Unbeknown Paedobaptist

Tomorrow is Reformation day... when people are parading around in ridiculous costumes and demanding money off ordinary citizens remember that the 31st of October is Reformation day before it is Halloween and will always be so. It was on tomorrow in 1517 that Luther pinned his 95 theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenburg.

So today, Arsenal draw having just had their 49 unbeaten record broken by Man Utd who lost to Portsmouth... Portsmouth!? I mean come on... I don't want Man Utd to win the title but I dont want all the other teams to lie down and die in front of them... at least put some effort in.

Had church football today. Seven of us turned up... so we played a 4 on 3. The problem about being in a team of three is that you have to run around so much... now I'm knackered.

Well, must dash... Have a nice reformation day.

"For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. "
Don't take this post seriously but A.A Hodge's comment on these verses made me smile wryly...

"the Egyptians who were immersed were not baptised and the Israelites who were baptised were not immersed"

Just got back from die Lake District... we were there for a week hence the lack of posting. It was pretty cold and wet but i enjoyed myself...
My Uncle told me how he's managed to not pay for a train ticket for a couple of years... and no, it's not by not travelling on trains but rather by travelling with Virgin... They are ALWAYS, without fail late. A couple of years ago he travelled from Carlise down to London. The train got into the station incredibly late. So, my uncle wrote a letter the Virgin commenting on the shocking service of the company. He was promtly given £55 refund and a free ticket. A couple of weeks later he used the free ticket and what'd'ya know? That one was late too. So, he writes again and gets another free ticket... The same thing happens. This goes on for two years. There we go... He's travelled with Virgin for two years and paid absolutely nothing! Quality

Our minister had the opportunity of going into one of the many local primary schools to do an assembly recently. He hopes that this will eventually lead to perhaps weekly assemblies at the school. 200 Children listened to him speak.
He spoke on the story when Jesus healed the 10 lepers and only one returned to thank him making three brief points at the end...
Thank your teachers because they work hard
Thank your parents because they love you
and most importantly Thank God because he sent Jesus into the world for you.

Perhaps you could pray about this work... something which our assistant pastor will be getting involved in as well.

As a group of lads from church we're starting to read Jim Packers "A quest for Godliness". Just reading last night the introduction a phrase struck me.
This is it:
Must dash now, but hope you are all well :-)

So I was selected as one of three student council reps for my form (perhaps selected is the wrong word to use - we just didn't want to vote and have one person (likely to be me) feeling bad about themselves) It's handy being one of three. The first meeting was yesterday lunch time - a time I usually played tennis so I allowed one of my "colleagues" to go along. He took notes and reported back today during form period today. The student councils funds consist of a voluntary £5 given at the beginning of each acamdemic year by almost all pupils. Granted, there are 1700 students at the college but it still means funds are pretty tight. A fair amount of money went on student planners and now the remaining money is going on... A shelter for the smokers! Yes, that was, a shelter for the smokers (there must only be about 100 in the whole school) What a waste of money. The annoying thing is that in that meeting there was a vote as to whether the shelter whould be built and it was agreed by 40 votes to 39! Had I been there, this ludicrous plan might, right now not be going ahead.
My second rant of today is the fact that I am being literally bombarded on every side by tests from every department that I have any association with! Never mind, I'll just labour on...
...shame its often in vain.

Perhaps this is blogging politics (sorry Luke) but to be honest I don't have a clue about politics at all so it doesn't really count. Was perusing the presidential election pages on the BBC and came across some adverts.
One was George Ws side lambasting Kerry for the way he voted...

Kerry voted against parental notification for teenage abortions.
Kerry voted to allow schools to hand out the morning after pill without
parents knowledge.

OK, so there are two things he did. But what I find more shocking (and the same could be said for this country) is that teenagers even need to have abortions and want to have abortions. It's also shocking that the relationship between Parents and teenagers has disintegrated so shockingly and that secrets as large as that are seen as alright to hide (surely we should only hide what presents we are getting for our parents for Christmas from them) Something which I need to think about just as much as everyone else.
Perhaps the advert should have been lambasting ordinary citizens of America (and most of the western world) who need to get their thinking straight?

Another small point is that the candidates between them have spent over 400 million US dollars between them on their campaigns. Yes, 400 million. Perhaps a little excessive...

I've been reaing through C.H Spurgeons "Morning by Morning" usually in the evenings. However, this morning I was up in good time and managed to read the morning passage for today. The words were with me all the day and are a real comfort... still not a reason to be content with our faith as it is now though.
The text was "babes in Christ" from 1 Corinthians 3:1...

Are you mourning, believer, because you are so weak in the divine life: because
your faith is so little, your love so feeble? Cheer up, for you have cause for
gratitude. Remember that in some things you are equal to the greatest and most
full-grown Christian. You are as much bought with blood as he is. You are as
much an adopted child of God as any other believer. An infant is as truly a
child of its parents as is the full-grown man. You are as completely justified,
for your justification is not a thing of degrees: your little faith has made you
clean every whit. You have as much right to the precious things of the covenant
as the most advanced believers, for your right to covenant mercies lies not in
your growth, but in the covenant itself; and your faith in Jesus is not the
measure, but the token of your inheritance in Him. You are as rich as the
richest, if not in enjoyment, yet in real possession. The smallest star that
gleams is set in heaven; the faintest ray of light has affinity with the great
orb of day. In the family register of glory the small and the great are written
with the same pen. You are as dear to your Father's heart as the greatest in the
family. Jesus is very tender over you. You are like the smoking flax; a rougher
spirit would say, "put out that smoking flax, it fills the room with an
offensive odour!" but the smoking flax He will not quench. You are like a
bruised reed; and any less tender hand than that of the Chief Musician would
tread upon you or throw you away, but He will never break the bruised reed.
Instead of being downcast by reason of what you are, you should triumph in
Christ. Am I but little in Israel? Yet in Christ I am made to sit in heavenly
places. Am I poor in faith? Still in Jesus I am heir of all things. Though "less
than nothing I can boast, and vanity confess." yet, if the root of the matter be
in me I will rejoice in the Lord, and glory in the God of my salvation.

The words of the hymn by Toplady also sprung to mind. Not bad things to strengthen through a tough day...

More happy but not more secure, The glorified Spirits in heaven

Just this weekend I bought a book on the reformation in europe by some random loser. He is Abdrew Chibi and is writing as an atheistic humanist on the issues. Interesting to see I was interested and so read his chapter on Calvin. The author makes some quite astounding statements. I'll put a few down for you to wonder at how anyone can reach such conclusions...

"Calvin himself had relatively little interest in doctrine... The
impact he made was institutional, social and ethical (rather than
religious)"

But he wrote his institutes just as a side, a laff? hmmm... Our politicians quote his ethical statements all the time but his teaching doesn't influence a large proportionan of evangelical, reformed Christians today?

"Like the Romans, humanists and Luther, Calvin agreed that God was the
omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent Creator of the universe, just and active
in human affairs. For these others however, God is love, at which
point Calvin parts company [!]"

Did I quote that correctly? Yes, I did. Has this guy read anything of Calvin? No, he hasn't. I have no quotes here at hand but will produce them for you some day.

"Luther... hinted that the elect could recognise themselves... Calvin was
having none of this. He said it was impossible to tell if you were
elect"

It would be nice if this man quoted Calvin...

"A loving God might well sacrifice, but would a just God have done so for the sake of a mankind beneath his notice?...
...by dividing Jesus' nature into its Divine (perfect) and human (flawed) constituencies. By punishing Jesus' human nature, and not his divine nature God was just."

So Jesus' human nature was flawed and deserving of judgement?
Pretty scary non? That people can write that?

Yet another change of layout, yet another pointless post but never mind. Also added a load of links of different people whose blogs I'm reading.
Just managed to subscribe to bloglines with all the RSS feeds and that lark... seems pretty good to me. Most peoples hits will now go down considerably (I have the habit of reading, forgetting, going back on and reading again, forgetting etc)
My life at the moment couldn't be more hectic. I have essays to write every night (at least it seems like it) and am sleeping less and less. But college life goes on and is still pretty good. Food is to expensive though I end up spending ridiculous amounts of money to feed my ever increasing appetite...
Things at church are really good. We have recently had an ex druggie start attending church with his wife. He is a challenge to us all, standing outside the building in the morning inviting passers by into the congregation and giving them tracts. His love for the Lord is fantastic. It's great that God's people include such a great variety of people.
Our assisstant pastor Dan Peters is settling in well. He preached a stimulating, passionate and altogether excellent sermon on the Church as a worshipping church last sunday evening. All sermons preached at our Church can be downloaded here... (that is if they were recorded)
Finally, Jon introduced me to Kate Bushes song "Wuthering Heights" It's quality. If you haven't listened to it... do so.
Hope you are all well

CU today was really good. It was good because we discussed in great length the meaning of Romans 12:1-2.
The talk often ended up being about whether the Christian life is hard and if, as we grow (if we do) to become more like Christ it becomes easier...
I would argue in two ways (although not very eloquently):
Firstly, as we grow in Christ we will realise more and more how sinful we are and become more humble. We learn to lean more and more on Christ but it still hurts us that we are constantly in a battle with endwelling sin. In this sense as we grow in holiness it does become more of a struggle as we want more and more to be about mortifying sin which is of course difficult.
To grow in holiness will of course require us to make tough stands and therefore growing in Holiness gets harder and harder. Look at the apostles who were imprisoned and unfairly treated so often and even died painful deaths. These of course were greater Christians than I will ever be and yet they suffered more than me. The only sense in which it gets easier is because their love for Christ was greater and they didn't make a meal out of nothing which is what I am prone to do. The same is true of reformers.
So, I think in general the better Christians live harder lives (there will be exceptions) because they are prepared to make a stand when it really is hard to.
Again the words of Amy Carmichael come to mind (I know I've quoted them a lot but one cant have too much of a bad thing):

Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land,
I hear them hail thy bright ascendant star:
Hast thou no scar?

Hast thou no wound?
Yet, I was wounded by the archers, spent.
Leaned me against the tree to die, and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed me, I swooned:
Hast thou no wound?

No wound? No scar?
Yes, as the Master shall the servant be,
And pierced are the feet that follow Me;
But thine are whole. Can he have followed far
Who has no wound? No scar?

And so onto Romans 12:1-2 which is a pretty hard text...
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.
The phrase that in my mind immediately jumps out is "Living Sacrifice". What does this mean?
In the old covenant the sacrificial system was one of atonement. The people brought sheep and bulls and goats to be sacrificed for their sins. But Christ, as our high priest died that perfect atoning sacrifice for our sins that was once for all. We no longer are required to give sacrifices for our atonement... that has been made perfectly for us. So, what is this sacrifice? The word living is key I feel. Sacrifices were gifts to God and that is what our lives should be but we are to put ourselves alive onto the altar. I think the idea of complete commitment to God would be appropriate. We do not check in and check out in our service to God it should be completely and wholely set apart for God. It is our bodies and not just some aspect of our being that is to be a living sacrifice.
Matthew Henry calls it a sacrifice of acknowledgement to the honour of God. We must always acknowledge that it is Christ living in the soul by faith that makes this sacrifice alive. All sacrifices are also to be holy and so the process of sanctification is applicable here.

Hmmm, I'm not sure I've dealt with those thoughts particularly well. Feel free to contradict anything I say or to offer other suggestions...

I know now I'm supposed to tell you how I have been keeping and all that lark but I can't be bothered so instead I'll leave you with some stories relating to Charles Haddon whose sense of humour is something to be jealous of. Most of these sound best spoken but as I don't speak to you I will write them down.

When approached by a man he had once met Spurgeon said... "Good morning Mr Partridge". The man corrected him saying "Padrige, Padrige" to which Spurgeon replied "oh, well I won't make game of you anymore".

Spurgeon affirmed that there were preachers with divine attributes... "invisible during the week and incomprehensable on a Sunday!"

there are more of course but i'll just whet your appetite at the moment :-)