost is $150/adult, $140/college and youth, and $75/child (ages 3-12). Space is limited so be sure to sign up as soon as possible with a non-refundable $50 deposit. The cost of retreat covers lodging and five meals! You can also sign up for paintball and the ropes course at an additional cost. Visit the registration table on Sunday for more details!

The Beacon Update

by Stephen Rodgers

For the last Beacon profile, I explained what the purpose of the Beacon is and what Scripture governs that purpose. I also highlighted the fact that we are fortunate enough to have quite a few visitors from all over the world.

This time, I just wanted to briefly shine the spotlight on a few changes and new features that you may not be aware of.

  • First of all, as anyone who visits the site can tell, we recently received a bit of a facelift due to the awesome work of Dan Baker. Up at the top you can see our new logo, which will start appearing on various places around the web. Dan also made a few tweaks to the site, mostly to help make reading the articles a more enjoyable experience.
  • Also, you may have noticed that the social media code at the bottom of each post has been replaced. Since Twitter, Facebook, and the rest have made it so easy to post a link, I didn’t see any reason to keep it around. Instead, we have a new “Probably Related Posts” section that tries to find the top five related articles and display them for you. Since we are now over 600 articles strong, I wanted to do something to help you explore, navigate, and benefit from the library. If it’s not working, or if you have any other ideas for what we could do, please feel free to let me know.
  • Also, we realize that not everyone is able to consistantly read all the articles. Not everyone at the church has internet access. So we have posted a rather large bulletin board in the foyer in the church that will hold recent articles. Right now the board holds approximately the last two weeks, and the collected editions stored next to it are for entire months. So if you find yourself at church in need of reading material…we’ve got you covered. If you have any suggestions for improvements there, please speak with Stephanie Yu.
  • Last but not least, our staff writers continue to churn out quality articles. I especially wanted to highlight the extended series that Garrett’s been doing on Living Theology and Richard did on Communion, and now on Baptism (in progress). And as always, a big thanks goes out to our pastor and elders as well.

In the coming months, we’ve got a couple more surprises in store, but you’ll have to wait and see.

We hope you enjoy it!

Pro Rege

Living Theology #37 – The Perseverance of the Saints

by Garrett Glende

This week brings us to chapter 40 in Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology on the topic of the perseverance of the saints. While this doctrine is one of the most comforting in Scripture, it should also cause self-examination and evaluation of our own spiritual walks with God. It’s inclusion at this point in the volume comes after an overview of the application of Christ’s redemptive work. It is logical to study this issue of whether or not a person can lose their salvation, after having covered such topics as regeneration (being granted new life), justification (being counted as righteous before God), and sanctification (practical growth towards Christ-likeness), as it might be a question that some people could have after hearing all the other aspects of salvation. Can we ever expect to lose such a great gift? As we search the Scriptures, we will find that our salvation is indeed secure in Christ, and nothing will ever be able to separate the true believer from their sovereign and gracious Lord.

Grudem tells us that “the perseverance of the saints means that all those who are truly born again will be kept by God’s power and will persevere as Christians until the end of their lives, and that only those who persevere until the end have been truly born again.” One key section of Scripture that speaks on this issue is found at the end of Romans 8. We read in verse 30 that “those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” In what is known as the golden chain of redemption, it is clear that everyone who God sets his love upon in predestining them to be his children also are carried through the Christian life until they reach heaven in glorification. There is no room for doubt in Paul’s words. He does not say that only some of those who are justified end up being glorified. No, it is the same group of people in each category. They are predestined, called, justified, and glorified. But what is keeping them saved? Is it just that all people who are justified keep living good enough lives to stay in God’s favor? Or does their security come from an external source? Indeed, just a few verses later Paul provides an explanation as to how this golden chain is unbreakable. In verse 33 he writes, “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” No one will ever be able to challenge the salvation of the saints because God is the one who has justified them. He is the one who has been guiding along the plan of salvation, even before the foundation of the world. There are none more powerful than Him and because His will is guaranteed to come to pass, all those whom He desires to be saved will be saved.

Moreover, God secures our salvation till the end for us by granting us the gift of the Holy Spirit. Paul writes to believers in Ephesians 1:13 that “when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, [you] were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” Here the Holy Spirit is called “the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it” (Eph. 1:14). Later on in the book he gives the command, “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30). We see that it is the Holy Spirit who guards our salvation until we are ultimately glorified and receive our true inheritance in heaven.

At the end of the chapter, Grudem provides us with immediate application. He asks us to examine our own lives and tells us what can give a believer genuine assurance. The first of these questions to ask ourselves is, “Do I have a present trust in Christ for salvation?” Since this is what we are saved by in the first place (Eph. 2:8-9), we must ask ourselves if we still express a faith in Christ – faith that He has paid the penalty for our sins, and that only He can provide salvation for us. Sometimes it is easy for someone to say they believe in Christ because of some experience, but their assurance is based on only this experience and not the person and work of Christ. Another question to ask is, “Is there evidence of a regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in my heart?” Not only does the Holy Spirit provide a real type of confidence in one’s salvation, He also produces fruit in the life of a true believer. If a person truly has the Spirit in them, then it will be shown by their demonstration of the fruit of the Spirit. Their life will exhibit the character qualities that are consistent with those that are described in Scripture. Lastly, “Do I see a pattern of growth in my Christian life?” Surely there will be times when growth is more rapid than others, but we should be able to look back on our Christian lives and see a consistent upward trend towards holiness. By increasing in the virtues of faith, we will make our calling and election sure. It is my hope that all of us can trust in God’s promise to save us to the uttermost, as Christ constantly makes intercession for us before the Father. All praise be to Him for giving us such great comfort and hope!

Discipleship is Led

by Pastor Patrick Cho

In order to keep up with the alliteration, I decided to title this post “Discipleship Is Led.” In a previous entry I wrote how all of our interactions are opportunities for us to invest in others; that discipleship is life. We are constantly placed in situations where we might be called upon to give advice or help someone in a difficult spot. When these opportunities arise, a choice has to be made: Will we give counsel that merely sounds good to us, or will we really seek to give counsel that is in accordance with the will of God? This is what I mean by “Discipleship Is Led.” Our discipleship needs to be governed by the truth of God.

One thing to realize is how easy it is to deviate from this. Maybe someone comes to you for advice and so you tell them the first thing that comes to mind. There might not be any wrong intention. You are genuinely trying to help. And besides, what you tell them makes sense. The problem with this is that without giving consideration to what God’s Word says about the situation, you may actually be directing that person in a different direction than God wants. In your sincere attempt to help, you may be very unhelpful.

We need to be led in our relationships and conversations with one another. The Bible teaches us how we ought to communicate. It teaches us how we should encourage (cf. Heb. 3:13), what the content of our conversations should be (cf. Eph. 4:29), and what things we ought to avoid saying (cf. Col. 3:8-9). The word gives us wisdom also about the power of speech and what can be accomplished by it (cf. Prov. 15:1). Because of this instruction we need to be discerning about how we counsel others. Our words can both build up (cf. 1 Thess. 5:11) and destroy (cf. James 3:6).

It is not always helpful to share the first thing that comes to mind or what simply seems right to us. Our hearts are deceptive and wicked (cf. Jer. 17:9; Gen. 6:5), but God’s truth is what will produce holiness (cf. John 17:17). We need to make sure that what we share is consistent with what God wants a person to hear.

Unfortunately, this means that sometimes we will need to share things with others that they do not want to hear. We may need to even lovingly wound their heart in order to help expose their sin (cf. Prov. 27:6). Giving biblical counsel sometimes means communicating something that will be difficult to hear or guiding someone down a path that will be more difficult to follow. This too is a commitment of love. It is saying, “I love you enough to risk how you feel about me in order to get you to think, speak, and live to God’s glory.” Certainly, this also requires us to be judicious to say the right things in the right manner.

Every Christian disciples others. It is just a matter of how well we go about doing that. We can either really encourage and build up others with our speech and counsel, or we can mislead and even destroy. Our discipleship needs to be led by the Spirit of God working through His Word. In this sense, we can be the instruments God uses to accomplish His purposes in those around us.

Baptism in the Ministry of Jesus (part 2)

by Richard Shin

The Christian form of baptism finds its roots with John the Baptist in the Jordan River (Matt. 3:6). It was prophesied in the Old Testament that a “messenger” (also, “Elijah”) would come to prepare the way for the Messiah (Mal. 3:1; 4:5-6). This messenger’s ministry was validated by Jesus Himself in Matt. 17:11-13. John the Baptist’s specific life purpose was foretold by the angel Gabriel that he will “turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and go before [Jesus] in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared” (Luke 1:16-17). This is undeniable, Biblical proof that John the Baptist was the prophesied messenger that came before Christ.

So, why is John the Baptist’s ministry of baptism with water so important to our understanding of baptism? John preached “Repent, for the kingdom is at hand” (Matt. 3:2), but he did so while people came to him as they “were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins” (Matt. 3:6). His message of repentance and his ministry of baptism came hand in hand. His baptism wasn’t an end in itself, but rather a precursor to Christ (Matt. 3:11). The ultimate stamp of approval for John the Baptist’s legitimacy is the fact that Jesus Himself gives authority to the act of baptism by submitting to it (Matt. 3:13; Mark 1:9-11).

Jesus’ approval of John carried important value for the ministry of Jesus. John’s ministry acted as a launching pad for Jesus to begin His ministry. Indeed, all four Gospels recount the baptism of Jesus prior to His ministry. Jesus’ baptism indicated for Himself, like others, an entire consent of mind and heart to the truth of John’s message that Jesus was “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29) and that repentance marks the covenant people of God (Luke 13:3). Of course, baptism did not bestow upon Jesus any authority or status that Jesus Himself did not already possess; John himself also recognizes this when He asks Jesus why He is being baptized by someone as lowly as John the Baptist (Matt. 3:13). Unlike us, Jesus did not receive baptism as a testimony to personal salvation, but as confirmation of His personal commitment to effect it for others through his future baptism of suffering and resurrection to glory. He didn’t need to be baptized in the same fashion as we do because He was sinless; His baptism didn’t indicate repentance, but rather initiation of His ministry on earth. It’s interesting to note here that when Jesus was baptized, all three persons of the Holy Trinity were present with the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove and the Father affirming His Son in an audible voice (Matt. 3:13-17).

We must pay particular attention to the fact that John’s baptism was different in nature than our baptism. We believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead to pay the penalty for our sins. Our faith is based on something that happened in the past. But Jesus had not been crucified before John the Baptist was beheaded (Matt. 14:1-12). So how could he baptize people for their trust in Christ’s finished work on the cross if it wasn’t finished yet? It’s because John’s message clearly demonstrated his trust in Christ’s atoning work. Every believer is marked by faith in God, pre- or post-Christ. John commanded his disciples to repent for their sins (Matt. 3:1-6), and he condemned the Pharisees and Sadducees for their lack of repentance and faith (Matt. 3:7-10). So, it is clear even from John the Baptist’s example that one had to already have faith for their salvation and therefore baptism.

We see from John 3:22-36 exactly what role John the Baptist played in Jesus’ ministry. Specifically from verse 29, we realize he is the “friend” of the bridegroom (Christ) who came to wed His bride (the Church). As he says this, he identifies himself as the friend who “rejoices greatly” and that that joy is “now complete” (John 3:29). As he concludes his ministry, he declares that Christ “must increase, [and he] must decrease” (John 3:30). This verbiage indicated that as John was stepping down from his ministry in baptism of repentance, He was ushering in Christ’s ministry who baptized with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33).

These Have No Root

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Luke 8:13

My soul, examine thyself this morning by the light of this text. Thou hast received the word with joy; thy feelings have been stirred and a lively impression has been made; but, remember, that to receive the word in the ear is one thing, and to receive Jesus into thy very soul is quite another;superficial feeling is often joined to inward hardness of heart, and a lively impression of the word is not always a lasting one.

In the parable, the seed in one case fell upon ground having a rocky bottom, covered over with a thin layer of earth; when the seed began to take root, its downward growth was hindered by the hard stone and therefore it spent its strength in pushing its green shoot aloft as high as it could, but having no inward moisture derived from root nourishment, it withered away. Is this my case? Have I been making a fair show in the flesh without having a corresponding inner life? Good growth takes place upwards and downwards at the same time. Am I rooted in sincere fidelity and love to Jesus? If my heart remains unsoftened and unfertilized by grace, the good seed may germinate for a season, but it must ultimately wither, for it cannot flourish on a rocky, unbroken, unsanctified heart.

Let me dread a godliness as rapid in growth and as wanting in endurance as Jonah’s gourd; let me count the cost of being a follower of Jesus, above all let me feel the energy of His Holy Spirit, and then I shall possess an abiding and enduring seed in my soul. If my mind remains as obdurate as it was by nature, the sun of trial will scorch, and my hard heart will help to cast the heat the more terribly upon the ill-covered seed, and my religion will soon die, and my despair will be terrible; therefore, O heavenly Sower, plough me first, and then cast the truth into me, and let me yield Thee a bounteous harvest.

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