Charles Spurgeon

Photograph "Rock Concert" by Udy

Just last year, I was convicted by the Lord that I should stop listening to the filth that is secular music. Consequently, I began building up a library of Christian music, most of it contemporary, with the likes of Casting Crowns, Mercy Me, Paul Baloche, Paul Wilbur, and even Hillsong.

What I then noticed was that much of the songs from some, not all, of these artistes weren’t that Christian, to the point where it was more about “me” rather than the Lord Jesus Christ, or even if there was a reference to God, He was referred to as “He”, “Him”, or even the generic “You” and not specifically.

Worse yet, there were songs which seemed to suggest that the Lord Jesus Christ is our “homeboy”, “boyfriend” and even some needy, lonely man who needs our companionship.

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From Lane Chaplin:

Have you ever had someone tell you, “Hey, you have your truth and I have mine. There is no such thing as absolute truth.”?

At that point you should then ask them, “Is what you’ve just said, ‘there is no absolute truth’ absolutely true?”

They may say, “Well, I’m just saying that we can’t be completely sure about anything.”

You should then ask, “Are you completely sure that we can’t be completely sure about anything?”

Then they may say, “Ok, ok… You’re not right because we can’t know that anything is right or wrong. That’s all I’m saying. It’s all relative.”

You should then say, “Is what you’re saying, ‘You’re not right because we can’t know if anything is right or wrong’ …right?”

Behold, the essence of “post-modernism” or relativism as it’s also so called. Here’s basically what the philosophy stands for: Self-refutuation. It’s a walking contradiction, and it’s a lie. When someone says that we can’t know if anything is absolutely true, tell them that they are lying and remind them what one is called who tells lies. Of course they will get mad, but anyone who doesn’t love truth and says we can’t really know what truth is, is opposed to the One who is the Truth, the Way, and the Life and those who believe in Him.

Bookstores: My Favorite Haunt

An email from a good brother, Coram Deo, about his visit to a Christian bookstore in the U.S. while on vacation prompted me to share my experience with such bookstores in Singapore.

Now, I love books and am someone who loves browsing through a bookstore for hours on end. Borders at Wheelock Place used to be a favorite haunt of mine. Ultimately, the fact that they are a secular bookstore just means that I have not much interest in what they had to offer.

So I spend much of my time in bookstores in Christian establishments. There used to be one at Jurong Point, the nearest mall to where I stay, but the small shop has since closed down and given way to some store selling items that have a wider consumer appeal.

Ah, the wonders of free enterprise!

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Let this be to you the mark of true Gospel preaching - where Christ is everything, and the creature is nothing; where it is salvation all of grace, through the work of the Holy Spirit applying to the soul the precious blood of Jesus.

Charles H. Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon

Look at actions which you have thought to be great, and upon which you have prided yourself — how will they look at the last?

You made money; you made money fast; you did it very cleverly; you praised yourself for it, just as others have praised themselves for conquering nations, or forcing their way to fame, or lifting themselves into eminence.

Now you are dying, and what do you think of all that? Is it so great as it seemed to be? Oh, how you leaped up to it, how you strained yourself to reach it, and you have got it, and you are dying. What do you think of it now?

The greatest of human actions will appear to be insignificant when we come to die, and especially those upon which men most pride themselves — these will yield them the bitterest humiliation.

We shall then say what madmen we must have been to have wasted so much time and energy upon such paltry things!

When we shall discover that they were not real, that they were but mere bubbles, mere pretenses, we shall then look upon ourselves as demented to have spent the whole of our life and of our energy upon them!

Charles Spurgeon
“Last Things”, Proverbs 5:11

Todd Bentley

This was brought to my attention over at one of the new blogs I’ve been following lately — End Times Prophetic, Prophecy, Visions, Dreams, Revelation, Christian Blog.

I feel sorry for Pastor Larry Reed’s friend, but at least we know that the good pastor is now with the Lord, and will no longer feel the pain of the bone cancer that has so tormented him.

Reproduced from this forum:

Blessings in Christ Jesus,

This is my first post to this forum, and I’ve been following the Lakeland revival ever since I got word from Andrew through his email about it. I live in Washington State, and I have been dealing with a lot of people asking me about this “revival” and what my thoughts have been. I have advised people to constantly “test the spirits” and the usual, feeling that this is mostly emotionalism and hype and agreeing with most in these forums, that what has been going on here is not of God.

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The RAT-zinger

I chanced upon a Roman Catholic blog written by a blogger who calls himself “ordinary guy” the other day because my curiosity got the better of me when I saw that he had written on the issue of purgatory. After a short exchange with him on the issue, “ordinary guy” decided to respond to my comment with a post where he asked if only Christians are saved, and I thought I’d respond with a post of my own as well.

Dear friend, while you mentioned that you “… do not base on ‘sola scriptura‘ alone”, let me first state that I’ll be basing all my points on Scripture, because it is the Word of God. For that matter, I think that many Roman Catholics misunderstand the concept of Sola Scriptura. While it primarily means “Scripture alone”, it also means that we take Scripture as the final authority on all issues pertaining to our faith. We do refer to other writings by men (I myself love the works of Charles Spurgeon), but we check their writings against Scripture, and reject them if they contradict Scripture.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

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Intense Blogging

This is an ad-hoc weekly column where I share some of the best blog posts I’ve come across in the previous week. Some are notable for their content, while others are calling you to action to help pray about an issue or for fellow bloggers.

Twenty-Three Great Sins Of American Evangelism — Why We Must Pray For A Reformation Again

While reading a great blog Theology Today, I came across a mention of the above post over at Al Tosap Al Davaraiv which lists the 23 reasons why the author feels a reformation is needed in this day and age.

I don’t know much about the American church, but I think it’s apt to say that the author’s observations are true for the Visible Church as a whole.

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