The Heidelberg Catechism - The Foundations Of Our Faith

Give of your best to the Master; Give of the strength of your youth; Armed with the sword of salvation, Join in the battle for truth. Jesus has set the example; His life for others He gave; Give Him your loyal devotion, Give Him the best that you have." — Words by Howard B. Grose, 1851-1939 A terrible plague has gripped Christianity for many years. This plague has ruined lives, families, and churches. What is it? It's the plague of mediocrity, and it runs rampant today. Mediocrity is defined as "the state of being of moderate or low quality, value, ability, or performance." It is living below our potential. It is giving just enough to God to ease our conscience but not enough to produce spiritual transformation. GIVE GOD YOUR BEST. Colossians 3:23   says,   "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men."   Whether performing responsibilities at home, at work, at church, or whatever you do, always do your best. Do it "heartily,...

  Delivered on Lord's-Day Evening, November 5th, 1871, by Archibald G. Brown at Stepney Green Tabernacle, London. "Remove not the ancient landmark which thy fathers have set." Proverbs 22:28   Every age has its distinguishing character and mark. Some have been martial above everything else, and the pages of their history might appropriately be written in blood, and illustrated by battle scenes. Others may be truthfully described as "scientific," and some few as "profligate." The present age I am inclined to catalogue as "radical." On every hand there has arisen a bold and defiant spirit of inquiry. Veneration for anything is at a discount. The oldest theories are now put to the most searching tests, and things that were looked upon with something akin to pious awe by our forefathers are now freely handled, and often with laughter. Old landmarks are being most unceremoniously shifted into remote corners, or else "improved" off the fa...

I once swore much worse than you did today. God convicted me of my sins and one was blaspheming and swearing. I remember the day well. I had just congratulated myself on not swearing too much on a soccer field. Then God convicted me that sin is all failure before a holy God. And each of those swearings were a sin before an absolutely holy God. I realised then that because God is absolutely holy and I am absolutely sinful I deserved absolutely to spend eternity in hell away from the holiness of God. Where could I ever find mercy! Because I had done more than swear and blaspheme and each sin separated me from Holy God. I then discovered by reading the Bible that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son to be the atoning sacrifice for my sins. Christ died for my sins. All I needed do was trust Him to be my Saviour and all is forgiven and pardoned. The blood of Jesus God's Son cleanses us from all sin. Now that is amazing grace. Your swearing doesn't offend me, but I t...

In Evil Long I Took Delight In evil long I took delight, Unawed by shame or fear, Till a new object struck my sight, And stopped my wild career. I saw One hanging on a tree, In agony and blood, Who fixed His languid eyes on me, As near His cross I stood. Sure, never to my latest breath, Can I forget that look; It seemed to charge me with His death, Though not a word He spoke. My conscience felt and owned the guilt, And plunged me in despair, I saw my sins His blood had spilt, And helped to nail Him there. A second look He gave, which said, "I freely all forgive; This blood is for thy ransom paid; I die that thou mayst live." Thus, while His death my sin displays In all its blackest hue, Such is the mystery of grace, It seals my pardon too. With pleasing grief and mournful joy, My spirit now is fill'd, That I should such a life destroy, Yet live by Him I kill'd. Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the wor...

    Ephesians 6:10-20  Ready For Battle - Summary The Christian life is not a playground—it's a battleground. And whether we like it or not, every Christian is called to be a soldier and to " fight the good fight" (I Tim. 6:12). No good soldier enters a battle without being fully prepared and protected. "Sit Walk Stand!" Watchman Nee   Ephesians 1-3   "Seated with Christ" "Walk" Ephesians 4,5 "Walk worthy" 4:1  "walk not as other Gentiles walk" 4:17  "walk in love" 5:2  "as children of light" 5:8 "walk circumspectly" 15 "Stand!" Ephesians 6 to stand against the schemes of the devil. able to withstand in the evil day.. to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore Our Adversary He says "don't underestimate your enemy!"  England underestimated Hitler in 1933-1939.  Look at the disaster that unfolded into the Second World War! Don't underestimate Satan. A. He Is Subtle Fir...

Thoughts on the Penrith grand final win. Winning after all hope was lost and winning in the last 20 minutes of an impossible game. We begin our lives with great hopes and aspirations about our careers, our marriages, our children. Then something happens. Our career goes south, our marriage goes sour, our children go awry, and our dreams are shattered. If that's happened to you, hang on to hope. Meadowlark Lemon, the old Harlem Globetrotter basketball super star, said, "The most useless statistic in sports is the halftime score." More than one game has been won in the second half, in the last two minutes, and even in the last second. How many football games have been lost this season by a last minute final minute kick? And what about this years' grand final? Penrith trailed Brisbane Broncos 24 to 8. I have to admit, I had given up! With only twenty minutes to go. Penrith we're losing very badly. It would be impossible to get three tries in 20 minutes ...

We begin our lives with great hopes and aspirations about our careers, our marriages, our children. Then something happens. Our career goes south, our marriage goes sour, our children go awry, and our dreams are shattered. If that's happened to you, hang on to hope. Meadowlark Lemon, the old Harlem Globetrotter star, said, "The most useless statistic in sports is the halftime score." More than one game has been won in the second half, in the last two minutes, and even in the last second. How many football games have been lost this season by a last minute final minute kick?  And what about the grand final? Penrith trailed Broncos 24 to 8.  With only twenty minutes to go. Everyone had given up. Except Nathan Cleary.  He brought them home to a 26 to 24 win.   Our God is a God of second chances so don't give up. God's not through with you yet. The fact is, God's not through with you even if you are through with him. He's not through with you until you are thro...

"The Minister's Fainting Fits," from Lectures To My Students   WHEN A PREACHER IS DOWNCAST "As it is recorded that David, in the heat of battle, waxed faint, so may it be written of all the servants of the Lord. Fits of depression come over the most of us. Usually cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals be cast down. The strong are not always vigorous, the wise not always ready, the brave not always courageous, and the joyous not always happy. There may be here and there men of iron, to whom wear and tear work no perceptible detriment, but surely the rust frets even these; and as for ordinary men, the Lord knows, and makes them to know, that they are but dust. Knowing by most painful experience what deep depression of spirit means, being visited therewith at seasons by no means few or far between, I thought it might be consolatory to some of my brethren if I gave my thoughts thereon, that younger men might not fancy that some strange thing had happened to them wh...