Testimony

If you are not someone who attends Grace Baptist Church, Lancaster you will find it a great encouragement and blessing to go to the website of the church and listen to the testimony of Walu Sitale, given at his baptism the Sunday before last. www.freegracelancaster.co.uk

Charles Simeon by Derek Prime

Derek Prime’s biography of Charles Simeon already has some warm and enthusiastic commendations and these are thoroughly deserved. This is certainly a most helpful and heart-warming book, which will be of particular usefulness to all preachers of the Word, especially those in the early days of their ministry. There is a great deal to instruct and help those who have not yet got too set in their ways of sermon preparation. I like the sub-title, An ordinary pastor of extraordinary influence, though I confess that if Simeon was an ordinary pastor I am not quite sure where that leaves me! Simeon’s interest in missionary work was already known to me, but I had not appreciated his concern for the evangelization of the Jewish people and his place in stimulating mission work amongst them. I note that while he was convinced of the future restoration of the Jews, he at the same time ‘consistently and steadfastly refused to speculate about the details’. Sometimes I have felt that some societies that work amongst the Jews have made too much of such details. It is one thing to hold one’s own convictions strongly, but a missionary society looking for support could press the main point with which all Christians ought to agree and leave it at that in its deputation and literature.

Every chapter has its value, but in addition to what has already been said I found the chapters on ‘Weaknesses and strengths’ and ‘Simeon’s spiritual legacy’ extremely helpful. One chapter where I think Derek Prime perhaps should have been a little more critical is that called ‘Simeon and the principle of balance’. Overall Simeon’s spirit and moderation shine out (and the author’s) and nothing should be taken away from these. However the principle that ‘the truth often exists in both extremes and not in the middle’ seems somewhat doubtful. This is fine if the ‘extremes’ are divine sovereignty and human responsibility, but not if they are hyper-Calvinism and Open Theism (and these are the real extremes). Moreover the ‘golden mean’ generally means finding the precise point of balance between extremes and not both held together. I do personally wonder if there is not a touch of ‘Anglican fudge’ in some of Simeon’s sentiments. Read the book and see what you think yourself. Overall it is excellent, but it is good to be made to think carefully as well.

Wisdom from Charles Simeon

I hope sometime soon to say something about Derek Prime’s excellent book on Charles Simeon (Day One). For the moment here is this extract:

A considerable part of my ministerial usefulness has consisted, to instruct young ministers how to read easily, naturally, distinctly, impressively. This is indeed a kind of instruction which no man gives, and no man desires: but it is greatly needed, and of vast importance, as well to the health of the ministers, as to the edification of their flocks. How often are the prayers of our Church spoiled, and good sermons rendered uninteresting, by bad delivery in ministers! I thank God, I could specify many, some that were in a very hopeless state, who have been exceedingly benefited by my poor endeavours.

Mountain prayers

As someone who loves mountains, though I haven't been to any top for some years, I was pleased to come across the following in Derek Prime's book on Charles Simeon. Simeon and James Haldane climbed one of the more memorable mountains of Scotland - 'when they arrived at the top of Ben Lomond Simeon records "then we went to prayer and dedicated ourselves afresh to God."' Having been recently in North Wales I remember when in the RAF on a Moral Leadership course, early in the morning we went to the top of Conway Mountain for a prayer meeting. Our prayers rose with the sun! (The picture is of Tryfan in North Wales a fortnight ago).

A Concert of Prayer

Last Saturday, 11th, a group from three churches met at Grace Baptist Church, Lancaster, to join in the concert of prayer for revival being held in Yorkshire and beyond. There were twenty-five of us, meeting for an hour and a half (because of parking restrictions). There was a good spirit of prayer and towards the end we widened our horizons to consider the nations of the world - especially bearing in mind that revived churches here would result in a greater missionary spirit and desire for the spread of the gospel world wide. While there is no particualr virtue in meeting at the same time as others, and we know many pray for the gracious and powerful working of God's Spirit at other times and in their own prayer meetings, yet the sense of unity with others in prayer was real and we hope to be able to meet again in the future. May the Lord grant us all prayerfulness and gracious answers to our prayers.

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This will be the last of these for the time being.

An overlooked ministry

It is, I believe, commonly recognized that the Doctor had a hidden ministry of personal counselling. I think much more significance should be given to this, and more thought given to the influence this had on him. After the Sunday services and Friday evening addresses on Romans the Church Parlour could be filled with as many as 20 to 30 people waiting to see him. It was just like being in a doctor’s waiting room at his surgery. One by one people would go in to his vestry. The Doctor sat. He usually had a cup of tea or coffee to drink – I’m not sure which – and a Kitkat to eat. Those who came in stood. He would listen to the problem; sometimes he would anticipate what was going to come next – he must have heard much the same sort of thing time and again. He would give his advice; clearly and succinctly. There were others waiting. Occasionally he would see people at other times – I once went to see him on a Thursday afternoon. In addition to this there were those who phoned him up, these were more likely to be fellow ministers. Others wrote letters and these were answered promptly – at least the two or three that I wrote to him were. His preaching ministry and his general understanding of the needs of the times must surely have been influenced by the things which he heard by the many who sought his advice.

Encountering Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones 4

The Christian life

Without wishing to present an inaccurate stereotype I do think that in the period I am referring to as well as the negatives already referred to, the positive side of the Christian life was too much pictured in terms of witnessing and personal evangelism. Gregarious extroverts exhorted everyone to be witnessing or handing out tracts practically all the spare time you had – as they sometimes still do. I remember in one of my few conversations with the Doctor saying that where I lived I sometimes passed groups of lads in the evenings and felt convicted that I ought to speak to them, but I was not sure about it. My memory may be faulty, but I think that he replied that a lot of harm could be done by Christians zealously buttonholing others who then felt victimised and were put off rather than helped. He suggested I prayerfully attempted to approach them and see how I got on. This I did and as a result decided that while others did had much more of a gift of getting alongside strangers this was not something which I was generally able to do fruitfully. The Doctor’s view of the Christian life was far bigger and more rounded than that of some of his contemporaries. Of course, being ready to confess one’s own faith and being unashamed of the gospel is a vital part of Christian witness, as is a readiness to befriend those you are brought into contact with. It also requires time and wisdom to build fruitful gospel relationships from scratch.