Weekly Roundup: 2019.07.19
Articles on the heart of John Calvin, 3 types of legalism, and 4 ways to deepen small group prayer; a short video on the church and evolution; and a quote on how hard it is for young men to become shepherds.
Resources
The Heart of John Calvin | Burk Parsons | Ligonier Ministries
According to Parker, Calvin “had a horror of those who preached their own ideas in place of the gospel of the Bible: ‘When we enter the pulpit, it is not so that we may bring our own dreams and fancies with us.’” Calvin was not concerned with offering to his congregation the quaint meditations of his own heart.
3 Types of Legalism | R. C. Sproul | Ligonier Ministries
Have you, as a Christian, ever been accused of legalism? That word is often bandied about in the Christian subculture incorrectly. For example, some people might call John a legalist because they view him as narrow-minded. But the term legalism does not refer to narrow-mindedness. In reality, legalism manifests itself in many subtle ways.
4 Suggestions to Deepen Your Small Group Prayer | Steven Lee | TGC
This is an old article, but I just learned of it in the past week. If your small group has ever struggled with trite prayer and less-than-honest prayer requests, give it a read.
We’ve all been there. Sitting in a living room, having just finished a Bible study, your small group now turns to a time of prayer by soliciting requests. Sally shares about her cat Freckles. Freckles is old and has a bad hip—so she asks for healing for Freckles. You can’t quite imagine the apostle Paul praying for his sick cat, but you don’t want to be a jerk so you join the others by bowing your head and praying for Freckles.
Something doesn’t seem quite right, but you’re not sure why.
When did the Church Stop Reading Genesis as History? | Is Genesis History
A good 2-minute video on how universally the church rejected evolution at one point and then how quickly the church capitulated to it.
I read, and save, more articles that I’m able to post in the Weekly Roundup. To see all of the articles I’ve saved over the years, see my Evernote collection.
Quote
There are certain gifts and graces which, like the oak, mature but slowly. One of these is sympathy. Sympathy is the outgrowth of experience. The experience of young men is limited, and for this they are not to blame. Many a young man has been sorely troubled on entering his first church because of his feeble love for people. On examining his heart he has found it cold and dead. He has looked at the men and women before him and confessed to himself that for most of them he does not care. There seems to be no point of contact between him and them. He has been studying and they have simply been existing. They know hardly anything and he knows a lot. He has been thinking; they do not seem to have thought at all. … How is it possible for a young man reared in the world of books to take a hearty and genuine interest at once in a world so stupid and backward? It is by no means easy for a young man to become a shepherd, and he ought not to be discouraged if he cannot become one in a day, or a year. An orator he can be without difficulty. A reformer he can become at once. In criticism of politics and society he can do a flourishing business the first Sunday. But a shepherd he can become only slowly, and by patiently traveling the way of the cross.
The shepherd’s work is a humble work; such it has been from the beginning and such it must be to the end. A man must come down to do it. A shepherd cannot shine. He cannot cut a figure. His work must be done in obscurity. The things which he does do not make interesting copy. His work calls for continuous self-effacement. It is a form of service which eats up a man’s life. It makes a man old before his time. Every good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
— The Minister as Shepherd, Charles Jefferson. CLC Publications, 2006, pp. 26–27.