Paul Washer: Is It Well with Your Soul?

Book Review: Gentleness: The Way of Life by R.D. Norman

In Galatians 5:22-23, we see a list of characteristics that is consistent with the Christian life, which is called the Fruit of the Spirit. This is not like the gifts of the Spirit where not one believer possesses all of the gifts. The Christian has every fruit mentioned in this passage. 

In this passage, gentleness is the second to last right before self-control. Gentleness tends to be overlooked especially in a culture that seems to be harsh and critical. Jesus said He is "gentle and humble in heart" (Matthew 11:29). The Apostle Paul said that he did not come to the Thessalonian church with flattering words, any source of greed, or seeking the praise of men, but "we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children" (1 Thessalonians 2:7). 

Jesus and the Apostle Paul both showed gentleness in their life and ministry. Christians can do the same since we have the Holy Spirit, and the evidence of that is the fruit shown in our lives, which is the Fruit of the Spirit. R.D. Norman, a missionary in Romania, has written a book to show Christians the Bible's teachings on gentleness, simply titled, Gentleness: A Way of Life.

Norman begins this book with looking at God, in fact, he looks on all of the Godhead at is relates to gentleness. He shows from the Bible how gentle the Father is who gives us His Spirit, who comforts us along with the Son who is our Shepherd who guides us.

Next, Norman looks at how Christians can be gentle. One note, Norman is not indicating being soft. There are times we must be firm. We must speak with truth in love. How we live our lives and speak to another must be a life of gentleness as Christ should us. One area Christians should show gentleness is in the area of suffering. When life gets hard, Christians are to be the ones comforting one another and those around us. As we share the gospel it must be done in gentleness because lost people do not know the Way.

Gentleness is one subject not necessarily discussed. If it is, it usually is a guilt trip message on someone's tone or being dismissive when a preacher is calling out a false teacher. We need a proper Biblical understanding of gentleness. Norman's book provides that.  This book will be excellent in a study on the Fruit of the Spirit.

I received this book from G3 Press in exchange for an honest review.

Al Fadi: Did God Really Say?

Al Fadi is a former Muslim who has become a follower of Christ. In this message, he is giving his testimony along with what Islam teaches.

  

A Bio on Saint Patrick

A small body of Christian believers has faithfully maintained a century-long gospel legacy in the heart of the teeming city of Jakarta. Planted by Dutch missionaries during the colonial era, the Reformed Chapel has gracefully shown forth the love of Christ to the world’s largest Muslim nation in both word and deed. Though many of the members of the congregation had only recently been oppressed, tyrannized, and sent fleeing from their family homes on the island of Sumatra, they responded quickly to the tsunami disaster that swept many of their former persecutors into a horror of death, destruction, and loss. They have collected money for relief. They have sent doctors, nurses, technicians, and engineers to help. They have mobilized whatever help they could possibly muster. They have been quick in such a time of need to care for men and women they knew to be their enemies—and the enemies of God.

That is the gospel in action. It is the very essence of the missionary impulse. It always has been. It always will be. It was the sort of thing that Patrick of Ireland would have understood only too well. Indeed, it was in fact, the story of his life.

Patrick was a younger contemporary of Augustine of Hippo and Martin of Tours—the fifth century heroes of the faith who laid the foundations for the great civilization of Christendom. He was apparently born into a patrician Roman family in one of the little Christian towns near present day Glasglow—either Bonavern or Belhaven. Although his pious parents, Calphurnius and Conchessa, nurtured him in the Christian faith, he later confessed that he much preferred the passing pleasures of sin. One day while playing by the sea as a teen, marauding pirates captured Patrick and sold him into slavery to a petty Celtic tribal king, named Milchu. During the next six years of captivity he suffered great adversity, hunger, nakedness, loneliness, and sorrow while tending his master’s flocks in the valley of the Braid and on the slopes of the Slemish.

Read the rest of the post here.

Jon Benzinger: Addressing Salvation

Tom Drion: The Pilgrim’s Progress Through Trials

The message was delivered at the Truth in Love Conference at Founders Baptist Church in Spring, Tx: 

Jerry Bridges on God's Holiness

As used in Scripture, holiness describes both the majesty of God and the purity and moral perfection of His nature. Holiness is one of His attributes; that is, holiness is an essential part of the nature of God. His holiness is as necessary as His existence, or as necessary, for example, as His wisdom or omniscience. Just as He cannot but know what is right, so He cannot but do what is right…

God’s holiness then is perfect freedom from all evil. We say a garment is clean when it is free from any spot, or gold is pure when all dross has been refined from it. In this manner we can think of the holiness of God as the absolute absence of any evil in Him. John said, “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Light and darkness, when used this way in Scripture, have moral significance. John is telling us that God is absolutely free from any moral evil and that He is Himself the essence of moral purity.

Adapted from The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges

Ian Hamilton: Sola Gratia

This message took place during the Sola Conference at Countryside Bible Church in Southlake, Tx:   

Nathan Busenitz: Sola Fide

This message took place during the Sola Conference at Countryside Bible Church in Southlake, Tx:   

Is God an Unsatisfied Redeemer?

In Acts 17:25, it says that God is not "served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things." We see in Philippians 1:6 "that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." God does not need us, and He is completing His good work in us till the day of Christ. Does this mean that God is unsatisfied with the work He is doing in our lives?

You might be asking where is there coming from? This is actually from Paul Tripp's devotional New Morning Mercies. Tripp began with this statement:

If you are not full formed into the image of Jesus, your Redeemer is neither satisfied nor finished, and neither should you be.

I understand that meaning of us want to grow in our sanctification, but the idea that God is not satisfied means He is left wanting to do more or His is not sufficient in all of His work. Does need to accomplish the good work in us? No. Yes, He did promise, but He would have been content with leaving us in our sin, yet God is not ungracious. He did promise a Messiah to redeem from our sins and since we are saved, we are being conformed into the image of His Son. This does not mean God is unsatisfied. 

Tripp continues:

Your Redeemer is zealous for one goal- the final renewal of all things. Ultimate salvation from all that sin is and all that sin has broken is his unrelenting pursuit. He will continue to unleash his power to accomplish redemption and he will not be satisfied until the last enemy is under his feet and the final kingdom has come. Yes, there is great and eternal hope for you in the dissatisfaction of your Redeemer.

This makes it sound like God is all about us. Our salvation was to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:3-14). Does this imply that God has needs and He needs to be satisfied to complete His good work in us. When God created the world, he saw that it was good (Genesis 1) not He was unsatisfied. 

Tripp indicating God is an unsatisfied redeemer means that He is a God who is lacking. A God who is in need of us which we all know is not biblical. God has no unsatisfaction because He is self-sufficient. 

Recommended Reading:

God Doesn't Try by Jim Osman and Dave Rich

James Coates: The Glory of the One and Only Gospel

Tom Pennington: Sola Scriptura

This message took place during the Sola Conference at Countryside Bible Church in Southlake, Tx:   

Phillip De Courcy: The Pilgrims Ambition: Study in the Judgment Seat of Christ

The message was delivered at the Truth in Love Conference at Founders Baptist Church in Spring, Tx:

Jeffrey Johnson: How to Have Communion with God in Prayer

Owen Strachan: Addressing the Work of the Spirit

Book Review: A Quest for Godliness by J.I. Packer

There have been many books on the Puritans. Most of them are biographical while others on their teachings. These books have benefitted many in the body of Christ over the centuries.

One book on the Puritans that many recommend is J.I. Packer's A Quest for Godliness, which addresses the spiritual life of these men who walked with God so many years ago. Packer begins with the necessity of the Puritans and examines some of their writings.

Packer addresses how the Puritans viewed the Bible including John Owen's view that the Bible is how God speaks to us today, which is the view of the majority of the Puritans and those who hold Reformed Theology. A Chapter in this book is the introduction that Packer wrote from an edition of Owen's classic book, The Death of Death in the Death of Christ. Packer dives into how the Puritans viewed the gospel as well as the preaching of it as well as their view of justification.

Many people are not aware that the Puritans have a high view of the Holy Spirit. Packer unpacks that by showing what Puritans believed about the Holy Spirit along with John Owen's view of the spiritual gifts, which is a hot topic in the church today. Packer continues by looking into the Puritans in living the Christian life by writing on their dealings with the Lord's Day as well as worship. Packer even tackles their views on marriage and family.

Finally, Packer writes about the ministry of the Puritans. The Puritans did believe that God is sovereign in the salvation of souls, yet we have a task to proclaim the gospel in the church and outside the church. The puritans along with many in Reformed Theology looked at preaching a means of grace for the believers to grow and be edify as they walk with Jesus in this life. 

As stated earlier, there are many books on the Puritans that have been written over the years. They have been recommended by many theologians and pastors, yet I do not hear Packer's book in many of those conversations. I am delighted to tell you that A Quest for Godliness should be on everyone's to-read list on the Puritans.

I received this book from Crossway in exchange for an honest review.

A Conversation About Not Compromising to Share the Stage with False Teachers

I have listened to the music of Michael O'Brien in the past and have enjoyed it. I like a lot of his current music which some are hymns for his listeners to engage with. He has gone on record that he will not share a stage with those who are not of sound doctrine which included a time to sing at the White House because one of the spiritual advisors for President Trump is Paula White.

In this video, Michael speaks with Doreen Virtue about what God has done in his life especially in the area of taking a stand against false teachers. This video also has a couple of clips of Michael leading worship at the 2025 Resolute Women's Conference which took place at the Ark Encounter.

Jon Benzinger: Addressing The Local Church

Gary Gilley on Lent

Lent is the word used to denote the forty-day fast preceding Easter. In modern times it is usually observed from Ash Wednesday to Maundy Thursday (approximately six weeks). Its traditional purpose is to prepare believers for Easter through various forms of prayer and sacrifice. During Lent, many will participate in selective fasts or abstinence from luxuries or some types of food. (Joan) Chittister covers Lent in her chapter (from the book, "The Liturgical Year") entitled "Asceticism" and says, "Lent revolves around sacrifice.... We must be prepared to give up some things if we intend to get things that even are more important. Lent draws from the asceticism of early monasticism:

Ardent Christians, monastics, left the cities where narcissism held full sway to live as solitaries in the desert in order to do battle with the enemies of the soul. They practiced harsh penances and purged themselves completely of all worldly pleasures in order to witness to a life beyond this life, a life beyond the gratification of the body to the single-minded development of the soul.

Chittister is happy that the extremes of asceticism are a thing of the past; nevertheless, she applauds the goal of the ascetics which is to conquer themselves and develop their souls.". Asceticism is the idea that by putting our physical bodies through deliberate suffering and hardship we will master our inward passions. It is "through acts of asceticism, we learn the most difficult thing in life: we master the gift of self-conquest. We are no longer prey to our own excesses. Now we are in control of the most difficult material we'll ever confront—ourselves." The problem with asceticism is both that it doesn't work and more importantly, it is unbiblical. Paul clearly torpedoed the whole ascetic movement when he wrote in Colossians 2:20-23:

If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!" (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.

Deliberate asceticism, harsh treatment of the body and abstinence from acceptable activities, actions, and food, may have the appearance of spiritual activity but have no effect on our souls, nor do they enhance our spiritual development. Lent is a hold-over from ascetic practices of the past that have no direct spiritual value.

Adapted from Out of Formation: The Infiltration of the Spiritual Formation Movement and Its Impact on Evangelicalism by Gary E. Gilley

Jonny Ardavanis on Purgatory