C. H. Spurgeon in his book ‘Lectures to My Students,’ records the dream of the old Puritan Thomas Boston.
He dreamt that while walking through town he saw the Devil preaching at the street corner. Boston thought he must be a fundamentalist for he was preaching the Gospel, telling men and women that he believed God’s Word from cover to cover.
The Puritan went up to him and asked, “Are you the Devil?” “Of course I am,” replied the Devil. “And are you preaching the gospel?” “Yes, I am preaching the gospel,” replied the Devil. “But why are you preaching the gospel?” asked the Puritan.
“Because I have made this discovery: the best weapon for the damning of souls is to get men to preach the gospel without the anointing of God.” Mr. Spurgeon said, when he read this, he trembled.
The great evangelist and Christian educator R. A. Torrey understood this truth when he said, “I tremble for those who are preaching the truth, the very truth as it is in Jesus, the truth as it is recorded in the written Word of God. The truth in its simplicity, its purity, its fullness who are preaching it in ‘persuasive words of man’s wisdom’ and not ‘in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.’
They are preaching it in the energy of the flesh and not in the power of the Spirit. There is nothing more death-dealing than the gospel without the Spirit’s power. “The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life” (II Corinthians 3:6).
No wonder Paul commanded, “Be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). Are you filled with the Spirit? Do you know His power?
A few weeks ago, a co-worker of mine who is married to a Korean Christian worker told me something interesting. She said “Korean missionaries unite around the Gospel but we bring our differences to the mission field and fight over them!”
Koreans are basically a strong militant race. They do not shun a fight. The Korean Christian population is also clearly divided into conservative Presbyterians and exuberant Charismatics. In… Read More....
Going back to the Philippines for winter break is something I truly looked forward to. After a not so normal Christmas and New Year/birthday celebration in China, I was more than ready to hibernate and enjoy the sun in my home country alone. But as usual, plans change every minute. As Hudson Taylor said, “ Man proposes, God disposes.” Being at the center of His will though is still the… Read More.... | 1 Comment
Loh, in his 50s, was demoted from Managing Director’s personal chauffeur to a dispatch. He was disgruntled, bitter and never looked you in his eyes when he talked to you. Of course, he never returned any greetings. He was rejected by many departments, and finally ended up in ours, not by choice, ours nor his. We were supposed to be a very friendly department handling public and employee relations, but… Read More.... | 1 Comment
thks Ptr. Mike, you’ve opened our eyes to the realities of today’s world. we need to sieve out the fakes from the real as can be seen even in our island state.